Chicago, IL - On Saturday, Nov. 5, eight of the globe's top snowmobilers will ascend into the night sky for Red Bull Fuel + Fury. The freestyle snowmobiling competition will place Wrigley Field, one of the Chicago's most storied landmarks, into uncharted territory-the center of an extreme machine playground. With athlete pitted against athlete and sled pitted against sled, the captivating event will mark the first-ever time that professional snowmobiling has laid its tracks at the iconic venue in the heart of the major metropolis.
"I am so pumped that Red Bull Fuel + Fury is back," said Levi LaVallee, one of the world's top riders, who will serve as the event host. "The event has helped elevate the sport of snowmobile freestyle to where it is today."
The all-star lineup of competitors includes Winter X Games gold medalists Daniel Bodin, Heath Frisby and Justin Hoyer (2004 Red Bull Fuel + Fury winner), as well as all-stars Cory Davis, Jimmy Fejas and Jeff Mullen. LaVallee, a seven-time Winter X Games medalist, will also be joined by a panel of five judges, all of whom are industry heavyweights.
With thousands of cubic yards of woodchips, dirt and turf laid before them, each of the athletes will take to the buried pavement for their shot at one of the most jaw-dropping playing fields the sport has ever seen. The one-of-a-kind track will launch competitors onto a course featuring three steel ramps. Between flips, grabs and big-air tricks, the unrelenting series of kickers will send riders airborne against the silhouette of the historic stadium and Chicago skyline, each ferociously vying to rev his way to victory.
The discerning judge's panel will assess contenders over the course of a double elimination bracket challenge. Each round will feature two athletes battling it out head to head, with one advancing in the winner's bracket. The other will make his way to the consolation bracket for the chance to claw his way back to the championship.
If history is any indicator, the Nov. 5 spectacle promises to be an outdoor laboratory for extreme innovation. In 2003, snowmobile pioneer Jay Quinlan executed the first-ever backflip on a sled en route to winning the inaugural Red Bull
Fuel + Fury in Jackson, WY. In 2004 and 2005, he returned to the event, which moved to the abandoned Pabst brewery in Milwaukee, WI, wowing the crowds with back-to-back backflips in 2004. The competition returned to its backcountry roots in Alaska in 2006. The 2011 competition marks a much-anticipated comeback on the biggest stage yet.
"I'll never forget Jay Quinlan doing the first backflip on a snowmobile in competition at the first Red Bull Fuel + Fury," said LaVallee. "That is what started the madness that you see the riders doing today. Who knows what will go down at this year's event in Chicago, but I know for sure that it will be insane!"
Red Bull Fuel + Fury will take place at Wrigley Field, at 1060 West Addison Street. The competition will begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5. Gates open at 5 p.m. Admission is free to the public.
For more information on Red Bull Fuel + Fury, visit http://win.gs/WrigleyFF.