Levi Sherwood (born 22 October 1991) is a

freestyle motocross Freestyle motocross (also known as FMX) is a variation on the sport of motocross in which motorcycle riders attempt to impress judges with jumps and stunts. The two main types of freestyle events are: *Big air (also known as "best trick"), in wh ...

rider from New Zealand, nicknamed "rubber kid".

Early life

Sherwood was born in

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; , colloquially known as Palmerston or Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatū Plains, the city is near the north bank of the Manaw ...

, New Zealand, attending

Palmerston North Boys' High School Palmerston North Boys' High School is a secondary Day school, day and Boarding school, boarding school for boys founded in 1902. It is located in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Location Palmerston North Boys' High School has a campus located on ...

. Starting out in motocross racing, he followed in the footsteps of his father Dave Sherwood, who was a professional speedway racer. Sherwood's love for speed and adrenaline translated into his move to freestyle motocross. He started riding

motorbikes A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle steered by a handlebar from a saddle-style seat. Motorcycle designs var ...

at the age of 4. At 12 years old he was invited to ride on the Crusty Demons Australasian tour, giving him a taste of professional freestyle.

Career

2009

In March, Sherwood was in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

negotiating a sponsorship deal with

Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks created and owned by the Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With a market share of 43%, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2020, and the third most valuable soft drink brand, behind Coca-Cola and ...

when a rider withdrew from the X-Fighters series, backed by the drinks company. He was offered the unexpected chance to fill in. At age 17, Sherwood competed in his first professional event and clinically beat the best riders in the world in front of 42,000, winning the opening round of the

Red Bull X-Fighters Red Bull X-Fighters was a Freestyle Motocross, freestyle motocross stunt competition organized by Red Bull GmbH, Red Bull from 2001 to 2017. During its years of operation, it staged 50 events on six continents in bullring, bullrings, famous loca ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. He rode a KX450F, the only four-stroke that had ever been seen in at the huge competition. He qualified fourth and had arguably the hardest run to the finals. In the quarterfinals he beat Norwegian legend André Villa, then shocked the world when he closed out 2008 defending champion

Mat Rebeaud Mat Rebeaud (born 29 July 1982) is a Swiss freestyle motocross Freestyle motocross (also known as FMX) is a variation on the sport of motocross in which motorcycle riders attempt to impress judges with jumps and stunts. The two main types of ...

in the semifinals. Sherwood then met

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

's Eigo Sato in the finals, but Sato was simply no match. A starting place for the following Red Bull X-Fighters event in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

followed. Despite not being able to repeat his debut win, Sherwood established himself as one of the top riders on the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2009 with solid performances and including another podium finish, coming second in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

2010

Sherwood won silver in the Moto X Freestyle final of the

X Games XVI X Games XVI was an action sporting event which took place from July 29 – August 1, 2010 in Los Angeles, California at the Staples Center, L.A. Live and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The games featured the sports of Motocross, skateboarding ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. The field started with sixteen riders and carved back to the top four point scorers for three run final. Sherwood at the age of just 18 and the only

New Zealander New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

at the games, finished with 79 points from the best two scores of three rides, one point behind

Travis Pastrana Travis Alan Pastrana (born October 8, 1983) is an American professional athlete known for his success across multiple disciplines, including freestyle motocross, rally racing, NASCAR, and stunt performance. He rose to prominence in the early 2000s ...

of the United States. Pastrana had locked up the gold before his final run when Sherwood was unable to catch up with his third round. His sixth place in the overall standings in 2009 got him qualified for the 2010 season, and Sherwood was one of the five guys to battle for the title that year. Everything seemed to work in Sherwood's favor with a win in Moscow, and another victory in London, but then he crashed badly at the ASA World Championships of FMX in

Pomona, California Pomona ( ) is a city in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city's population was ...

. He found himself with a dislocated wrist and badly broken femur. The injuries forced him out of the final battle in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and Sherwood watched the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour finale on television. Later that year it was confirmed that Sherwood, would ride alongside FMX legend Travis Pastrana and the entire Nitro Circus crew for their huge one night only show at

North Harbour Stadium North Harbour Stadium is a stadium situated in Albany, in North Shore City, New Zealand. It was opened in 1997, after nearly a decade of discussion, planning and construction. Rugby union, association football, rugby league, and baseball are a ...

on February 5, 2011. Thus being Sherwood's first ever Nitro Circus Live performances.

Statistics

Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour

Nitro World Games

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sherwood, Levi Living people 1991 births X Games competitors New Zealand motocross riders Freestyle motocross riders People educated at Palmerston North Boys' High School