At the inaugural Fuel Action Sports Awards in November, both top awards went to Travis Pastrana - the Arby’s ‘Maverick’ Award and Kicker Audio Freestyle Motocross Rider of the Year.
Having landed the first double backflip in motocross history earlier in 2006 in Spokane, Pastrana went to Summer X Games 12, where he repeated the feat and stuck the first double backflip to win the X Games gold medal for best trick. It is believed only one judge did not rate the run 100/100, so the final score was only 98.60.
Less than 24 hours after making freestyle motocross history, Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom won the debut X Games rally car racing event. A third X Games 12 gold medal - this time in moto X freestyle - came after he pulled a backflip saran wrap, a backflip kiss of death, a one-handed backflip and a one-handed backflip lazy boy.
The win ties Pastrana with Andy Macdonald on eight gold medals - the third-most gold medals in X Games history, trailing just Dave Mirra (14) and Tony Hawk (10). The fans chose him as the ‘Most Xperimental Athlete’ of X Games 12.
Injuries have often taken Pastrana off the circuit for weeks or months. His medical record includes multiple concussions, a broken back, and severe knee problems due to cartilage degeneration. In 1998 at a Triple Crown event in Lake Havasu when he was 14 he jumped a 120-foot ramp and came up short, dislocating his spine from his pelvis. “I was in and out of consciousness for about three days and had six blood transfusions,” recalls Pastrana, who says now he does not recall all the injuries he has had.
