King of the Whip 2022

A Spectacular Spectacle: September 2022

We have to take our hats off to LW Mag for this great initiative. It’s about taking MX action to the people – and damn, they do get it right!

What started as an idea at a track scratched out at one of the dealerships has turned into one of the biggest premium motorcycle events on the SA motorcycle calendar.

And not just bike people – people from all walks of life came out to enjoy the action packed ambiance. And action-packed is the correct description for KOTW, from the moment the competition started the riders were throwing massive whips and really wowing the crowds, with each rider going bigger and more extreme with each attempt.

This year, Montecasino hosted it all – what a cool venue!
While you watched the competition, you could go and have a haircut or a tattoo at the Monster Energy tent, Chat to the friendly guys from Motul about lubrication or grab an ice cold beverage and a bite to eat while soaking it all in.

30 Freestyle Motocross and Motocross riders from all over SA and abroad competed in the Best Whip and Best Trick competitions.

14 riders qualified through to the semi-finals that would see them battle it out for a Top 8 spot to advance to the final. As the sun started to set and the lighting started filling up the Montecasino events arena, it was time for the big tricks.

In the FMX Best Trick contests, SA’s Dallan Goldman took the Right-Side-Up win and the R10,000 first prize with his 1-Hand 9 O’Clock Nic Indi (Airplane Indy). He was followed by International X-Games Gold Medallist Julien Vanstippen’s Holygrab to Double Hart Attack in 2nd and Michael Oyston’s Dead Body Indy in 3rd.

In the Upside-Down segment Julien Vanstippen took the win and the R20,000 first prize with his huge Ruler Indy Backflip ahead of Dallan Goldman with a Backflip Indy in 2nd.
Then it was time for the big whips in the Best Whip contest final that saw Jesse Wright, Dallan Goldman, Dirco van der Westhuizen, Matt van Galen, Dalton Venter, Ricky Raaff, young Ryan Adler and Julien Vanstippen take to the air.

And it was awesome! These guys landed tricks that seemed impossible to much appreciation from the packed grand stands.

The Best Whip event, the premier division of the evening, was won by the current X-Games Best Whip gold medallist, Belgium’s Julien Vanstippen who pulled some of the biggest whips the world has ever seen. Dallan Goldman, who has podiumed at every King of the Whip event, did not let him have it all his way, chasing him hard with some really big stuff. He came in second with, Jesse Wright on the third step.

“Having an event like King of the Whip in South Africa is exactly what this country and sport needs,” said Goldman. “LW Mag has done an awesome job setting this venue up and ensuring that all the riders are here. I just see King Of The Whip getting bigger and bigger, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we start selling out some stadiums soon. The potential for this event is massive.”

“Everyone was riding so good, so it was hard to do better than them, but yeah, good times for all,” said a jubilant Vanstippen. “For sure, I will come back for this event. I think more people will want to get involved in this event, train harder, and see bigger whips in the future. So next time we will come for a month and then go down to Cape Town to party. Let’s go!”