Austin’s Debut as X Games Host includes Battle of the Bands Competition
ESPN’s X Games has invited many past medalists and top athletes from around the world for the inaugural X Games Austin, to be held June 5-8 at Circuit of The Americas™. The competition will feature more than 200 athletes competing for medals and prize money in the sports of Skateboard, BMX, RallyCross, Moto X and for the first time, the discipline of Stadium Super Trucks. As part of the enhanced music and festival-style offerings at X Games Austin, the X Games: Battle of the Bands competition will make its debut.
The X Games: Battle of the Bands competition will feature the top eight bands from an online band-submitted and fan-voted competition performing on-stage during X Games Austin for a $25,000 prize. Those eight bands with the highest online vote totals will then each perform a 25-minute set at X Games Austin and fans will vote for their favorites. The two bands with the highest vote totals will then perform head-to-head on June 8 where a winner will be named based on fan voting. For more information and to enter, please visit https://xbands.xgamesaustin.com.
ESPN and ABC will televise a combined 20 live hours of X Games Austin competition, which will also be accessible via WatchESPN and WatchABC to viewers who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider. An additional seven hours of competition will be carried on ESPN3 as well as the latest coverage across ESPN digital platforms, including XGames.com, X Games app, X Games pages across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and more.
The first wave of invited athletes includes:
Bob Burnquist (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) – The most-medaled athlete in X Games history, Burnquist added his 26th medal with a bronze in Skateboard Big Air in Los Angeles. Just one of three athletes to compete at every X Games summer event, Burnquist will compete in Skateboard Big Air in Austin.
Bucky Lasek (Baltimore, Md.) – The only athlete to win gold in the same discipline at all four X Games summer events in 2013, Lasek took home gold at each Skateboard Vert competition. Prior to X Games Foz do Iguaçu, Lasek had not reached the podium in the discipline for nine years. Lasek will compete in Skateboard Vert, Skateboard Park and RallyCross in Austin.
Leticia Bufoni (Sao Paulo, Brazil) – The defending women’s Skateboard Street gold medalist, Bufoni won her first X Games gold in front of her hometown crowd at X Games Foz do Iguaçu last year. She followed that performance with golds in X Games Barcelona’s Real Women competition and at X Games Los Angeles in Skateboard Street.
Nyjah Huston (Davis, Calif.) – With three Skateboard Street gold medals in 2013, Huston missed out on the sweep when injury prevented him from competing at X Games Munich. Now with eight total X Games medals, Huston won his first gold at just 14 years old.
Laia Sanz (Barcelona, Spain) – Winning gold in her first two X Games appearances in a dominant fashion, Sanz was nominated for an ESPY in 2013 for Best Action Sports Female. Throughout 2013, Sanz battled veteran and three-time X Games gold medalist Maria Forsberg for the top Enduro X podium spot, winning every stop except Munich.
Kyle Baldock (Gold Coast, Australia) – The first BMX athlete to medal in two disciplines at the same event, Baldock was a surprise BMX Dirt and Park gold medalist at X Games Foz do Iguaçu in 2013. He finished out the season winning the Dew Tour Dirt competition as well.
Morgan Wade (Tyler, Tx.) – Winning his first BMX Freestyle Big Air gold medal at X Games Los Angeles 2013, Wade has the highest amplitude of any athlete in the field. In 2013, Wade won a bronze medal at X Games Foz do Iguaçu, set the X Games height record at 23-feet, 3-inches above the quarterpipe in Barcelona and won silver in Munich. A Texas native, Wade will compete in BMX Freestyle Big Air.
Tanner Foust (Capistrano Beach, Calif.) – With the most Rally medals at X Games, Foust won the first-ever GYMKHANA™ GRID event at X Games Los Angeles last year. In RallyCross, Foust also claimed a silver in Los Angeles and bronze in Munich. One of only two drivers to compete in every Rally event at X Games, Foust will compete in RallyCross.
The full list of first wave athletes invited to compete at X Games Austin 2014 is available at www.xgames.com.
*PLEASE NOTE: The invited athlete list is constantly being updated and is subject to change.
Tickets for X Games Austin 2014 are available for purchase at www.ticketmaster.com/xgames.
Additional information on all X Games Austin events will be forthcoming on www.xgames.com for fans or on www.espnmediazone.com for media only.
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Contact:
Danny Chi ESPN Communications, 310-642-1509; Danny.C.Chi@espn.com
Grace Coryell ESPN Communications, 310-291-0663; Grace.S.Coryell@espn.com
Julie Loignon Circuit of the Americas, 512-655-6251; julie.loignon@circuitoftheamericas.com
Ali Putnam Circuit of the Americas, 512-655-6258; ali.putnam@circuitoftheamericas.com
