Dave Mirra

David Michael "Dave" Mirra (April 4, 1974 – February 4, 2016) was an American BMX rider who later competed in rallycross racing. Mirra held the record for most X Games medals until being passed by Bob Burnquist in 2013, and medalled in every X Games from when they started in 1995 up to 2009. As a BMX rider, he was known primarily as a vert ramp and park rider. He had also competed for several years with the Subaru Rally Team USA as a rallycross driver. He rode and was sponsored by Haro Bikes from the mid 1990s until starting his own bike company. Mirra was a member of the team which won the 2014 Race Across America Four-Person Male (Under 50) category.

Early life

Mirra was born on April 4, 1974 in Chittenango, New York. He graduated from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona).

In the 1990s, Mirra's brother, Tim, moved to Greenville, North Carolina, to attend East Carolina University. Dave moved to Greenville soon after. Fellow professional BMX rider Ryan Nyquist moved in with Tim. Mirra and Nyquist became quick friends and would build and ride ramps together. Greenville is now home to over twenty professional BMX riders. This gave Greenville the nickname "Protown" in the BMX community.

Travis Pastrana

Travis Alan Pastrana (born October 8, 1983) is an American motorsports competitor and stunt performer who has won championships and X Games gold medals in several events, including supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, and rally racing. He runs a show called Nitro Circus, and previously competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway Racing.

He currently competes in the Global RallyCross Championship, driving the No. 199 Subaru for Subaru Rally Team USA.

Early life

Pastrana was born on October 8, 1983 at 12:20 p.m. in Annapolis, Maryland to parents Robert and Debby Pastrana. His uncle, Alan Pastrana, played as a quarterback from 1965 to 1968 at the University of Maryland, which Travis Pastrana also attended. On June 11, 2003, 19-year-old Pastrana was seriously injured when he crashed his Corvette into a tree in Davidsonville, Maryland.

Motocross/Supercross

Nitro Circus

Nitro Circus is an "action sport collective" led by Travis Pastrana, featuring his friends and him traveling around the world riding dirtbikes, base jumping, and performing stunts. It has spawned a tour, a second television series based on the tour, and a 3D feature film.

History

DVDs

The collective began by releasing about 10 DVDs during the early 2000s. Good sales led to the creation of the television show.

Television show

Originally run as a 2006 miniseries on Fuel TV, it began running as an episodic reality television show on MTV that featured people performing various dangerous stunts. Nitro Circus officially debuted on February 8, 2009; Season 2 premiered on August 27, 2009.

3D film

Nitro Circus: The Movie 3D was released August 8, 2012 in the United States and November 15, 2012 in Australia and New Zealand for one week. Release dates for other countries are to be announced.

Jim DeChamp suffered a serious back injury on June 29, 2011, while shooting for the 3D film. After undergoing surgery, his doctors indicated there was no spinal damage and that they expect him to make a full recovery.

X Games

The X Games is an annual sports event, controlled and arranged by American sports broadcaster ESPN (with coverage also shown on its sister network ABC), which focuses on extreme sports. The inaugural X Games were held in the summer of 1995 in Newport, Rhode Island. Participants compete to win bronze, silver, and gold medals, as well as prize money.

The competition often features new tricks such as Tony Hawk's 900 in skateboarding, Travis Pastrana's double backflip in freestyle motocross, Heath Frisby's first ever snowmobile front flip in Snowmobile Best Trick, and Torstein Horgmo's first landed triple cork in a snowboard competition. Concurrent with competition is the "X Fest" sports and music festival, which offers live music, athlete autograph sessions, and interactive elements.

The X Games gained media exposure due to their big name sponsors, top-tier athletes, and consistent fan attendance. As the Journal of Sport Management (2006) explains, Generation X and Generation Y are the two demographics most highly valued by marketers. This creates a broad approach on marketing towards that certain demographic, which is why the X Games marketing and economic outlook is so “out of the box.” According to ESPN (2008), in the Winter X Games' inaugural year, 1997, 38,000 spectators attended the four day event. In 1998, the attendance dropped to 25,000 spectators. But just two years later, a record attendance of 83,500 people attended the Winter X Games' East Coast debut. The X Games and Winter X Games continue to grow with the popularity of action sports and the athletes who compete in them.