Following a successful Red Bull Rookie of The Year (ROTY) in 2019, the finish of which saw French rider Timothé Bringer travel to Crankworx Rotorua with a Wildcard and achieve a Top 10 finish, the FMB World Tour was looking forward to expanding the ROTY Award in 2020, but things don’t always go as planned. 2020 wouldn’t be the same without crowning a new Rookie of the Year, so in order for this to happen, the FMB World Tour is bringing back the video contest from last year and raising the stakes. 

Lucas Hupper, Red Bull Joyride 2019 / photo: Richard Bos

Red Bull Rookie of the Year 2020

The times are changing, that much is clear. With an almost empty FMB World Tour Calendar for 2020 due to rescheduled and cancelled events, the Red Bull Rookie of the Year Award is going fully digital. In order to be eligible, riders must be 16 or older and below age 22 (age range: 31.12.2003 – 01.01.1999)  and in possession of either an FMB World Tour License or an FMB Free Amateur License will be eligible to participate.

Check out Tim Bringer’s first-ever Crankworx FMBA Slopestyle World Championship run:


As part of the ROTY Award in 2019, the Red Bull Best Line was included as an extra contest result at an FMB World Tour Silver level. In 2020, the ROTY will be chosen through this video contest by a panel of judges. 

The Rookie of the Year Award recipient will receive a Wildcard to an upcoming Crankworx FMBA Slopestyle World Championship stop, excluding Red Bull Joyride, their flights and accommodation covered, as well as a financial prize and their FMB World Tour License for the 2021 FMB World Tour season. 

Tim Bringer, Crankworx Rotorua 2020 / photo: Kike Abelleira

What’s changed from last year is that there will also be two additional Award categories; Athletes Choice and People’s Choice. 

Athletes Choice is exactly what it says – a winner will be chosen by a panel of FMB World Tour professionals, whereas the People’s Choice will be carried out through online voting by the fans and supporters of the FMB World Tour and their athletes.

More details, including video submission details, ROTY timeline and Prize Packages for the additional categories, will be announced in the coming weeks, so keep an eye on fmbworldtour.com for the latest news. 

Lucas Hupper, Red Bull Joyride 2019 / photo: Richard Bos

License Structure

a) FMB World Tour License

The FMB World Tour License makes it possible for athletes to compete at all FMB World Tour Events, if they are qualified for the respective event level. Every athlete with this license will be listed in the FMB World Ranking and will have their own profile on www.fmbworldtour.com. 

b) FMB Free Amateur License

For athletes, who just want to compete at Bronze Level Events, the FMB is offering a FREE sign-up. Coming with no cost whatsoever, an athlete who registers here will be listed in the global Amateur Ranking. The best amateur at the end of the season will receive his FMB World Tour License for the following year, so he can take the next step, compete and collect points for the FMB World Ranking.

Sign up for your license here: fmba.memberpro.net/main/body.cfm?menu=register

Keep your eyes peeled for further information about live webcasts and calendar updates on www.fmbworldtour.com.

About the Freeride Mountain Bike Association

The FMBA is the world governing body for the sport of freeride mountain biking. The FMBA was founded in 2010 and is registered as a non-profit organization in Munich, Germany. The FMBA promotes Mountain Bike Freeride Sports which comprises the development, governance and structure for freeride disciplines: Dirt Jump, Park, Slopestyle, Big Mountain. The main objective of the FMBA is to continuously develop and support the progression of the sport, athletes and events. The FMBA owns and administers the FMB World Tour. The FMB World Tour is the official international circuit of amateur and professional Freeride Mountain Bike competitions. Athletes must compete at FMBA sanctioned Diamond, Gold, Silver and Bronze Events on the FMB World Tour to collect points for the FMB World Ranking, in order to qualify for elite-level Crankworx FMBA Slopestyle World Championship events. The FMB World Ranking is a roll-over ranking system, which considers the three best results of each athlete in the past 52 weeks. The FMB World Ranking includes all FMB World Tour licensed athletes.

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