Sheehan flies high in Pretoria

The South West has a new world champion, with freestyle motocross rider Josh Sheehan winning the Red Bull X Fighters World Championship.

Coming into the last event in Pretoria in second place behind New Zealand native, Levi Sherwood, Sheehan needed to make it into the late rounds and beat Sherwood to take the title.

The 28-year-old won every heat by unanimous decision to earn his first championship in what is considered the world’s most prestigious motocross series.

Sheehan finished the season on 360 points, 90 ahead of Sherwood and 95 ahead of Spain’s Dany Torres.

The sold-out 22,000 strong crowd witnessed Sheehan take the title at Pretoria’s Union Buildings.

Sheehan had the title won after the qualifying round with Sherwood suffering an ankle injury, but the Donnybrook rider refused to take it easy and won his second event of the year.

The win was even more impressive seeing as this was Sheehan’s first season back from a career-threatening crash.

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