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Szymon Godziek & Brendan Fairclough Tick Off 'The Battleship' - Red Bull Rampage 2023

Oct 12, 2023
by Mike Kazimer  
It goes. Szymon Godziek's vision of jumping onto the crumbling rock feature dubbed 'The Battleship' has been realized - Szymon and Brendan Fairclough both successfully rode the feature (both riders and their dig crews have been working together to make the move rideable). In Fairclough's words, it's the "most disgusting bit of biking I have EVER done." The exposure on both sides is immense, and there's no margin for error. Pinpoint precision is required to avoid a fall into oblivion, a tumble that would have serious consequences.







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Videos Brendan Fairclough Szymon Godziek Red Bull Rampage 2023


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90 Comments
  • 312 6
 I really really hope the judges score the more creative and raw lines like this bit higher. So many riders seem to just create a buffed out slopesyle line, 2m wide and not a rock or bump in sight, but score higher because of tricks. Some big mtn elements of Rampage roots like should stand out !!!!
  • 33 1
 Yeah unfortunately that's the downside of a 4 point scoring system. Oh well, thankfully the riders are out there pushing themselves and are not in it just for the results. This line is unreal, so happy they both did it. It reminds me of the line Mike Kinrade pulled off in Where the Trail Ends.
  • 47 0
 Historically rider’s right doesn’t score as high as down the gut, but with this feature I think that changes.
  • 4 1
 @brianpark: yup... the far right and far left ridges kind of get the shaft unless riders quickly work their way back to the middle. Some of the biggest moves in that zone when used previously were the far lookers right (TMac) but seemed to get overlooked.
  • 34 7
 Absolutely. Some stuff looks just like slopestyle. Couldnt care less about the barspin stuff or tail whip whatever. If brendog and godzi pull their stuff of and the slopestyle dudes get higher scores, this event gets useless.
  • 7 0
 RAMPAGE FANTASY LEAGUE

Top Prize: Signed Brendan Fairclough Jersey & DMR Prize pack.

www.downhillmtbfantasy.com/rampage

*Locked in approx 21 hours from now*
  • 5 3
 1 Brendan Fairclough . 2 Simon Godziek . 3 Bienvenido Aguado Alba . 4 Jaxson Riddle . 5 Adolf Silva
  • 16 1
 @Korbi777: you know that godziek is a slopestyle dude rocking single crown and doing barspins?
  • 5 0
 I've always wondered if that's intentional. If the highest risk line was usually the winning one, rampage would be (even more) mayhem
  • 2 2
 @nikifor88: yes, thats why he wont win in my fantasy ranking. But the battleship line is cool and not slopestyle
  • 1 1
 @scott-townes: is that the same line they hit in the movie Brighter? looks a lot like that one, cheers
  • 2 1
 @Korbi777: I mean, it happened last year with Godzis getting snubbed
  • 2 0
 @panchocampbell: Yup! Same one
  • 20 0
 I'd love to see the judges gone. Everybody goes, then each rider ranks his top 5. 1st, 5 points, 2nd, 4 points, and so forth. Obviously you can't select yourself. Most points wins.
  • 6 0
 I know it is scored event with winners, but I will just enjoy the whole rampage event and all rides, and dont care about the scores. I remember Brenndogs canyon gaps much more than higher scored runs. This line is scary, everybody will talk about it, nevertheless the score will be.
  • 2 0
 @jakemcab: Redbull Rampage with Eurovision scoring - bring it on!
  • 1 1
 @suspended-flesh: this looks sus AF
  • 2 3
 @Korbi777: True. Makes more sense to use excavators to build this at whistler than doing it by hand on a mesa if in the end you get the same product, same run, same tricks, same style, same difficulty, just a harder build.

If the runs/style diverge from other polished genres that makes sense. But the convergence with limitations doesn't.
  • 1 0
 @mkul7r4: Then you didn't "Look" at it, so your analysis is moot.. That cat did DH Fantasy all season and didn't hardly promote it. Don't overthink it - nobody wants to know what Gmail account you use - they already do.
  • 1 0
 @mkul7r4: I'll admit the way I posted it looks hella phishy but that's the way I roll ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  • 3 0
 @s100: Friends digging this stuff with their bare hands in the desert sun is a crucial part of what makes this what it is. Anything hand made over many hours is inherently more special. The sense of accomplishment the team and rider derive from this must be stupendous.
  • 1 0
 Agreed. Cam Zink's 3 jumps in a row are insane, no doubt at all, but they're so much wider, buffed and 'safe'. I don't wanna encourage 'unsafety' but Brendog and Godziek's lines are so much rawer with that big mountain feeling. Even Gee's drop felt like he was using what was there a bit more, rather than just creating huge groomed kickers and landings amongst the landscape. I know Brendogs actual kicker and landing also need to be groomed, but the run in is savage AF.
  • 2 0
 @BenPea: I agree entirely. Must not have clarified my point well enough.
  • 1 0
 @Korbi777: just as expected
  • 1 0
 @Trail6: yes, i turned it of after bienve, not my kind event anymore.
  • 90 0
 Wild. Even riding around that feature was scary lol
  • 50 0
 idk the skinny he did over his old house with pilgs was pretty disgusting too
  • 28 0
 Now that's a Rampage line!
  • 26 0
 You couldn't get me to dig on that ridge
  • 14 0
 I wouldn't even walk across it, id be on my hands and knees
  • 5 0
 @Davec85: I stood atop the ridge in 2015... you know that dragging feeling between your stomach and balls? Frightening... Eek
  • 26 3
 Watch again on instagram. No. Nope.
  • 10 0
 Just refresh the page and you can watch it again as is.
  • 9 1
 It's hilarious that Meta, a company with the userbase that's 1/3 of the entire planet is still so thirsty to get and keep you on their platform at all costs.
  • 2 0
 @succulentsausage:Rust never sleeps
  • 16 0
 If both of those guys clear their lines they're 2 of the top 4. No doubt in my mind. I think Godziek wins it. Dudes gonna combo flip the gap and has a double in the middle of his run. But then again... not much coverage on TVS and his back flip step down to front flip is insane. And Zink's line is HUGE. These guys... Jesus.
  • 6 0
 Only thing that might work against Brendog is that Godziek shares the most technical part, and might have trick/combo of the event if he ups the ante even further on his canyon gap.

If they do a people choice vote award then Brendan wins even if he doesn't finish both runs.
  • 7 0
 @Mugen: people’s choice award is underrated
  • 2 0
 @Mugen: Brendog's canyon gap is much, much more freeride than the one Godziek and others are tricking though; just the run-in is nuts.
  • 4 0
 @plyawn: 100% with you, but on the score card Godziek will be close to a 10 for gnar, and a 10 for tricks even if he "only" redoes a 360 to lillypad to canyon backflip.

Either way, the only way to truly enjoy rampage is to ignore the scoring completely
  • 17 0
 Brendog's run is going to be insane. He's got that huge canyon gap too.
  • 13 1
 This kind of attempt, behavior, motivation... whatever you call it, should be seriously studied by neuro scientists. This is surhuman. What does happen in a brain when you attempt this kind of thing. I'd be curious to know....
  • 9 0
 Should look into "the rise of superman". A couple scientists used action sports athletes as case studies to understand what is called the "flow state". The book itself helped me get over a crash that had me spooked for a few months.
  • 1 2
 Warriors maybe.
  • 5 0
 @Asuhhdude: yeah exactly. I read an article the other day that was dealing with that "flow state" once again, which is chased by athletes, but also by musicians, painters, fighter pilots, etc... this is passioning and this is something that everyone of us can actually experiment sometimes. You know: when everything is fluid and kind of "easy and normal" in extreme conditions...
Like some of us very likely, I experiment this sometimes. It lasts... few seconds, sometimes more... but it's delicious, and that gives so much confidence and joy regardless of the level we have.
  • 1 0
 @Asuhhdude: Unreal book. His new one "Gnar Country" is also great.
  • 1 0
 In the documentary "Free solo", there is a part where a neurologist examines Alex Honnold's brain. I also found a link about this study:
web.musc.edu/about/news-center/2019/03/18/how-a-neuroscientist-and-professional-climber-learned-from-one-another

I guess these guys have something similar foing on.
  • 2 0
 Focus bikes actually sent olly (Odub) of to a neurologist to have his brain scanned whilst he was watching go pro clips and stuff of himself to see how the brain reacts. Super interesting stuff. It’s called finding the riders high on YouTube on focus bikes channel
  • 8 0
 My butt was clenched just watching that and i already knew they cleared it.
  • 8 0
 Fuck to be one of these riders seems so stressful
  • 5 0
 The putrid stench of that line is nauseating.
  • 4 0
 Dammit casing that any worse could be fatal, send it boys and get it done safe tomorrow!
  • 2 0
 I’m calling it for Godziek, I think Emil will play to his strengths and get at least a top 3 cuz modern Rampage judging. If Brendog gets his line that’s gotta be the most tech/high consequence rampage run ever, right?
  • 4 0
 Tomorrow is gonna be f i l t h y Smile can't wait
  • 1 0
 This is unreal! Fair play to them both.

Can anyone confirm that you’ll be able to start watching the live feed tomorrow from the start but after it has already been on for an hour or so? Thanx
  • 2 0
 Not sure, but if you can be there for the start of the stream you can immediately pause it then resume later.
  • 3 0
 i would advise using the youtube feed for this as the redbull site kept jumping to "live" for me during the old world cup broadcasts and would sometimes show the winner before i had watched it spoiling it a tad! i couldn't find anyone else with that problem online so maybe just me but i started to use the redbull youtube channel instead no problem just close your eyes and pause it before it loads Wink
  • 1 0
 @waxed: that’s great thank you guys
  • 1 0
 This looks like the gnarliest line next to Gee's. This one isn't big or steep or trickable. But the precision and sketch factor are HUGE!!!. Brenden's canyon cap is pretty wild too.
  • 2 0
 Gee was going to be incorporating the battleship in his line too.
  • 1 0
 @Leaveamessage: Gee total line looked pretty incredible. Along with the massive drop and the battleship it looked like he had some other pretty sizable drops. There was one video posted that has a few clips of him hitting these other features.
  • 3 0
 I was nervous for the people just standing there.
  • 2 0
 Imagine doing that line and forgetting to record! Just glad they got it on film haha.
  • 2 1
 Imagine doing that line and forgetting to get it on Strava! Now imagine doing for the pleasure and enjoyment and satisfaction of doing it for yourself and never telling another soul... That is admirable.
  • 1 0
 @s100: then it never happened
  • 3 1
 Gnarly. This will look mild during the telecast though, as it will be shot from a mile away.
  • 1 0
 I just got back from a trip to Utah. I felt like a million bucks for cleaning 80% of goldbar and portal. Then I see this, and turns out I am but a mere mortal.
  • 4 0
 Wind: Hold my beer.
  • 3 0
 With this and his canyon, Brendog's already won gnarliest line
  • 2 0
 What icy veins. The “I made it happen”, was about 50% of mine when getting Dh rubber on a rim
  • 2 0
 I'm stressed in a good way. Hell yeah.
  • 1 0
 This is the best excuse for a portrait video I have ever seen on Pinkbike. Nerve wrecking.
  • 2 0
 The POV is badass!
  • 1 0
 Jordie would!

So gnarly. Was Gee on that line, too?
  • 4 0
 Yeah Gee, Bren and Godziek were all sharing the battleship
  • 1 0
 Crazy, 'no brakes' approach need it ...f(Godziek) Brendan case it...
  • 1 0
 Insane!!! That is scary to just watch
  • 1 0
 How's the wind forecast looking?
  • 1 0
 My hands are sweating profusely
  • 1 0
 this is Rampage
  • 1 0
 That is SOOOO messed up.
  • 1 0
 Gnarly incarnate
  • 1 0
 Insane
  • 2 2
 Guys, pleaae don't die!
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