German Stunt Week 2023

This year, as part of the largest stunt riding festival in Europe, the German Stunt Week, an international tournament took place — the only one in Europe this season. Otherwise, the program was standard, but the number of participants was much larger — almost at capacity for the vast Allstedt airfield.

Riders came to compete from Poland, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Finland. The organizers decided to implement an old-school regulation: 4 minutes for freestyle and scoring immediately after the run. This judging format completely rules out rigging the results and assesses the flow more objectively, as the judges score while still under the impression of the run. There were only two runs in total, with the points added together.

The entire podium was occupied by the Polish riders, with Czech Jakub Kukal and Lithuanian Sarunas Kezys giving them competition:

1. Rafal Kanik
2. Kamil Nikliborc
3. Slawomir Kozykowski
4. Jakub Kukal
5. Sarunas Kezys
6. Dennis Jansen
7. Erik Tesolin
8. Konsta Kukkola

Overall, the level of stunt riding was quite high, considering the long break that started with COVID. Everyone's second run turned out much better, but 4 minutes is a bit too much even for experienced riders.

Rafal Kanik performed his standard freestyle without the high-chair eight and high kangaroo, but everything else was done superbly: he showed a top-level performance and won by a significant margin.

Kamil Nikliborc also rode excellently: consistently, without major mistakes, with an impressive switchback wheelie. He ranked second after two runs.

In the final, Slawomir Kozykowski showed the best freestyle of his career with a whip 360, a stylish spin, and numerous coasters and limiters. He scored more points than Kamil but ranked third overall.

Jakub Kukal from the Czech Republic shared third place with Slawomir after the semifinals. The final went well, but he did not add anything new, so the judges put the Czech in fourth place.

Polish rider Maciej DOP Bielecki had a great run on the Harley-Davidson Sportster, but the lack of stoppies in the freestyle prevented him from advancing to the finals. For now, stoppies on a Harley remain elusive at the competitive level, although other tricks on these motorcycles look great.

There were even more young riders on supermoto this year, with the contests remaining the same. On the training spot, the organizers set up a divider to direct the chaotic flow of riders. The area was never empty, and during peak hours, queues formed at the runway to ride a wheelie.

This time, the coolest contest was supermoto parkour. Many passed through the obstacle course at very high speed; there were only two clean runs. Mistakes add penalty seconds to the run time. It’s not immediately obvious which way is best: very fast or without mistakes. The most difficult sections are the limbo drift (you need to pass under the bar in the drift) and the final stoppie (you need to land your rear wheel in the black zone).

The German Stunt Week stunt riding festival is the only event in Europe with a vast area and camping available for an entire week. Despite a tight and engaging schedule, the event feels more like a hangout, so it might not be as interesting without a motorcycle.

The record number of participants will most likely force the organizers to introduce a participant limit and registration next year. Follow German Stunt Week on Facebook if you plan to attend.