Ding! Ding!
From the sound of the opening bell, to the closing round, the matchup failed to disappoint. Both sides pressed the action, with neither side backing down or giving an inch. The arena turned out to be plenty, as both the limits of the machines and the drivers were steadily tested. Front flips, barrel rolls and near backflips resulted in a tough, knock-down, drag-out war of wills, better suited for the cameras of Pay Per View than those of MTV. Round after round, bell after bell, the machines and drivers were steadily beaten, then rested, before being beaten again. While we can't really give you too much in the way of play by play, we can certainly tell you the Nitro Circus crew did everything that the Redlines weren't intended to do, yet the machines rolled with the punches and stayed on their feet...well, kind of. The machines (and drivers) actually spent a lot of time on their heads and backs. No less than five huge crashes took place, yet outside of minor cosmetic damage (scratches, scrapes, minor dings and bends), the Redlines (and drivers) were fine and survived fairly unscathed.
We really honestly didn't think it was possible to defeat the undisputed kings of chaos and destruction, but the matchup was certainly intriguing. The fact that the Redlines survived is a testament to the machines themselves. What the Nitro crew does to equipment goes well beyond the normal parameters of "intended use" and the Redlines took it all in stride. To say that Pastrana's crew was defeated wouldn't be fair either. Sure, Andy Bell had some whiplash, but who wouldn't after front flipping an 800-pound machine.
The truth is, just like many other historic bouts, this one went to the judge's scorecards, and this prizefight would ultimately have to be declared a draw. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and there'll be a rematch. The good news is if it happens, we'll be ringside, and ready to bring you the action.