Stunt Riding Competitions Explained: The Real Series and Events

Yes, stunt riding has real competitions. In the United States, The Brawl has run judged V twin stunt contests since 2017, with 2026 stops in Phoenix, San Diego, and Sturgis. In Europe, StuntGP has crowned international champions since 2009. Both are closed course, sanctioned events with judges, formats, and safety rules.

Part six of Wheelies and Burnouts, MotoGearRater's series on stunt riding as a sport. Everything named below was verified against event and organizer pages as of this post's publish date. As always, this is sport journalism: we have not performed or tested these stunts, and the sport happens on closed courses, not public roads.

Is Stunt Riding Actually an Organized Sport?

It is, and it has been for longer than most riders realize. Organized street bike freestyle competition goes back to the 2000s, when the XDL Championship built a national US series with pro riders, sponsors, and television coverage, and even drew interest from the FIM, motorcycling's international governing body, in growing the discipline. XDL has not run a national series in years, but its judged format and its generation of professional riders shaped everything that followed.

What Is The Brawl?

The Brawl bills itself as the first V twin specific motorcycle stunt contest, established in 2017 and produced by Ride and Destroy in partnership with Harley-Davidson and industry sponsors. It is invite level competition: judges, including accomplished stunt riders and industry figures, score riders on overall impression to crown the King of the Lot. The 2026 tour listed three stops: Metro Mayhem in Phoenix, Arizona on April 11, San Diego Harley-Davidson on June 6, and the Thunderdome at the Sturgis rally in South Dakota on August 9. Competitor inquiries go through the organizer directly.

What Is StuntGP?

StuntGP, organized by the EMS Federation, is an international stunt riding championship that has run since 2009, originally in Poland and later expanding abroad, including a Stunt Grand Prix edition held in China in 2023. Riders from across Europe and beyond compete through semi final and final rounds in front of official judges, with formal safety protocols. It is the closest thing the sport has to a long running world championship, and its results archive stretches back over a decade.

How Are Stunt Competitions Judged?

Formats vary by event, but the modern pattern is a timed run judged on overall impression: trick difficulty, variety, execution, how cleanly tricks link together, use of the space, and showmanship. Some events run head to head brackets, others score heats into semi finals and finals. Crashes and dabs cost points, which is why the discipline rewards the deep control this series keeps coming back to: wheelie command, stoppie control, and smooth transitions rather than one lucky banger.

What About Stunt Shows, Rallies, and Everything In Between?

Not everything with smoke and a crowd is a competition. Rally stunt arenas, like the stunt shows at Arizona Bike Week, and touring productions are paid exhibitions: professional riders performing rehearsed routines inside barriers. They matter to the sport because they are where many competitors earn a living between contests, and they are most fans' first live contact with stunt riding. The line to keep in mind is simple: shows entertain, competitions rank.

FAQ

Can amateurs enter stunt competitions?

It depends on the event. The Brawl is invite level but takes competitor inquiries by email. Smaller regional contests and jam style events, where they exist, are the traditional proving ground, and organizers scout riders from legal practice communities and social media.

What happened to the XDL Championship?

XDL ran as the premier US street bike freestyle series in the 2000s and early 2010s, and at its peak worked with the FIM on growing the sport internationally. It has not run a national series in years. Its alumni and format live on in today's events.

Do competition stunt riders use special bikes?

Yes: caged, subcaged, handbrake equipped machines built specifically for the sport. Our stunt bike setup post in this series breaks down every piece of that hardware.

Is there prize money in stunt riding?

Purses exist at major events but vary and are not always published, so we will not quote figures. Most professional stunt riders earn primarily through shows, sponsorships, and content rather than contest winnings alone.

Where can I watch stunt competition in person?

Follow the organizers: Ride and Destroy publishes The Brawl's tour stops, StuntGP posts its editions and results, and major rallies list their stunt shows in event schedules. Spectating is also the sane first step before anyone touches the sport themselves.

Keep Reading on MotoGearRater

Start with Wheelies Explained, then see How to Get Into Stunt Riding Legally and Stunt Bike Setup.

Sources

• The Brawl, format and 2026 tour stops: https://rideanddestroy.com/thebrawl/

• StuntGP world championship, history and results: http://stuntgp.eu/

• Cycle World, XDL stunt competition coverage: https://www.cycleworld.com/2012/12/24/motorcycle-stunt-riding-and-xdl-stunt-competition/

• Cycle World, the XDL and FIM partnership: https://www.cycleworld.com/2012/12/24/the-xdl-meets-the-fim-to-grow-sport-of-stunt-riding/

• Arizona Bike Week stunt arena: https://azbikeweek.com/stunt-arena/

Last updated: August 15, 2026. MotoGearRater is independent and unaffiliated with the events and organizers mentioned. We cover stunt riding as sport journalism, we have not performed or tested these stunts, and we never recommend stunting on public roads.