Date: 16th and 17th December 2006
Classes: Expert, Master, Pro
Place: Docklandshal of the NDSM-werf in Amsterdam (www.ndsm.nl)
One big space for qualifiers and finals: 600sqm wooden floor

Latest News: Amsterdam, December 11, 2006

Five days till Flatground06! The countdown has begun
With only five days left on the calendar, Flatground is approaching rapidly! Just like last year, we are proud to have Scott O’Brien as host. With Scott O’Brien leading the dance and our carefully selected group of judges the contest is in the right hands. To top off this flatland packed weekend, we have turntable wizard DJ Yoda and fine rockabilly band Superbird lined up for the infamous Flatground party on Saturday night!

Flatground MC Scott O’Brien, the link between rider and audience.
MC Scott O’Brien from New Orleans (USA) has been in the flatland game for about 14 years now. He has earned his merits as organizer of the Voodoo Jam and as host of flatland contests worldwide. Scott: ‘As MC, you are the link between the rider and the spectators and you have to keep it hyped. I just let my true passion for flatland come out when I MC and that seems to work well.’Scott O’Brien will be coming to Flatground06 with fellow New Orleans pro rider Terry Adams, but is keeping his eyes open for other contestants to take home the title: ‘I always like seeing what new tricks are out there and the riders progression. I think if Hiro Morizaki (Japan) hits all of his tricks he is unstoppable. Of course Martti Kuoppa (Finland) is having a good year as well as Justin Miller (USA). But it’s anyone’s contest, so all riders are perfectly capable of winning Flatground!’

Highly qualified judges at Flatground06
The toughest job of the weekend rests in the hands of the judges. With great precaution and thought we have chosen the following judges: James Alberto (NL), Felix Perez (Spain), Effraim Catlow (England) and Lionel Cardoso (France). All judges have proved their knowledge of the sport of flatland BMX in one way or another and have therefore been selected as judges.

A challenging contest format
For the finals, Flatground organizer Michiel Verberg and mentioned Martti Kuoppa have come up with a new contest format. The well known head to head battle format for the finals has been changed to spice things up! The twelfth qualified rider will choose any other qualified rider. The winner of this battle stays in the contest and passes on the right to choose an opponent to another rider. The first rider who loses a battle gets twelfth place, the second rider who loses gets eleventh place, and so on, until there are only two riders left in this cutthroat contest format. These two will battle for the first place of Flatground06!

Hip hop versus Rock at the Flatground party
The inimitable DJ Yoda will put on a spectacular audiovisual show on Saturday night in nightclub the Melkweg. One of hip hops most unique characters will mix together images and sound. His intense, often hilarious mix of hip hop, pop and distinct taste, along the lines of Kid Koala and the Avalanches, will not only put a smile on your face, but no doubt will make you want to move!Superbird, a trio hailing from Amsterdam who has been polluting the airwaves with their ‘rock a billy with a twist’ for quite some time now, will precede DJ Yoda. These two live acts will be alternated by kick ass crowd rocker DJ Dirk Diggler and Mistasweet.

Scott O’Brien is ready for action! Are you?
With the action packed weekend ahead, MC Scott can hardly wait to kick off the event. Scott: ‘Flatground is a special event that has passion and love for flatland. Every detail is with the rider in mind while making sure the spectators have a good time. It’s the perfect mix. Flatground 05 was my favourite contest ever and I expect the same for 2006!’

Amsterdam, November 15, 2006 - Flatground is back!

We are proud to announce that on December 16 and 17 flatland riders from all four corners of the world will get together once again for the annual Flatground contest. A new location, a new main sponsor, another party, a different program, but still the same event. Find the first news here!

After our brief flirt with the breakdance community last year, our main focus for Flatground06 is once again to please and inspire the flatland riders. As we are riders ourselves, we want everyone, from amateur to professional, to experience Flatground to the fullest. Have a look at what we have lined up for you!

Location
This years Flatground will take place in a former schipyard: the NDSM warf in Amsterdam North. The venue is perfectly reachable from Amsterdam Central Station with a free ferry and easy to find by car. Enough parking place is available as well. Have a look at www.ndsm.nl for more information.

We bring the wood!
Once again, Flatground will be held on the well known OSB wooden floor that we introduced to the world of flatland 4 years ago and has since become the standard worldwide. A separate contest and practice floor will be available in the same venue, right next to each other, all together good for 600 square metres of pure flatland space.

Contest.
Flatground will offer a high quality contest for professionals as well as for experts and masters. With a registration fee of 20 euros for the expert and master class and 40 euros for the pro class, we hope to make it possible for everyone to enter. This price will include entrance to the venue on Saturday and Sunday, as well as entrance to the party on Saturday night. All registered riders will receive a surprise gift after entering the contest. Prize money for the pro class is 5000 euros. Prizes for the expert and master class are provided by KGB, KHE and our main sponsors Adidas, Braun and Soul Cycle.

Where can I park my bike?
We will have a secured place available at the venue for everyone to park their bike.

Where’s the party at?!
What is Flatground without a fine party to release the tension after a day of competition? We will be throwing a party at the Melkweg venue, which some of you may still remember from Flatground 4. As you can expect from us, we have a few good surprises up our sleeve, but we can reveal one already: the amazing DJ Yoda! This crafty hip hop turntablist is known for his dense, often hilarious mish mash of hiphop, pop culture and bad taste in the tradition of Kid Koala or the Avalanches. He’s got it in him to be the icing on the cake of a high standard flatland contest in one of the most entertaining cities of Europe!

Flatground online.
On Friday November 16, the Flatground website will go online. This is where you will be able to register for the contest, find route descriptions, buy tickets on presale, arrange your stay in Amsterdam, become friends with Flatground on Myspace and stay informed on the latest info. Check back on www.flatground06.com

Schedule:

Schedule Saturday December 16 2006, NDSM shipyard
Venue open: 10.00 – 18.00
Qualification Experts: 11.00 – 13.00
Qualification Masters: 13.30 – 15.30
Qualification Pros: 16.00 – 18.00

Schedule Saturday December 16 2006, Melkweg
Melkweg open: 20.30
Programme to be confirmed soon: 20:30 – 23.30
Main act DJ Yoda: 23.30 – 00.30
Crossfader: 01.00 – 05.00

Schedule Sunday December 17 2006, NDSM shipyard
Venue open: 10.00 – 18.00
Finals Experts: 13.00 – 13.30
Finals Masters: 14.00 – 14.30
Finals Pros: 15.00 – 17.00
Prize giving: 17.00 – 17:30

Party: saturday in the Melkweg (www.melkweg.nl )