Motorsport: Young high flyer excited for future

The 19-year-old Sherwood is known for his flexibility. Photo / Supplied

Levi Sherwood has spent the summer recovering from a broken femur and dislocated wrist and in that time he had the chance to look back on his rapid rise in freestyle motocross.

The Kiwi, who suffered the season-ending injury in September to derail his World Championship title hopes, stopped and reflected on what he had achieved ahead of his Nitro Circus debut.

The 19-year-old from Palmerston North, who is known for his flexibility and huge extension, caught the attention of the freestyle world with top performances on the international circuit.

In 2010 he achieved a silver medal in FMX at the X Games and two Red Bull X Fighters World Tour wins backing up his one title in his debut season in Mexico in 2009.

Sherwood made such an impression he is nominated in the prestigious Laureus Awards for the World Action Sportsperson of the Year.

It's been a rapid progression for Sherwood summed up by the fact that his idol, X Games superstar, Travis Pastrana is now his mate.

"Riding alongside Travis who has always been my idol is going to be incredible and I can't wait to get out there and throw down everything I have got," said Sherwood.

"The first time I met him I was pretty dumbstruck and I didn't know what to say because he is a legend and set the bar pretty high in our sport.

"But now it is normal to call him my mate.

"He is such a great guy and he has been really encouraging which gives me a lot of confidence."

The two went head to head at the 2010 X Games in what was one of the closest FMX battles in the event's history, with Pastrana taking gold on the day and pushing his X Games medal collection to 17.

The Nitro Circus ring leader has nothing but praise for the up and coming Kiwi.

"Levi is without doubt the most exciting young rider in the world right now," said Pastrana.

"If he remains uninjured he could dominate the sport for years to come and I am so pumped to have him riding on my NZ tour."

Sherwood has only recently returned to the bike after surgery to both his leg and wrist.

But injuries are nothing new for motocross riders and last week's show in his hometown, where he pulled off a back-flip in his first trick, put any doubts to bed.

"Sometimes an injury can play on your mind that it could happen again but it was a complete accident and I am confident I will bounce back."

The honour of being nominated for the World Action Sportsperson of the Year in the Laureus Awards among some of his other action heroes humbles Sherwood.

"To be honest I didn't event know what they were until I got nominated," he said.

"But to be in the company of those international superstars like Shaun White and Kelly Slater is a huge honour."

Sherwood's success has been a while in the making.

In March 2009 he exploded onto the freestyle scene when he won X-Fighters Mexico City.

Not only was it his first major freestyle contest but he was also the youngest rider ever to win an X-Fighters event.

"I don't feel like a rookie anymore and I want to achieve what I missed out on last year ... it was so gutting to get injured at that time."

In 2011 he has a simple game plan to challenge for the ASA World FMX Championship.

For Sherwood not getting hurt will be far from his mind tonight when he'll get a rapturous reception at North Harbour Stadium.

"I am not nervous.

"It is all about having a good time and showing off what you can do.

"There is no pressure if I miss a jump it is not the end of the world ... this is purely enjoyment."

Contenders
Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Nominees

* Jamie Bestwick (UK) BMX

* Victor Fernandez (Spain) Windsurfing

* Stephanie Gilmore (Australia) Surfing

* Levi Sherwood (New Zealand) Freestyle Motocross

* Kelly Slater (US) Surfing

* Shaun White (US) Snowboarding