Thrills, spills and two wheels get Manhattan rocking at Red Bull Manny Mania

NYC LOCAL ELI REED WINS $10K IN FRONT OF 3,500 FANS

June 7, 2009 (New York, NY) - The passing trains weren't the only things rumbling underneath the Manhattan Bridge at the 3rd annual Red Bull Manny Mania contest. Thousands of skateboard fans of all ages turned out to see a heated contest that saw New York local Eli Reed take the win, beating out 30 other top skaters from across the globe on a perfect summer-like day.

Top skateboarders from as far as Austria, France and Brazil descended upon Manhattan to entertain the crowd with an intense skateboard contest and a block-party environment that included DJing by music luminary Bobbito Garcia and of course, an Italian ice machine. The economically-friendly contest was free to the public, and for Reed it turned out to be a personal stimulus package - he will take home $10,000 for his two-wheeled efforts. He already has plans for his earnings, proclaiming "I'm going to Hawaii!" from the ramp.

Last year, skateboarding pro Joey Brezinski repeated his title as the Manny champ, but this year was certain to have a new victor, as Brezinski finished just out of the top-three. The finals saw crowd favorite Mike Mo Capaldi battle Reed and Kelly Hart in a seven-minute manual battle royale. Mike Mo got people cheering with a half cab manny backside flip and a swtreflip manny over the euro gap. But Reed sealed the deal with his backlip to manny to front board on the rail and a backside 180 fakie manny bigspin out. The finalists were awarded custom-made championship belts for surviving the battle.

In its third year, Red Bull Manny Mania showcased more pros and involved bigger names as the Skateboard Weekend progressed to a four-day affair. Skate scene legends Jeff Pang and Dave Ortiz returned to MC the event and four East Coast skateboard talents served as judges: Dan Pensyl, Ricky Oyola, Zoo York's Donny Barley and Queens native Rodney Torres. Skate legends including Chad Muska and Steve Olson watched the action along with the fans. Based on the simple balancing manual trick, Red Bull Manny Mania awards the most creative and most technical skaters. This year it was Eli Reed who can claim he's the best two-wheel talent, proving it right in his backyard.

2009 Red Bull Manny Mania Results:
1. Eli Reed - $10,000.00
2. MikeMo Capaldi - $5,000.00
3. Kelly Hart - $3,000.00
4. Joey Brezinski - $2,500.00
5. Ronson Lambert - $2,000.00
6. Stevie Williams- $1,500.00
7. Flo Marfang - $1,000.00
8. Forrest Kirby - $1,000.00
9. Alex Carolino - $1,000.00
10. Lenny Rivas - $1,000.00
11. Danny Falla - $500.00
12. Jack Curtin - $500.00

For more information, check www.redbullmannymania.com. Also, for your chance to skate, look out for the Red Bull Manny Mania Am Series coming to 15 stops across the U.S.

For Media Inquiries, please contact:
Ilana Taub, ilana.taub@us.redbull.com
310-460-4862

For complimentary images for editorial use:
www.redbull-photofiles.com.