You'd think that with all the traveling, snowboarding, rally car racing, partying, filming, appearances, and interviews that Scotty Lago and Travis Pastrana take part in that they might not have too much extra time to get serious about video games. Well, you'd be wrong, but only if you consider Big Buck Hunter a real video game.

First of all, it's news to me that the "Big Buck World Championships" actually exist. Second, how the hell did these two pro athletes get involved? Questions aside, they are apparently good at it resulting from injury time and I guess...pure talent?

Lago and Pastrana are heading to Chicago September 23-24 to get down to business and shoot some bucks. Cyber bucks.

With their past combined competition results, they better win this. For snowboarding. For action sports. For America.

More details if you want them below. Make us proud guys.

words: Mark Liscak

Scotty Lago & Travis Pastrana are Teaming up and going to Chicago for the Big Buck World Championships: September 23-24. The championship will take place across the street from the World Famous Wrigley Field (home of the Chicago Cubs) at the Cubby Bear Bar. Lago qualified online with a score of 51,526; his bestie Kyle beat him by 1,313 points and Travis qualified in 12th but got beat by his teammate Street Bike Tommy. Clay Conrad leads the entire USA with a score of 63, 985! Scotty is super pumped for the event, he's been practicing so much that his trigger finger is building a callus but it's not going to slow him down. I have one thing to say to ya Scotty... "BUCK OFF"

Score Kills Plays

6th KYLE DODIER S PORTLAND, ME 53,443 1216 44

9th THOMAS PASSEMANTE ANNAPOLIS, MD 53,356 881 34

12th TRAVIS PASTRANA ANNAPOLIS, MD 51,526 1756 68

15th SCOTTY LAGO S PORTLAND, ME 52,130 1517 59

It all starts with a revamped Online Qualifying Tournament that runs August 1st - 28th which can be played at any online Big Buck World game machine across the country. The top 64 players (from 4 regions and Australia) will be invited to Chicago for the 2-day World Championship Weekend on September 23rd and 24th.

Travis Pastrana is serious about motocross and dead serious about Big Buck World. While recovering from his injury at this year's X Games Travis was spotted training for this year's Big Buck World Championship whilenursing a bum leg. Yep you heard right, one of the most popular coin-operated arcade games in the country has a "World" championship. This year's competition held September 23-24 marks the fourth annual Big Buck World Championships which will be held at the legendary Cubby Bear in Chicago, Ill. Big Buck World will include both Big Buck Hunter Pro and Big Buck Safari in which both games will be combined to determine one world champion and a $15,000 grand prize.

The same arcade game found in bars in restaurants has more than 18,000 games worldwide so it's no surprise action sports stars have taken a liking to the game like Travis and snowboarder Scotty Lago. Both qualified for the Eastern Region after competing in a month-long qualification period this summer. What makes this year different than any other is that competitors now have to qualify on Big Buck Hunter Pro as well as Big Buck Safari. And they can't just play on any machine but on a CoinUp Network which is synced online and tracks stats, allowing for players to compete across the country. In addition to the Eastern Region, three other regions will qualify the top 16 players for a total of 64 players that will qualify to come to Chicago to compete on September 24 in a double-elimination, head-to-head shootout format.

Travis Pastrana is laid up due to a serious injury he sustained at X Games 17 earlier this Summer but that doesn't stop him from finding a way to compete at something. The constant competitor would be lost with out his fix, luckily for him there's always the 2011 Big Buck Hunt World Championships to look forward to. This past weekend Travis made it through the Eastern regionals qualifying for the main event in Chicago on September 23rd and 24th.

Apparently Pastrana isn't the only athlete from the East Coast with Buck Hunt skills as snowboarder Scotty Lago sneaked into the top 16 qualifying for the World Championships as well.

Believe it or not this is not Travis's first run at the Big Buck Hunt title as he finished an impressive 8th place last year. Earlier this year he was concerned he wasn't going to have the time needed to perfect his gaming skills with Nascar, X Games, and the Nitro Circus Movie but things have changed since then.

According to the pictures surfacing on TravisPastrana.com, Travis brought his La-Z-Boy to the bar, where he's able to post up all day working on his Buck Hunt skills. If you think about it it's the ideal place to be; never ending beer, greasy bar food, and someone to wait on him. We're pretty sure he has enough quarters to feed the game for a long time.



It must be some sort of country thing!

Eight charged up rally cars flew through the streets of Downtown Los Angeles on Sunday Afternoon as Brian Deegan emerged from the dust as the RallyCross winner at X Games 17.

Deegan took full advantage from the start as heavy favorites Tanner Foust and Liam Doran tangled in the first turn. The small window of opportunity was enough for Deegan to slingshot to the lead which he never let go. For Deegan, the win was especially sweet finally getting the better of fellow teammate Foust after finishing second to him last year in both rally disciplines.

"This was the highlight of my life, I've done a lot of things on a dirt bike but nothing tops this moment winning RallyCross at X Games."

The storyline of the afternoon was the decision from Travis Pastrana to compete in RallyCross. Pastrana broke his right leg and ankle Thursday night during the Moto X Best Trick competition seemingly ending Pastranathon before it even started.

With the help of creative engineering by his Subaru mechanics Pastrana quickly learned how to drive using accelerator controls with his hands. For most people if you need to duck tape your leg to the car so you're able to drive with your hands, it's probably not a good idea to compete. Not for Travis, he was excited to race one way or another, "just to be here and have this team and this setup is awesome. I am glad I decided to drive today...this is the best decision at the moment."
Subaru mechanics set up Pastrana's car with accelerator controls.

Travis finished just off the podium in fourth place.

European favorite Marcus Gronholm rounded out the podium with a bronze medal performance. Saturday's Rally winner Liam Doran never bounced back after his run in with Foust in the first turn finishing in dead last.

Here's the official results from Sunday's RallyCross

1. Brian Deegan
2. Marcus Granholm
3. Tanner Foust
4. Travis Pastrana
5. Dave Mirra
6. Rhys Millen
7. David Higgins
8. Liam Doran

A night many thought would belong to Travis Pastrana, during the X Games' marquee Moto X Best-Trick competition on Thursday, instead belonged to event rookie Jackson Strong, who became the first freestyle motocross rider to land a front-flip at a major competition and easily won with a score of 95.66. As for Pastrana, it was all bad news. The action sports icon crash-landed (see first video) while attempting a 720 Toilet Paper Roll, which is sort of a flipping 720-degree spin and seemingly impossible to land.



Pastrana got up, climbed back on his 125-cc motorbike and tried the same trick again, out of turn, and landed sideways again, on his right leg, and had to be helped off the dirt. He suffered a broken foot and ankle, bringing to an abrupt end the much-hyped "Pastranathon," which was supposed to have him compete in four events in four days -- one of them his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut in Indianapolis on Saturday.

"I am sorry this happened and will be back in action as soon as I can," Pastrana told ESPN, after his release from the hospital.

But for Strong, 19, a Metal Mulisha team rider known as "Jacko," there was lots of reason to celebrate. His front-flip (see video), which was completed during the first of two rounds,defeated two double back-flips, including one by superstar Cam Sinclair, who even added a variation for his trick.


"I was going to be pumped whether I took first or last place, it was just my goal to do a front-flip at X Games," Strong said. "I think everyone saw how deep I had to dig. I had to hang on tight for that landing for sure."

Double back-flips were once considered next-to impossible, but a front-flip seems to defy the laws of physics. The rider must get the motorcycle spinning forward after launching from a steep dirt ramp that is designed to allow for backward rotations.

It was a huge night for Jacko but also his fellow Australians: Sinclair finished second (94.66) and Josh Sheehan, who also stuck a double back-flip, finished third (93.33).

-- Travis Pastrana photo (top) by Harry How / Getty Images

Not long ago, performing a 900-degree spin on a skateboard seemed impossible. Then Tony Hawk landed one at X Games 5 in 1999. A back-flip on a motorcycle, likewise, was but a scary idea. Fast forward to X Games 17, which begin Thursday in Los Angeles, and fans will witness multiple spins and flips, and see how remarkably far the core action sports have progressed, with icons such as Travis Pastrana, Cam Sinclair and Bob Burnquist attempting stunts that make those of yesteryear almost seem like child's play (see video for a sampling).


Pastrana, who in 2006 became the first freestyle motocross rider to nail a double back-flip, is focusing on what he calls a 720 Toilet Paper roll, which unraveled when he first tried it two years ago, as he fell rump-first from about 30 feet. He thinks he has finally mastered the trick and fans probably will find out during Thursday night's popular Moto X Best-Trick competition.

Sinclair, an Australian who was severely injured two years ago when he under-rotated a double back-flip, is said to have another double planned, but with a no-handed element to increase the degree of difficulty.

Interestingly, Sinclair's longtime mechanic also has become a medal hopeful. Mark Monea attained sudden stardom during an exhibition last spring when he became the first FMX rider to land a front-flip 360, called the Carry On. (That's a forward flip while also spinning a heavy motorcycle in a 360-degree sideways rotation.)

On the lighter-bike side, BMX star James Foster will bring the crowd to its feet -- and likely strike gold -- if he can become the first BMXer to land a triple back-flip during, Thursday night's BMX Freestyle Big-Air competition. BMXers in general have really stepped up their stunts and fans will witness an array of flips and tail-whips during the Big-Air event and Friday's Vert Final.

Another marquee, big-trick event is Skateboarding Big Air on the MegaRamp, which features a 70-foot roll-in, a jump over a 70-foot gap, and a 27-foot quarteripe wall. Athletes perform tricks as the soar across the gap and above the quarterpipe, more than 40 feet above a hardwood floor.

Burnquist, who has a MegaRamp in his backyard, became the first skateboarder to perform a backflip Christ-air (full body extension, arms outstretched) over the gap. He did this recently on the Nitro Circus Tour, and if he can nail that trick and add something special above the quarterpipe, he's likely to reclaim a Big-Air title won for the past two years by Jake Brown.

However, there's a new Big-Air kid on the block named Mitchie Brusco, 14, who while practicing for an event recently in Brazil became the second person to perform a 900 above the quarterpipe and stick the landing. Burnquist had previously accomplished this during a filming project.

So the 900, as a major trick, is back in the X Games spotlight. Only this time it's being referred to, fittingly, as the Mega 900.