Dennis & Kai going for a train – Evening Session on Busty´s Compound

The calender shows something like mid of August and there is only one Red Bull X-Fighters tourstop left till the 2010 World Series is history. Summertime in Europe works quite different then in the US, so Mat (MM-Production) and I decided to use the time between London and Rome to collect as much material as we can before the rain comes. The footage is going to be used in the new movie, which will hit the market in summer 2011 and that´s why you don´t find any clips from those trips.
(More details coming soon as we have to sort a few things before we officially communicate the project. In the meantime follow us on the facebook page of: THAT´S THE WAY (,I LIKE IT) for the latest news and updates.)

A stop of the German Roadtrip was the Red Bull Airrace in Germany as the UPFORCE crew got booked for a few shows over the weekend as sideact. Once we drove down to the Lausitzcircuit around 150km south of Berlin, the clouds which we had the days before just opened up and gave us a wet welcome at the Red Bull Airrace that the practise session got resheduled. Hangin´ in the local restaurant we used the time to catch up with the youngest members of the German Upforce crew for an interview

Hey guys, you had a ride with the VW Dakar Tuareg, as the FMX Show got canceled due to the rain at the Red Bull Airrace (Lausitzring, Germany).
How was that? First time you had a ride with such a car or nothing special?

Dennis: I was amazed. It was the first time I had a ride in a real Dakar car with a Dakar winner…

Kai: Yeah, this was the first time that i was a co-pilot in a car like this. It was fun with those “trial helmets”. Extreme to watch it from outside but inside the first couple of turns where excited, in the end i was kind of boring cause of the big suspension and the seat where you pushed in hard with the straps you didn’t feel much from the action.

Give us a little intro. Name, Age, Hometown, MX since, FMX since and what else should people know about you, before going deeply into the Interview.

Kai: Ok, my name is Kai Haase I am 18 years old and living my whole life in Berlin. My dad was riding MX, so I had my first ride with the age of 3. My dad took me to many MX races and championships from 50ccm up to 125ccm class. In the end – it must have been in 2007 – we had simply to many differences and i decided to go & ride in my own way.
Around that time Busty Wolter and his mechanic Mini, which i knew a long time from the MX Compound in Berlin – Schenkenhorst, started to help me with my bike and everything else to keep me going as a replacement of my dad – in a way.
Due to the “bad” influence of those 2 “FMX-Nerds” I started seriously with FMX in 2008. Only after 2 years riding FMX I went for the first Kicker Ramp Backflip in year. I´m so greatful how everything went down for me dirtbike-wise it and I´m more then happy that I have choosen this way! In 2008 I meet Dennis, who is now my riding buddy. Introduce yourself Dennis…….

Dennis: My Name is Dennis Garhammer, I’m 21 years old and live in Tübingen/ Germany. My first ride on a Motocross bike was in 1993, in 1994 I had my first race. I started FMX in 2006, if you count hitting a ramp a start.

Who is lazy? – Dennis! Lazy Boy in Berlin

Let´s talk FMX. Both of you are the addition to the Upforce Crew. How did it all come together and was has changed since you became an official member of the most know German FMX Crew?

Dennis: For me everything started with Marc Fischer, who is one of the Upforce founders. I know him since I ride dirtbikes as he was the first FMX guys in Germany. After hitting the ramp in 2006 for the first time I got more and more into FMX and in 2008 me and Kai became members to Upforce as rookies on the team.

Kai: In 2005 I was riding MX on a 85ccm bike, I hit some ramps and did some tricks now and then, but was focused on MX. Around that time i was like a unofficial Upforce member. Since 2008 when I decided to focus more on FMX I became a part of Upforce and very happy about it.

During the last couple days, we saw that both of you are super safe with the standard trix. Mat (MM-Production) and myself are pretty amzazed with the level and performance of trix. Anything upside down in your bag of trix and you hide till now or are you working on it?

Kai: After I did my first kicker flip in ’08 I had a big break cause of the German winter where I don’t ride. It took a while till I did flips again but right now I do them often and luckily safe!
When I mastered the Kicker Flip I started practising the long distance 75ft (21m) flips into the foam pit on our compound around 3 weeks before the 1st German FMX championship stop to bring it to the comp to better my score. Since then I had kind of a break like before on the Kicker Flip so my goal for 2011 is to do the big flip safe on any location.

Dennis: My answer is quite short compared to Kai´s… Lets say: I’m working on it. Last year I mastered the kicker flip to dirt and right now I’m working on the long distance backflip….. More to say about it, once i have it dialed in.

Both of you are kind of the replacement for Busty Wolter, who hurt himself on the 1st day of this filmtour and for the demo at the Red Bull Airrace.
How does a normal day work you, if you are not filming with well known riders or jump a demo in front of over 50.000 people?

Kai: Usually I wake up at half past 7 to go to work and repair some scooters. Then I have the usual talk with the boss about MX, luckily he is riding MX, too. Back home around 7p.m. and then i do some computer stuff, visit a friend or go to Schenkenhorst to work MX/FMX track.
On the weekend it´s practise time for sure. I sleep a bit longer and then go to my hometrack Schenkenhorst maybe at 10a.m.. Check the wind, if it´s Fmx or MX, ride and go back home at 6p.m. totally exausted. Weenkend time is also party-time with my friends. It´s better for sure better to ride with Dennis, as we have more fun and push each other, but he is living to far away and for each riding session one of us has a 600km car ride through Germany.

Train: Dennis, Kai, Petr Pilat during the Red Bull Airrace Morning Show

Dennis: Yes, yes the distances. It´s quite hard for us to spent a lot of time togther, but we try as much as we can and this trip is another good opportunity to push each other longer then for a weekend.
This year graduated from the advanced technical college and have now for sure more time to ride and travel appart from the weekends. Right now I have to do a social half year during winter as i refused the army service – the one or the other is a must for every male citizen in Germany. After that I will begin to study…

Petr Pilat also showed up for the demo at the Red Bull Airrace and he is like Fab Bauersachs i believe one rider you guys look up to even if he is only about your age. I saw some respect in both of your eyes and it looked that you really enjoy riding with those two.
With whom would you like to riding and where and let us know why you have choosen that rider?

Kai: For Fun I would choose Petr. It’s amazing as the same age like me he is flipping everything on any distance easilly and safe!
But for learning new tricks the “professor” FAB is the man. He explains every tiny little detial you need to know to master the trick safely.

Dennis: I like riding with everybody, who can hit a ramp, whether a pro or not. If I have to choose an international rider, I would like to ride with Levi Sherwood, because I think he is a cool guy. It looks like he’s not taking everything too serious and I like that.

How often per month are you on the road for FMX and what is the purpose of those trips?

Kai: Every weekend. Most of the time with the Upforce crew for shows or to meet Dennis for a session. If I´m not on a FMX event I practise or try to win an MX race. (laughs)

Dennis: In winter it is less as in summer. Most of the time I’m on the road at the weekends, in summer months sometimes every weekend. The trips are always pretty funny and I love travelling with my buddies. Thats why I’m doing it…

Are you one of those guys, who looks at the trix in mags and DVD´s and works on them at home till you got them dialed in or do you more benefit from going out with better riders to sharpen your skills?

Kai: I don’t really know how to answer that one. I know the tricks I want to do next, but often the tricks don’t work on the first day….. When I´m back home I think quite a lot about the trick i have in mind to master next. Sometimes it is a strange process of trying and thinking about it. Pretty hard to describe as I tryed 3 tricks over a period of half a year – not regulary with lots of effort – and a some point it simply worked out.
When I ride with Dennis it is different as we are playing moto-pig quite often, which is pushing to learn a new trick. The last time we jumped only 2 or 3 times over the ramp and we both had a new trick in the bag.

Dennis: For me it is both. I think everybody is looking at the other riders in mags or on DVDs and tries to do it in the same way or even better. However I think its important to work on your own skills and create your personal style…

What do you do, if you don´t ride FMX?

Kai: For sure MX (big laugh)
Other then that I stay on 2-Wheels but without an engine. MTB and BMX and stuff like this is what I also do and love.

Dennis: In summer I go to the MX-track to ride my racebike. In winter I love to go to the mountains for some snowboarding! That´s pretty much it plus all the other stuff people do at my age.

Any last words?

Kai: Thanks www.fmxworld.com for the interview & thanks my sponsors.
Visit www.kai-haase.com (sorry only in German) & have fun at your next riding session with your friends without pressure!

Dennis: Big up to all my sponsors, the UPFORCE crew and FMXworld for the Interview!

THX for your time and let´s pray that the f**** rain stops soon and you guys can go out for a test ride before you have to do the show.

The 2 are an amazing team – Thx for the good times with you!!!