When South African Freestyle Motocross (FMX) athlete Dallan Goldman drops in under the night sky at Montecasino, the roar of the local crowd is unmissable.

As one of the country's leading riders, Goldman feeds directly off that electric atmosphere to push his limits on the bike.

"I definitely feed off the crowd's energy; it pushes me to go bigger and better than I usually do," Goldman told Eyewitness News. "It's a bonus that I get to jump and perform in front of my home crowd."

Goldman's passion for high-flying stunts began back in 2007 when he hit a freestyle ramp for the very first time.

Growing up, he was completely captivated by videos of the legendary Crusty Demons and the fearless riding of action sports star Travis Pastrana.

By 2008, Goldman was fully committed to FMC, trading standard motocross racing for the adrenaline of ramp riding.

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South African Freestyle Motocross (FMX) athlete Dallan Goldman. Picture: Eric Palmer and Cloud9 Photography.

"Once I experienced the adrenaline of hitting ramps and learning new tricks, there was no turning back," Goldman recalled. "FMX became my passion, and I've been chasing progression ever since."

That dedication quickly paid off. Goldman went on to earn the South African #1 FMX title, landed his first backflip to dirt at icon Robbie Maddison's compound, and performed in global arenas across California, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Australia and Botswana.

Despite his international success, Goldman remains deeply driven to put his homeland on the global action sports map.

At events like King of the Whip, he regularly goes head-to-head with international superstars such as Wyatt Fontenot, Julien Vanstippen and Pat Bowden.

"It feels awesome to have world-class champions competing locally," Goldman said. "It's always a fun time getting to throw down with the boys and represent South Africa on the big stage."

South African Freestyle Motocross (FMX) athlete Dallan Goldman. Picture: Eric Palmer and Cloud9 Photography.

He adds that his motivation is to show the world what local talent can achieve. "I love to represent South Africa to my full capacity against the international riders. South Africa isn't known for having world-class athletes, so I push my hardest to make sure we put South Africa on the global map."

Drawing on his early racing roots, Goldman focuses heavily on precision, style, and trick execution in the Best Whip arena. To prepare for upcoming competitions, he has been fine-tuning a variety of whips and high-flying combinations to impress both the judges and the fans.

"Some of the crowd and judges prefer certain styles, so I'm making sure I have them all. But, watch out for a one-handed whip- the crowd always loves that one," Goldman teased. "With the trick categories, I have airplane combos, which I'm going to be throwing down at the event."

As a seasoned veteran of the local scene, Goldman is equally passionate about mentoring the next generation of South African riders.

"We welcome all riders to come and train with us at the Jungle Rush FMX compound," Goldman shared. "This way they are guided safely, and we can make sure they are at the level to compete at King of the Whip."

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