Fifteen meters up in the air, Sebastian Westberg realized he was going to crash: “Have friends who are in wheelchairs because of this trick”

The best thing is not to crash at all. But if you must crash, crash in style. So how do you do it? Sebastian Westberg tells us, he is an expert in the field.

Sebastian Westberg counts on his fingers, which on this particular day are whole.

He concludes that there has been approximately one operation per year in the last decade. A decade that he worked as a professional FMX driver and regularly performed in front of tens of thousands of pairs of eyes.

That may sound like a lot of surgeries, but there could have been more if he hadn’t mastered the noble art of crashing right.

A handbook for the curious:

Firstly, it is important to know in advance what mistake you are making. Is the speed too low? Too high? Will the rotation in the trick be too strong? Too slow?

The thousands of driving hours in the still intact spinal cord means that Westberg gets a few moments extra time to think. And you have to think smart.

– It depends on milliseconds. Just say fuck it and use the time you have to save yourself.

A millisecond at the ramp gives you the chance to give a little more gas, or panic brake.

If it goes well, you can land on your side in the gravel and an insight into what to do differently next time.

If it goes badly, you can land on your neck, get hit by a motorcycle weighing over 100 kilos and lose consciousness. Just as it happened when, eleven years ago, Westberg was about to do a backflip for the first time, at home in Finby in the Salos archipelago.

He had no trampolines or foam landings. So it was just a matter of trying it out on your own, with a homemade ramp and old, honest gravel as a base.

He spent a cat’s life, as he usually describes it.

A lot went wrong, but I got it right in the air

Another moment: Two years ago, Westberg attempted a double backflip on gravel. Then you have to jump high and rotate quickly. Unfortunately, Westberg drove too fast to the ramp and the rotation was too slow.

Therefore, he was faced with a tricky dilemma: Jump from a height of 15 meters to flat ground and likely break his hands and feet – or follow the motorcycle in the fall and hope for the best?

He decided to hold on to the bike for dear life and tried to swing to the side so as not to land on his back and get the motorcycle on him. The result was a serious leg injury.

A cheap price to pay in this context.

– I have friends who are in a wheelchair because they have underrotated and got the lift in their back. A lot went wrong, but I got it right in the air.

See the crashes in Sportliv’s documentary about Sebastian Westberg in the clip below.

“The new tricks are the worst”

A few months after the neck landing, Westberg managed a backflip for the first time. He’s not done with the double backflip either, it’s on the to-do list.

Because nowadays, a backflip is like natural yogurt, it doesn’t get the heart rate up. It’s nothing more than a basic trick, A1 level. A stunt that Westberg can almost pull off in his sleep.

This is also why Mrs. Sofia Björk-Westberg is usually calm when she follows her husband to practice and compete. She knows that he has a great basic confidence in execution.

– The new tricks he practices are the worst, then you feel your heart beat an extra beat.

The small Westberg family in Turku also includes Melvin, who was born in June last year. He howls and laughs while playing on the floor and then looks fascinated into Sportliv’s camera.

The new guy in the house has caused Westberg to revise his view of his work – but perhaps not in the way one would have expected.

How?

He tries to minimize travel – the training weeks in Spain and event trips to India are done as quickly and efficiently as possible. After performing in front of large audiences, Westberg quickly returns to the role of father. A role he enjoys.

– Melvin loves this, he says as he lies on the floor with outstretched arms and moves his son back and forth like an airplane.

The doctor scratched his head

But the thoughts about the risk of injury, then? Nothing has changed. Westberg says he will continue as long as fear stays at bay. An adrenaline rush before the jump is still a must.

– You have to have a little positive fear, otherwise you don’t have respect for what can happen if something goes wrong.

And if things go a little wrong, Westberg doesn’t sulk as much as before.

– If I break a finger or my nose, I can take some paternity leave at the same time, he says, smiling.

Yes, speaking of the nose.

A couple of years ago, Westberg broke both his thumb and nose in a freak training incident in Spain. Adrenaline pumping through his blood, he twisted his nose back, but the thumb injury was more difficult to fix on his own.

Back in Finland, Westberg went to a doctor to fix his thumb, and at the same time took the opportunity to show off his nose. Does the customer do anything about it? The doctor was confused.

– He said: What has happened to it? The middle wall is completely slanted.

Westberg explained what had happened and the doctor replied:

– Pretty well twisted.

– And even without a mirror! We’ll see if I fix it in the future. The nose is straight.

Can Melvin start with the branch?

But one day, cat lives may be spent. Westberg knows that, even if he is reluctant to talk about the subject.

– I am aware that it can go badly, but I don’t want to go around thinking about it.

Therefore, he prepares for the unthinkable by expanding the business. If he can’t drive, there are other things to do.

Westberg, who is trained as a master builder, is an enterprising guy who does a lot of side projects, in both motorsports and the real estate industry.

Recently, he built a large new hall in Finby, which means that he does not have to screw up the motorcycle in the old hen house in sub-zero temperatures in the winters.

As he looks ahead, he wants to continue with the Sebfmx Fest competition weekend, which is organized annually in Finby. He also wants to develop the often sold-out stunt academies and FMX training aimed at children and young people.

Yes, children and young people: Should the son Melvin start the sport?

Westberg laughs:

– I hope not, but the future will tell. He has the opportunity, but maybe he chooses ballet or tennis. We’ll see what happens, he has to start walking first in any case, says Westberg with a twinkle in his eye.

Mrs. Sofia gives a clearer message:

– Melvin must not start FMX, I will put an end to that, she says and laughs.