Red Bull Double or Nothing presented by Parks Bonifay brought the best wakeboarders in the world to Orlando’s Lake Ivanhoe to ride behind the legendary MasterCraft XStar in a winner-take-all, best trick competition. The event pushed each athlete to go as big as possible, resulting in some of the most historic runs the sport has ever seen.
At the end of the day it was Massi Piffaretti who came out on top of a stacked field, which included Red Bull Double or Nothing creator and wakeboarding legend, Parks Bonifay. Massi originally wanted to hit a Japan KGB720 but instead switched gears mid-air propelling himself to victory by nailing a KGB540 with a Japan grab, landing super clean and securing him the $10,000 prize. Behind Massi, Oregon’s Tyler Higham finished second, with Australian wakeboarder Sam Brown rounding out the top three.
“I would’ve never thought I’d be a Red Bull Double or Nothing Champion. I’m so happy not just to win but to share this with my friends who were all in the Finals group.” Massi continued, “We always say when it is it going to happen? And it happened today.”
Parks Bonifay, who held the first Red Bull Double or Nothing in 2004 came out of retirement to compete for the first time in a decade. His groundbreaking event had a similar hiatus, returning just last year after a 10-year break. Today it hit the lake again, and for the first time with a crowd watching on. Gaston Edwards Park was packed with spectators watching run after run of top wakeboarders leaving nothing in the tank as they pushed themselves to land the biggest tricks in their repertoires.
“I couldn’t pick a better city to host this event. Orlando is the epicenter of wakeboarding.” Parks said. “I actually had my first waterskiing contest when I was nine years old on this same lake. It’s amazing how it came full circle today.”
Red Bull Double or Nothing once again motivated wakeboarding’s best to push the envelope of what’s possible, showing why it’s one of the most important events in the sport. Parks believes this event can help propel the sport forward.
“I think Red Bull Double or Nothing gives inspiration for new fans to get into wakeboarding and for the riders, I hope it opened up their eyes to find a new gear within themselves and keep pushing harder to do the next trick that’s never been done.”
If you missed the event, you can check out all the action via the livestream replay on Parks’ YouTube page.
