Matt Buyten

After starting off as a motocross racer, Matt Buyten’s career took a slight detour when he decided he enjoyed performing more than banging bars. He soon became a freestyle motocrosser (FMXer).

     It proved to be a great move as he’d still be paid to ride his dirt bike, but instead of sharing the limelight with a number of others on the track, all eyes would be on him alone as he threw his bike off ramps in stadiums around the world.

     Buyten eventually became one of the stars of arguably the most-watched action sports category—FMX—and became a staple at X Games where he collected seven medals in Step Up, four of them gold.

     In addition, he also dabbled briefly with four wheels, driving in Monster Jam truck events, but he returned to two wheels full time and currently performs at shows all over, still able to pull off crowd-pleasing FMX tricks. Buyten acknowledges that he’s long past the age where he’d likely be able to race competitively and is grateful to be able to enjoy this career extension, though he realizes that the time is coming when younger athletes with more radical tricks will take his place in the spotlight.

     And he accepts that. As in racing and FMX competitions, shows tend to be the province of those who are not only skilled and brave enough to push beyond what was previously thought possible, but those who are young and healthy enough to heal quickly when building up to new tricks is unsuccessful.   

     Thus, Buyten may find himself ready to transition into something slightly more laid back—which the Speed & Sport Adventures dual-sport tours promise to be—and the perfect vehicle to combine riding with socializing in jaw-dropping settings.