Australia’s Rob Adelberg tops the podium from Thomas Pages and Taka Higashino. Image: Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool.

Australia’s Rob Adelberg has won the third stop of the 2013 Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour at Glen Helen after poor conditions for the final forced officials to revert to qualifying results to determine the podium.

Dangerous gusty winds swept through the Californian track precinct, making the biggest competition course in the the history of the championship near impossible to ride safely.

The strong winds forced the postponement of Friday qualifying, which was run early on Saturday to decide the top riders to contest the final.

Fresh from his Moto X Freestyle silver medal at the Brazilian X Games, the in-form Adelberg attracted a top score of 85.1 points from the judges, with a perfect cliff-hanger flip sealing his top run, and his first ever Red Bull X-Fighters win.

Second was Frenchman Thomas Pages, who scored 83.8 points in his qualifying performance, ahead of Japanese rider Taka Higashino who was a narrow 0.2 points behind.

The result is a redemption of sorts for Adelberg who broke his jaw at the same event in 2012 and still managed to finish sixth.

“I started my run with one of the hardest tricks I’ve ever done – the cliff-hanger flip – and it was the best I’ve ever done,” said Adelberg.

Adelberg’s win moves him to equal-second on the world tour standings with 2011 winner Dany Torres, who was one of many riders disappointed that the final could not be run.

Pages’ consistency keeps him at the top of the ladder with 245 points to his name. Australia’s Josh Sheehan placed eighth overall, another rider who was eager to improve on qualifying in the knock-out style finals format.

2013 Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour
Round three – Glen Helen
Overall results:
1. Rob Adelberg
2. Thomas Pages
3. Taka Higashino
4. Javier Villegas
5. Adam Jones
6. David Rinaldo
7. Dany Torres
8. Josh Sheehan
9. Wes Agee
10. Brody Wilson
11. Todd Potter

Overall standings (after three of six rounds):
1. Thomas Pages 245
2. Dany Torres 210
3. Rob Adelberg 210
4. Levi Sherwood 145
5. Josh Sheehan 90
6. David Rinaldo 80
7. Taka Higashino 65
8. Maikel Melero 60
9. Javier Villegas 60
10. Todd Potter 50