The world of freestyle motocross just got a lot bigger! The top six qualifiers in the Panasonic Open FMX Prelims hail from around the world; Australia, Switzerland, U.S.A., and France and engaged in a heated competition that also included riders from Canada and Japan. In the Finals happening this Sunday these top finishers will join the three American riders who pre-qualified based on their 2007 AST Dew Tour standings Nate Adams, Adam Jones and Mike Mason for a full throttle all out FMX war.

Australian rider Robbie Maddison lead the international invasion today with a first run score of 88.67. Maddison is actually a Dew Tour veteran, having finished in sixth place on the Dew Tour in 2006, but was absent from the Tour in '07 due to injuries. Hes back with a vengeance this year and recently pushed the motocross distance world record past the 350 foot mark down home in Australia, and his performance today shows hes been filling up his bag of tricks as well. No other rider is as comfortable flying through the air. Maddison will definitely be a podium threat this Sunday during Finals.

Finals position number two went to another international wildcard rider -- Switzerland's Mathieu Rebeaud. Rebeaud has been dominating the international Red Bull X-Fighters events in 2008 and came into Baltimore fresh off a big win in Texas last week. Rebeaud told AST.com that he is focused on the big picture; bringing serious competition to every stop of the 2008 AST Dew Tour and every other major FMX event this year. His score of 88.33 in Prelims backs up that claim. Rebeaud is on a winning streak.

Blake "Bilko" Williams, another Australian rider, made the cut into Finals with a score of 86.33, putting him in the third place finish in the Prelims . This ones a pleasant surprise. Williams finished 19th on the 2007 Dew Tour and 23rd in 2006. It's safe to say that hes on the rise.

Lest the U.S.A. get crowded out entirely, Jeremy Lusk from San Diego, CA made the cut in fourth place with a first run score of 85.50. Lusk finished in fourth place on the Tour last year behind Mike Mason, Adam Jones, and Dew Cup champion Nate Adams.

Heres where things get interesting though, after the top four riders emerged from the first run in Prelims, the three remaining slots were to be decided in Run 2. Nixey Danielson bumped up to 86.37 in Run 2, and Jim McNeil bumped his score up to 86.17. French rider Thomas Pagès won the final slot with a score of 82.67.

Baltimore is about to get a big dose of international insanity when FMX Finals get underway at 1:00pm on Sunday, June 22. The FMX world is knocking at Nate Adams door and he's going to have to fight to keep grasp of the Dew Cup in 2008.