Story By Jim Paiva (with some interjections from MC) Photos By Jim Paiva

A modern day "Ripped Vans Winkle" would be hard-pressed to find a better place than Trumbull BMX take his long nap. The track is an icon for the NBL and the Northeast. 23 years ago, in 1987, Trumbull was host to "War Of the Stars" X. If Ripped had awakened this past weekend to the latest installment to Trumbull’s Constitution Classic, he would have seen some familiar faces in the pits, with East Coast scenesters of yesteryear Ken Aman, Rich Farside, and Crit Plate mogul Mike Rodrigues. Sure there would be some beard scratching sights, like paved turns and clips, but Ripped would adapt.

Weather was an issue from the outset, with Friday’s practice and pre-race being pushed back due to rain. Saturday was a record-breaking scorcher, with temps in the tippy-top double-digits, and 94% relative humidity. You dripped sweat just sitting in the pits. Sunday was better with the max temp only hitting 79. The snack shack made a killing on 30lb bags of ice.

The track is a beaut. Longer than most, a slight downhill first straight starts off with a step-up into a steep tabletop that dumps you into another step into a 90-degree big right hand turn. The second straight features a large step-up that you need to hit smoothly as it sets you up for the two doubles heading into the second turn.

Hit the doubles smooth, and you were set up well for the rest of the race. Come up short, as many did, and they would stop you in your tracks. One of the main questions of the weekend was “Are you jumping the doubles?”

The third straight featured a rhythm section that set you up for the final long straight. Many races came down to the wire and “too close to call” being a common refrain from the tower.

With only one Elite Series race left (Prunedale, CA on August 14-15) before the Elite Finals in Louisville on September 4, Trumbull was a good opportunity to get some final scores in before 2010 is in the history books. As a result, the crowd saw some good pro action in all classes.

On Saturday, Elite Men and Women both had 10 riders. Elite men had household names like Nic Long, here for a rare NBL appearance, Barry Nobles, Tyler Faoro (who, we just learned, is going to be rockin the Profile Factory colors soon–maybe even as soon as the Grands), and Javi Columbo. Nic ended up with the win both days, with Danny C and Matt Kelty getting in for second and third for the Pro Spectacular round.  On Sunday, Tyler got there for second, and Kelty repeated in the three slot.

Alaina Henderson was flying high over the doubles all weekend. In the day two Elite Women main, Alaina and Dominique Daniels were side-by-side down the second straight, with 3D on the inside (above photo). As expected, Alaina skied over them, as Dominique kept it on the ground. A situation tailor-made for Dom, really, as she got an extra pedal in and made the most of that muscled-up backside pump that she has the patent on. She led the rest of the way, with Alaina sticking in second, and Madison Pitts gettin in for third.
Backing up for a sec, Dom also got the 1-1-1-1 on day one, it was Jamie Lilly for second and Ashley Lynch for the third.

Weston Pope scored twin wins for Dan’s Comp in Super-Ex.  Jason Larev was there for second on day one and Allen Currier rounding out the podium. Day two saw Scott McMahon for the Standard Army on the left step, and Matt Beatty on the right.

Masters was pretty thin in Trumbull, with only five riders either day.  Spidey Percy Owens seems to have scored a new ride, because he was rockin some fresh threads from the last time we saw him in Nashville.  Good news to report back to the new sponsor: Percy grabbed a pair wins.  Speaking of sponsors, there is some breaking news in the second slot, as Joey "Gunz" Albright took what will probably be his final laps in the GT uniform.  Word is he’ll be replacing Tyler Faoro on the Madera squad, as Tyler moves next door in to the profile tent.  Saturday saw Brian Strieby grab third.  On Sunday Chris Keller improved by a place, and rounded out the podium.

With moto counts in the 90’s to match the temps, there was plenty of action. As mentioned earlier, Dominique Daniels (Grand Canyon University) was on, scoring perfects both days. 25 others were perfect both days.

Luke Roarty (13-14 Cruiser)
Keith Newell, (30-34 Cruiser)
RC Colon (17-45+ Women Cruiser)
Isabel Diamond (9 Girls)
Kyly Milton (10 Girls)
Abby Mac Leod (11 Girls)
Rochelle Wooding (14 Girls)
Cheyenne Noud (15 Girls)
Angela Therriault (16 Girls)
Arefin Milton (7 Novice)
Ronnie Burwan (8 Novice)
Kenny Parow (14 Novice)
Derek Ellefsen (17-18 Novice)
Eric Yuhas (35-40 Novice)
Gabe Hatem (9 Expert)
Nichoas Cote’ (10 Expert)
Erik Meyer (11 Expert)
Anthony Catlow (12 Expert)
Justin Knapper (13 Expert)
Michael Schneider (16 Expert)
Michael Caldwell (19-25 Expert)
Shawn Di Prete (35-40 Expert)
Michael Schlesinger (11 Rookie)
Jeffrey Badendyck (41+ Novice)
Randy Bitinaitis (41+ Expert)

Nichoas Cote’ (10-11 Open) was more than perfect scoring 3 perfects over the weekend.

Other highlights included 6 Rookie Brady Valliere’s perfect on Sunday, as well as his performance behind the microphone during one of the breaks

Bummer for NBL spokesmodel, Donna Snow. A crash in the first straight in Saturday’s main left her with a broken wrist and elbow. Less than 24 hours prior, she broke the top 10 in the Miss USA beauty pageant in Chicago. From a beauty pageant to staging…we love the dedication, and hope Donna heals up quick.

No one knows what the next 20 years will bring, but chances are, if you find yourself CT in July 2030, we’ll see you in Trumbull.

Check out the 2010 NBL Constitution Classic Photo Gallery

NBL Results Page

Story By Mike Carruth, Via BMXNEWS.COM
April and early May this year brought weeks of pounding rains to the Nashville area, producing flooding that temporarily crippled the city, and brought damaging waters to some of the Music City’s most cherished landmarks, including the Grand Ole Opry. For BMXers, another staid landmark that was affected was Music City BMX.

On May 3, a thread was posted on VintageBMX.com asking for information on how the track faired in all the flooding. Locals came back with reports, saying “There is extensive damage to the track and will take a TON of work to get it back to even a local level.” At that point, there were voices asking “will it be necessary to reschedule or move this year’s installment of the Music City Nationals?”

It was evident, on June 2, a plan was in place to bring in legendary track builder Tom “Ritz” Ritzenthaler not only to restore what was lost, but to add some new spark as well. As is so firmly embedded into the fabric of the town, itself, the show would go on!

By the time the first vendor rolled in on Tuesday July 6, all the work track honchos Tommy Jacobs, Brian Hill, Shawn Hisel, and their dedicated crew of volunteers put in over that two month period put the track back to the way it was, and then some! There was no sign of the previous distress, and the facility was as ready as could be to receive the thousands of families who were enroute.

Hard as it is to believe, this was the first NBL National of Calendar 2010 that BMX News has covered—-and our first exposure to their “Pro Spectacular” format which runs the elites classes in the late afternoon, after the amateur mains have concluded. And while we like the idea of the pros being upgraded to have their own show, we’d be lying if we didn’t say it felt like the band was playing one member short. Probably one of those “we’ll get used to it” things.

Precisely at 11:00AM on Saturday, we were underway. With 110 motos, not counting pros, the race was a bit smaller than the 2009 installment, but the ferocity was undeniable, as the 41-Over Expert hit the track for the first rack of the day.

The stage was set early for an impressive matchup between Tony Lehman and the newly-healed Bill Madden. Madden, you might remember, got folded, spindled and mutilated at last year’s NBL grands, but has made a more-than-full recovery and has been back in the chase since May. To show just HOW full a recovery, Madden took the 41-Over ex win both days in Nashville, a second in 40-44 Cruiser on Saturday, and a win in that class on Sunday. Nice job Bill!

Lots of familiar jerseys in the crowd, with strong presence from GT/SC Action Sports (who brought Colman Habib, Cole Tesar and Felicia Stancil), Morphine Industries, with guys like Richie Day and Noah Reeves in the ams, and Pros Jason Larev, Tim Dinger and the newly-unsuspended Mike Kapes (more on that later), Rennen-Intense with Will Murray, Austin Loebe, Cam Moore, Shayne Robinson and Melissa Woodruff. Lots of Kovachi riders as well, with Seth Utz and Crystal Kalogris among them. Dan’s Comp had Justin Posey and Weston Pope.

Sure as Elmer Fudd is hunting Wabbits, the NBL faithful are hunting their perfects, especially with the Grands shimmering on the horizon, a mere 55 days away. And lots of them were bagged in Nashville. Without turning this into an honor roll of sorts, with names listed in long-form we’re gonna give the thumbs up to a few notables right up front, and in no particular order.

Zach Attack Jacobs grabbed double perfects in 6-7Ex, as well as one in 8-Under Cruiser on Saturday. Jonathan Messing came a callin’ on Sunday to snatch the perfect in cruiser, with Zach in the two slot.

The Lone Rider from the Lone Star State, Tristan Judd grabbed a sunday perfect in 9-10 Cruiser and…um…10 Novice. Looks like 10X has one on the way, as he toasted more that a few experts on the big bike.

Cam Moore was a force of nature, winning every lap all weekend long in 11-12C and 12X for Rennen Intense. Looks like that G-Cog training is working out just fine! From Moore’s North Carolina to South Carolina’s Coleman Habib, who owned 11X both days.

Tyler Wagner out of OH scored a double perfect in 13X.

14X was a trail of tears for Cole Tesar fans. With 1-1-1s in both 20″ and Cruiser on Saturday, it looked like another perfect weekend was on tap for Rock & Roll Cole. Looking forward to the Worlds in South Africa in a couple weeks, Nashville would be a good prep trip. All hopes came unglued in the last turn of the 14x main, as Cole and seemingly-recent-arch-rival, Andrew Townsend tangled and both ended up on the asphalt. Cole seemed to get the worst of it, as he was rushed to a local hospital, where his shoulder was set (no surgery, contrary to early reports). The net result was no racing on Sunday for Cole, and the Worlds are all-but dashed. Hope you get that sling un-slung in time to make it happen at the Grands, Cole!

17-18 Expert was one of the largest classes of the weekend, with 24 riders. Going into Saturday’s main, Four riders had 1-1-1s (Jarrod Adcock, Bryan Kipp, Austin Loebe and Chase Hines). Adcock got the Saturday win, and it was Hines on Sunday (though not with a perfect, as Geoff Banser got the first moto win on Sunday).

What can be said about Felicia Stancil that has not already been said a million times before. She’s got the patent on speed, style and smooth in the 15G (well, 15-Over Women this weekend), as well as…uh..15-34 Girls Cruiser. 16 starts, 16 wins in Nashville. ‘Maritzburg awaits, and we can’t wait to see twin W1 plates coming back to the Land O’ Lincoln!

OK, we have officially run out of time in writing part one of this reace report. The innkeeper is litterally pounding on the door, so we have to go, before we’re put on to ironing sheets. Watch for the Elite report from on Nashville Monday afternoon.

Meanwhile, let us give the punchline away by telling you to browse the image galleries from both days (where you are sure to see the podium shots, but oh well).

Saturday image Gallery (55 Images)

Sunday Image Gallery (125 images)

OK, sports fans. Next time anyone hears me saying that I am “up for a road trip,” please help me drill down on that a bit. Sure, there is a tinge of romance to being out on the open road, wind in your hair, etc. But once the 2:30AM reality sets in, it becomes a real drag. So, I’m definitely not saying “no more road trips,” by any means…but the whole sleeping-in-the-car-in-a-rest-area thing, while an easy do at 18 yrs old, is not much fun at 40+.

As you all know, I like to have my photo galleries posted on the day of the race, when at all possible. So, posting this one three days after the fact is a real annoyance. But, I think you will find, as I did, that it was worth the wait.

—Mike Carruth

2010 Great Salt Lake Nationals Photo Galleries

Saturday Photo Gallery

Sunday Photo Gallery

Story By Mike Carruth, via bmxnews.com

“The Rock,” as it is lovingly called, is one of those must-attend races each year. A geographically-desirable location (relatively close to both Chicago and Milwaukee’s airports), as well as a masterfully-groomed facility which is constantly, and meticulously maintained by Track Operators Jake and Candy Karau, plus the 60-acre park that the track sits in, are all ingredients in making the annual Midwest Nationals a deliciously-spicy BMX soup.

Jumping right in to the meat & potatoes, Elite Men/AA Pro was about as stacked as it gets, with 28 of the biggest names in the sport winging on into RFD from places as far-flung as South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and even Ohio. South African, Sifiso Nhlapo, was truckin both days, with wins in two of three motos both days, as well as a main event slot that did not quite come up roses (a fifth and a seventh)…still nothing to sneeze at.

Rockford 2010 served as the coming out party for Nic Long riding his new Haro hardware. Hard to tell them boys apart, as they are both way-fast and are equally decked out in TLD threads (Nic is the one with the white bike). No main spot for Nic on his first outing in the new duds, but Sunday would be different.

AA Pro main on Saturday had Strombergs coming out of lane 8, and immediately challenging Marc Willers and Denzel Stein for the lead. Willers got the first call from the tower, but Stein had been going fast all day, and got right to it. By the backside of the first set of doubles (formerly, the dropoff), Stein had the lead. Into the first turn, Strombergs held an impossibly high and tight line and railed the razor-thin real estate between glory and “goombye” to zoom past Denzel into the second straight. Denzel’s front wheel got as close to the lead as Maris’ bottom bracket in the last straight, but the results were written on this one as soon as they entered the second straight. Final order, Strombergs, Stein and Willers. And yes, Maris did pump his fist into the air, for those of you keeping score at home.

On Sunday, the deck was shuffled a bit, as Nic Long, Khalen Young and Jason Rogers took the place of David Herman, Denzel Stein and Randy Stumpfhauser in the Main. Stumpy had strong showings in the motos, with two second places and a first, but a sixth in the semi sat Stumpy on the sidelines for the big lap. Herman also made it to Sunday’s semi, after a third, a first and a fifth in the motos, but got sealed out of the main with a seventh in the semi. Denzel also made it happen in the motos, with a 2-1-2 on the sheets, but a snowman in the semi marked an end to the story for this go-round.

Sunday’s Main had Long and KY coming out of gate 1 and 2. The pack balled up early, and took out Marino and Rogers who were in lanes 3 and 4. Willoughby was out in six, and vectored out of the carnage in a hurry. Into the first turn, Willoughby had about a half a wheel on WIllers, but also had that cool and crisp inside line. Nic Long went into turn one a half a wheel behind Strombergs, who was in third…and lookd, for a nanosecond, like he might light the afterburners and swoop the whole pack. He came out of the turn in third, and Strombergs gave chase. Pretty much the end of the story where that main is concerned, except for KY running off the track out of turn two while battling with Nhlapo. The podium would go Willoughby, Willers and Long.

The Women.

On Saturday, the Jr. Elite Women class made, with five riders, including reigning National Numero Uno, Dominique Daniels. Not much to report that we could not copy and past from any number of other race reports where the Jr. Class was made…Dom won it handily. Alaina Henderson, Keely Kortman and Crystal Kalogris made up the balance of the main.

Elite Women…now that’s a different box of chocolates altogether. Oh sure, you had all the familiar faces of Post, Geving, Tomei and Lilly, but toss in Kiwi cutie and reigning world champ, Sarah Walker, into the mix, and you know it’s a gonna get good. Sara said that her and her Team New Zealand mates are here in the Nifty Fifty for some training at the OTC in advance of the worlds next month. “It’s miserable, cold and raining at home right now, so tough to train” she said in a pre-podium chat on Sunday (sounds way better with the accent, trust me).

On Saturday, Alise and Sarah were in the same moto for first round, and Sara got the win. She would ace the remaining two laps as well, as would Alise. So the stage was set for a showdown in the main, and the dames did not disappoint. From the gate to the first turn, Post and Walker were as close as peas & carrots. Alise had the inside, and glided into the turn, picking up a bike length on Sarah. She quickly made that up, and was back to buzzing the Redline decal off Alise’s chainstay by the middle of the second straight. All held their breath as the second turn unfolded. That turn can be tricky, as “a little high/low” often turns into a little “high-and-bye” as the high gal propels over it. Not to be this time, thankfully, as Sarah rails the outside and is back to near-even with Alise down the third straight. Nothing of note in the last turn, but Alise starts to stretch out a bit of a lead in the last straight, and hits the stripe a good bike and a half in front of Sarah. Courtney Tomei scooted her Supercross 20-year retro jersey in for the third.

The Jr. Women class did not make on Sunday, with the absence of Dom Daniels, so the rider count in Elite Women got a bump from 12 to 15 for day two. Four of the six sistahs in Saturday’s main made a second appearance on Sunday. We swapped out Kim Hayashi and Baylie Kortman for Aussie Redliner Ziggy Callan and Baylie’s little sis Keely (who got second behind Dom in Jr. the day before).

In a bit of “groundhog day” charm, Alise and Sarah were bar bangin and hard chargin for the lead. This time, it was Sarah on the inside, coming from gate three. Alise was in lane four, and busted out an impressive muscle move on the world champion at the mid-point in the first straight. That move made Sarah ride the white line for 10 feet or so, just long enough for Alise to settle in to the top spot coming into turn one. Amanda Geving gets some ups at this point for getting to turn one in third, from the way outside.
Alise lead the race down the third straight. But Sarah did on Sunday what she did not do on Saturday, which is set herself up early and often in the third straight for a last turn attack. As if there was a crew chief saying “get to the inside” Sarah zips to the inside, and immediately challenges Alise for the lead at the midpoint in the third straight. Sarah had the primo inside line going into the last turn, and that was the proverbial ballgame, as she scooped it low and deep and glided right into the lead. Alise put the ponies down to try and make up the lost ground, but she ran out of track. Final order: Walker, Post, Geving.

Jr. Men

Whoa…this class has quickly become one that you come to the fence to see. Every lap, it’s a battle royale between the Con Man and Corben. Either guy can win at any time, and these guys are so fast that you’d have to be on a controlled substance not to put them both squarely at the top of the US talent pool for London 2012. Both guys raced two classes (for Connor it was Jr. Men and 17-18x, for Corben, A Pro and Jr. Men). A Pro runs as the first main, and Jr. Men runs seventh. About an eight-minute recovery time from a wicked fast lap to prep for a hyperdrive lap. How DO they do it?

Saturday’s six-man main blasted off like a rocket sled on rails. Corben had a paper thin lead over the first jump, and into the first turn. Connor had the outside, so making the move for the lead might be a tough do. The race stayed Sharrah-Fields into the last turn, but Connor punched the nitrous button in the last straight, and came within a valve stem of the lead over the last table. A the stripe, it was Corben, Connor and Tommy Zula.

On Sunday, the class dropped four riders and it was down to seven, with a six-man main. This time, Connor had the inside gate, coming out of four (which, at Rockford, is preferable for most to either one or two, due to the dogleg to the outside in the first straight). Corben was way out in lane seven. All that really didn’t matter, because by the first obstacle, they were bar end to bar end and raging up the middle. Corben almost got a taste of the tar on turn one, as Austin Loebe came into the turn high and hard and almost took Colby Landon on a trip over “bermzilla.” No paint was traded though and Austin slid in to the third slot. Connor laid down about as perfect a lap as we had seen that day, and parlayed all that inertia into a two second lead (using the “one-one-thousand” method, not Swiss Timing) by the stripe. The podium mugs were Fields, Sharrah and Loebe.

Be sure to browse our 200+ photo gallery from Sunday’s race.

Day Two of the 2010 ABA Wiregrass Nationals was run with the efficiency for which the ABA is known, the world over. Starting precisely at the stroke of eight, two hours and 59 minutes later, two rounds of 92 motos, four semis and 76 mains were through the gate. Though a hallmark of the ABA team, the hustle today had a special motivation: a big green blob approaching from the West. The storms seemed to park a couple counties to the left, as if held back by a big ol traffic cop, while BMXers held office hours at Circle City BMX.

The pro ranks were roughly the same composition as on day one, with Dennison Smith and Logan Collins doing battle, ultimately ending up first and second, as on day one… though Logan did mount a pulse-quickening assault into the last turn. Still, Sun Brü’s favorite son held the lead, and made off with twin pro wins for the weekend.

The Junior Development classes were also in redux mode, with Jordan Miranda and Samantha Brown serving a beat down to their comp for the second day running, and bringing home double-first place points to California and Indiana, respectively.

Though plenty exciting to see the pros lay down the ponies, the carbon copy results doesn’t give us much room to write. Thus, we turn to classes like 6 expert, where Ethan “The Bull” Moore was going from last place to second in the first round, after a bad start (Ultimate finish for the day: first). Or 15 expert, where Tyler Whitfield got called for a 30-foot rule violation, and invited to make a rare second round appearance (more on 15x in a minute).

Come main time, 7 expert provided some needed chills and thrills. “Zach Attack” Jacobs came out of the first straight, and onto the crossover in the lead, but had Saturday’s winner, Cooper Sheldon stalking the lead in second, then third. Into the last turn, Zach had held the lead, and put his first ABA National Expert Win in the books. Sheldon ended up on the ground after a last turn washout, and ended the weekend on a 1-8 split.

Change also came to 10x today, when Justin Hendley handled Tyshawn Carr for a win. The 19-27x class also had some dynamic racing on Sunday, with Seth Utz besting Brandon Elmore and John Anderson, who had the first two podium spots on Saturday.

But it was the 15x main that was the oxygen-needed race of the day. Snap Factory teammates, Tyler Whitfield and Alan Struna battle regularly on the track, at least for some of the year (when not on the track, they are friendly competitors in throwing Yahtzee in the trailer). The two threw down in a big way for Sunday’s main, with Struna having the slight edge going into the last turn. Tyler hopped and heaved his manual magic down the last straight, and the finish was close…realy close. The scorer called the race for struna, but it went to the video. Under the proverbial hood, it was told to us that the race was a virtual tie. So, what happens then? Well, if you’ve listened at your riders meeting, you’s know that the call of the scorer is final if the video cannot determine a winner. Thus, Alan Struna took home the highest hardware this day (Whitfield got it on Saturday).

Check out Sunday’s Dothan Photo Gallery

With 29 hours spent in the car, 1720 miles in the rearview, and 400 photos clicked off, the 2010 Wiregrass Nationals is part of BMX History. The ABA has had a great result out of their first national in the State of Alabama, and has pulled up stakes for Albuquerque. The next race we’ll be bringing you is the ABA Midwest Nationals in Rockford, IL over Father’s Day weekend.

Day Two Race Results

So goes a traditional offer from a Dothan innkeeper. The catch is that the sauna is outside in the parking lot, and in the park down the block and…really anywhere outside the hotel.

The first running of the ABA Wiregrass Nationals saw attendance from as far West as California, as far North as Minnesota, and even Florida, where the NBL State Championships were happening, in a parallel BMX universe.

It was not at all uncommon to hear “12, 14, 16 hours” as the answer to the “How long it take you?” question.

The southern hospitality was cranked up to “high” by the track crew, led by Track Operator, Mr. Wellington Cannon, as well as by unoffical Grand Marshals and ambassadors of goodwill to the festivities, Stuart Harrison and Richard Bunt.

Action stepped off on cue, at 11:30, with 92 motos in-and-through the chutes.

The A Pro Class had two racks, with 13 riders total. Dennison “Black Daddy” Smith and Logan Collins had a firm hold on the class all day, with Brandon “Butterman” Hopkins and Jason LaRev (fresh back from Copenhagen). And, wouldn’t you know…it finished just that way in the main.

A spectacular loop-out digger in the first round brought 7x contenda, Andres Papajohn to the canvas (see photo of the moment before the loopout…would have been a great shot, had he landed it). Props go to his mom for being a well-trained ABA BMX parent and, though she was standing only a dozen feet away, did not run on to the track as the ABA officials were tending to him (until called over).

DK’s Spencer “Coletrain” Cole trucked on home to win the 8x main, after a battle with Trey Maeker turned ugly (for Trey) going in the first turn.

Fortunes turned in 14x, as Cody Dziak ceded control of the main to Brandon Ceslok, a win that helped the Snap Factory Team score their first teamsheet win by two points over Sun Brü

Always good to see Shan Hatfield up top of the pack (in the 20th or 21st century). First in 36-40x.

Bummer for Jon Jon Rapp, who went down hard on the first lap of JDP during the Pre-Race, and bought himself the attention of some pretty nurses at the local patchup parlor…looks like a few weeks off, minimum. while the kid’s kidneys kick it.

BMXNEWS is going to be producing a special Web Zine PDF from the Wiregrass nationals, which will be available mid-next week. Inside, we’ll have more from the Wiregrass, as well as some interviews and a couple “head to toe” features. Be sure to check it out.

Meanwhile, check out the Photo Gallery From Saturday’s Race

Results, on ABABMX.COM

Just ended up a 13-hour drive, so picture a semi-tanned, semi-sunburned, very dedicated zombie reporting the news, and you get the image of how it is right now. BUT, “Photos up by lights out” is no joke, so we have posted today’s image gallery for your viewing pleasure. Check back tomorrow afternoon for a few syllables on the race, and be sure to pop on over to the Vintage discussion on the subject to get in on the Monday morning fun.

View Sunday Photo Gallery

Great day in Powder Springs today. As the rest of the known universe seems to be packing the freeways into downtown Atlanta, BMXers are perfectly pleased with the outer-marker-locale. In the Friday pre-race bull session, the Saturday moto count was well handicapped, and the consensus was in the 109-115 range. Some said 125 would be off-the-hook big. BMXNOW used its ear-to-the-rails savvy and proffered 140. That was, in fact, directly on the money, at 140 motos for Saturday—believed to be the largest at this race in its long history.

Some notables, as the late hour threatens to turn us into a pumpkin (or a really cranky Georgia Bigfoot, come 6AM). An epic battle between Loebe, Juan Marin and Zula in 17-18x (finished in that order) was a real crowd pleaser, Double props to The G-Man, Gavin Freewalt, who doubled up with a win in 7X and 7-8 Open, Tyler Whitfield with a win in 15 Cruiser, and his on-track nemesis, Maleik Byndloss riding to a win in 15x, with Tyler in second. Felicia Stancil never fails to amaze, as she applied a firm, though lady-like beatdown to 14G and 14-16G Cruiser. Justin Posey and Jordan Miranda jammed in 16x for a 1-2 punch. We really dug watching Olijuwan handle 19-27x today.

Big ups to John Kovachi, Stuart Harrison and Richard Bunt for staging a bigger-than–ever vintage show, which is becoming a must-do for the sou-easters in the vintage community.

So much more to say, but the alarm clock is giving us a funny look. Nine hours til the first gate!

Check out the Photo Gallery From Saturday.

It’s been 168 days since Sam Willoughby won the 2009 UCI BMX Supercross finals in Frejus, France—and with it, the overall series title. Since then, Sam has been keeping himself busy with training, moving to San Diego, training, diligently working his way through the first chunk of the ABA Pro series…and did we mention TRAINING? Well, today, Sam proved that his efforts to keep the top spot in the SX universe in 2010 are as serious as a chili cook-off in Texas.

With a record 174 competitors (136 men and 38 women), the 2010 season opener in Madrid was the best attended UCI BMX Supercross to date. And, we believe that goes for spectators too; it was said that some 8,000 people purchased a ticket to see the three-hour show, which included a little guys race (starting on the first jump), a dirt jumping competition, and a trials demonstration as filler entertainment for the big show of world-class BMX racing.

In the Mens class, Time trials showed the top five riders a mere .166 off the pace set by time trials winner Joris Daudet of France (27.412 seconds). Steven Cisar and Cristian Becerine tied for the fastest speed on the track during time trials, at 59.999 KM/H (seems they may have maxed out the system, so one may have gone faster). For you non-metric types, that is at least 37.281 MPH. Whoa, Nelly, that is haulin the mail! A total of 64 riders made it in to eight stacked racks from the time trials. The resulting races (which is where the crowd arrives) are run like a three moto transfer race (though in SX parlance, it is three “runs” of a “1/8 final”). Standouts in the motos were Sam Willoughby, Liam Phillips from the UK, Rob van den Wildenberg of the Netherlands and Connor Fields of the USA. These four were the guys who came away with perfect scores of three points out of the motos, with Fields having the fastest time of the four, with a 26.832 in his third run (which ended up being faster than both the time trial winner, and the ultimate main event winner).

The USA contingent of Elite men had some setbacks in the Medical Tent, with Denzel Stein, Donny Robinson and Travis Ohrazda all paying a visit to the Red canopy. Travis seems to have gotten the worst of it, with a compound fracture of his right leg in practice. Word was that Denzel and Donny had minor injuries. but BMXNEWS has not been able to confirm their condition.

Newly-Crowned USA Elite Men’s Champion, Nic Long missed moving on by one point, with an unfortunate second lap that let Renaud Blanc of Switzerland squeak by in the points (even though Nic beat him third round).

Connor Fields’ performance all day long was nothing short of incredible, with strong, edgy riding, and incomparable bike skills. It was these skills that carried him to the Semis, as a split-second difficulty on the “box jump” cost him the lead in the race, but allowed him to hang on by a slim margin to grab the final qualifying spot. Josh Meyers was also in qualifying position down the second straight, but had some difficulty on the backside of the box jump, and slipped out of contention. So, too, was David Herman’s luck bad in the quarters, as he had some mojo-interruptus coming down the first straight, and was not a factor for contention of the top four spots. it was surprising to see Liam Phillips not advancing to the semis, as his riding was so strong in the motos. The quarters also claimed Corben Sharrah’s dreams of a first SX podium. So, from the semis on, it would be Connor Fields as the sole US representative for the men (though there were plenty of “Adoptive sons” advancing, such as Willoughby, Strombergs, and Becerine, the points still go to their country of citizenship). If the Con-Man did not make the main, it would be an American upset. Fortunately, he did.

The semis were as stacked as could be with the aforementioned out of the running. The first semi came off clean, with Strombergs handily taking the win, followed by Ivo van der Putten of the Netherlands, Fields and Quentin Caleyron of France. The second semi was kind of nuts, in that four of eight riders went down in the first straight/first turn. After exiting the first turn, it was a boatride for Raymon van der Biezen, Sam Willoughby, Ramiro Marino and Luke Madill (in order). Tough break for Cristian Becerine, who was riding very well all day.

Looking, for a moment, at the ladies class, pretty much every world-stage Elite Woman was in attendance, with Frejus winner, Laëtitia le Corguillé, Shanaze Reade, Mariana Pajon (now rockin’ her Free Agent/Red Bull Colors), Alise Post, Arielle Martin, ABA Number one Pro/USA Elite Women’s Champion, Dominique Daniels, and a host of other heavyweights in the hizzouse. Reigning Elite Women World Champion, Sarah Walker of New Zealand was on the start list, but was listed as a DNS (Did Not Start). Danielle Brisson of Canada was the other DNS among the ladies, due to a broken ankle in practice.

Amélie Despeaux of France won the Time Trial with a 31.260 (the fifth place rider being separated by almost a full second, at +0.994). Shanaze Reade and Arielle Martin tied for the fastest Women, at a speed of 55.384 KM/H in their first time trial run.

Things were a little tense from the get-go, when, in the third race of the day, Alise Post unclipped in the second straight, then Manon Valentino of France, came under her and took both of them out in the second turn. In that same moto, Brooke Crain, who would ultimately make her second SX main event a couple hours later (first was in Chula Vista, where she got fifth), DNF’d the race, but got consistent thirds thereafter to edge out fellow American, Amanda Carr, by one point.

In the first rack of the second round, Arielle Martin was ahead by a half a bike length going into the first turn…which was just enough to be ahead of the carnage that was to follow a split-second later, taking four or five riders down to the floor. In the second rack, Rachel Bracken of Australia was hanging with first-round winner, Amanda Geving when she unclipped in the second straight, and ended up seventh for the round. Alise mounted an impressive second straight charge to take the lead from Caroline Buchanan in the third rack.

In the third round of the ladies, Arielle Martin handily dispensed with the field to bring home a wire-to-wire win. Amanda Geving unclipped over the peak of the triple going into turn one, but still ended up with a fifth place, and a ticket to the next round. Caroline Buchanan took the win in the third rack, and Shanaze Reade in the fourth rack.

The Elite Women Semi saw Arielle Martin eliminated after a tangle in the first straight, as well for Magalie Pottier. Amanda Geving got clear of the clashes and cruised home for the semi win. Alise Post ended up with the fuzzy lillipop of fifth place in the second semi rack, but Team USA did get a second rider in the main, in the person of Brooke Crain.

Main Events
After a healthy break to let the riders recover from the semis, it was time for the main events. During the break, a Dirt Jumping contest was staged for the crowd, featuring some local Spanish talent.

The Elite Women Main Event was (in the order of gate selection): Laëtitia le Corguillé (France), Caroline Buchanan (Australia), Amanda Geving (USA), Shanaze Reade (UK), Brooke Crain (USA), Gabriela Diaz (Argentina), Nicole Callisto (Australia) and Maartje Hereijgers of the Netherlands.

When the gate dropped, it was Shanaze with a nice holeshot, and lead into the first turn. Within the turn, however, she had a moment of trouble, and Laëtitia was there to capitalize on any misfortune with a swoop into the lead. Reade held on for the second, and Caroline Buchanan rounded out the podium. Brooke Crain brought an impressive fourth place finish home. See below for complete results.

The final round of the day was a classic “best for last” situation. The Elite Men main event was (in the order of gate selection): Raymon van der Biezen (Netherlands), Maris Strombergs (Latvia), Ivo van der Putten (Netherlands), Sam Willoughby (Australia), Connor Fields (USA), Quentin Caleyron (France), Ramiro Marino (Argentina) and Luke Madill (Australia).

When the gate dropped, and gravity took over (coupled with a healthy dose of explosive muscle strength, of course), it was not instantly clear who would emerge as the leader. By the first jump, it was starting to look like Willoughby or Strombergs, and by the face of the triple going into turn one, it was definitely Willoughby, with Strombergs a strong and charging second. Where was Fields? Well, at this point, he was in fifth, and looked like he’d be watching the podium from the other side of the fence. Suddenly, he seemed to see some daylight, as momentum carried the front-runners high on turn one. Connor dove for the inside, swooping teammate Strombergs, and the others behind him, and putting himself in good proximity to Sam. For Sam, it was nothing but daylight all the way home, save for a slight challenge by Connor in the last turn (which, had Connor gone for it, would probably have taken them both down). Sam logs his first SX win of 2010, Connor edges ever-closer to the top of the podium (he took third in Chula Vista, and had to miss Frejus due to school). The “Orange Crush” Dutch Redline Team showed solid, with Ivo van ver Putten on the right step.

The next stop on the 2010 UCI BMX Supercross tour is in Copenhagen, Denmark on May 7-8. BMXNEWS will have a full report from the race, and will be on-scene for stop three in Chula Vista, September 17-18.

Results

Elite Men
Sam Willoughby
Connor Fields
Ivo van der Putten
Maris Strombergs
Raymon van der Biezen
Ramiro Marino
Luke Madill
Quentin Caleyron

Elite Women
Laëtitia le Corguillé
Shanaze Reade
Caroline Buchanan
Brooke Crain
Nicole Callisto
Maartje Hereijgers
Amanda Geving
Gabriela Diaz