Sunday Photos are posted, check out the gallery now. BMXNOW will have a recap of Sunday highlights once the results from the race are in.
Story via BMXNEWS.COM
The USA Cycling National Championships gives us an annual peek into what some people would like to see a national BMX Race evolve into. The foundation of the race, run under UCI rules, is different from a traditional ABA or NBL national in two major ways: First, the age classifications are decided by birth year and not birth date. The UCI rulebook makes it easy in its explanation: “(a rider’s age) shall be calculated by deducting the year of birth from the current year.” Secondly, there are no proficiencies. Competition is divided up by gender and wheel size only. So, no novices, intermediates or Open classes. All this certainly makes for a streamlined day of racing, despite the “NBL-style” (or, as some would argue, the “UCI-style”) three-moto transfer. At 75 motos, today’s race was 130 motos lighter than day one of the ABA Super Nationals, run the previous day. Make of that what you will, but the point is that, love it or hate it, this format is what some people are longing for.
With respect to the “National Championship” component to this race…well, that is a topic of some controversy and discussion as well. A so-called “one-lap,-no-crap” approach to crowning a national champion (via a win in the main event) may work great for countries with less-developed BMX programs. But for the United States, there is a large chorus of voices calling for this race to be re-engineered into a mini series or, dare we say, some kind of “Superbowl of BMX,” where the champions of the ABA and the NBL meet in…well, Chicago, or other neutral ground, to decide the true national champion for each class. But that, too, is another story of “War and Peace” heft.
However you feel about the format, this is the one day of the year where riders qualify (or not) for the 2010 UCI BMX World Championships, to be held in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa this July. If we did our math right, only an unfortunate few in 17-24 men (as the only class to have quarter finals) did not qualify for the worlds by default, as all riders in the semis automatically qualify (and thus, the mains as well). Also on the auto-qualify list were any riders who made the main at last year’s worlds.
Hard to launch into the highlights from the race without first talking about the weather—normally, that most mundane of topics. Well, 24 hours prior, we were enjoying a southern, breezy 68 degrees. By the first gate on Saturday, it had started raining and the temp dropped by more than HALF, to 33 degrees. People were wandering blank-faced and aimlessly around staging, like you’d expect in one of those shows about the days following a nuclear apocalypse. Seems a lot of people were caught off guard by the cold front, present company included, except we did not strip the bed in the hotel of its bedspread and wear it like a prize-fighter’s robe. As much as the parents were “on tilt” at the teeth-chattering temps, the riders were moving as if in some kind of splinter dimension where everything goes at 3/4 time. What was once a sea of picture-perfect factory uniforms was now a patchwork of T.H.E. hoodies, flannels, and the now-ubiquitous Troy Lee zip-front hoodies, on which J&R did a brisk business, when the winds turned from brisk to blistering.
The unfriendly Fahrenheit notwithstanding, there was some seriously hot racing happening on the track. In addition to the above-listed rules of the day’s race, another important aspect of today’s race was that it was open to only US Citizens (hence the name, “USA Cycling BMX National Championships”)—thus, no Maris, Willoughby or other offshore talent in the mix today.
The birth year rule brought more than a few sometimes-rivals squarely into the ring—one being in 8 boys where the now-eight-year old Julian Dittrick met his still-seven pals Wyatt Bell and Andres Papajohn, and came from way out in gate 8 to win it by a couple lengths.
Changing channels for a moment, to the Elite classes, Elite Men had 14 riders, but the scratching of Dennison Smith, Kyle Bennett and Matt Pohlkamp brought the field down to 11. Defending champ, Jason Rogers made his 2010 debut on his home turf to do battle with some familiar faces like Donny Robinson, Nic Long, and Danny Caluag, and some not before seen in the class like Riley Stair, Corey Reid, Tony Hoffman and Tyler Faoro. Nic took the lead in today’s Elite Men main, and never had a knobby not out front thereafter, with Danny C in second and Corey Reid on the right-step (well, camera-right, at least).
Elite Women had a similar flavor and flair as it had the previous day, with Alise and Dom in the same class (and the same moto in the qualifying rounds). The results tell the story as well as we could: Dominique Daniels: 1-1-1-1, Alise Post: 2-2-2-2, Stephanie Barragan (who was in the other rack): 1-1-1-3.
The six-rider Jr. Men class actually had some punch to it in the action department, when Jared Garcia snatched the win from the grasp of Elliot McGrath at the line, in one of those moments where a “correction” has to be announced (or in our case, tweeted). Justin Posey got the third for Dan’s Comp.
In Masters, Kenth Fallen walked away with a perfect day, and it was down to the final feet between Chad Street and Joey Albright who, after a quick check of the finish line camera, just to be sure, finished second and third, respectively.
Gotta give a BMXNEWS shoutout to the four riders in the “dub club,” who scored wins in class as well as cruiser. Cruisin’ Chris Blevins (12 Boys and 12-Under Cruiser), Cole Tesar (14 Boys and 13-14C), Jordan Miranda (16 Boys and 15-16C) and Kelsey Van Ogle in 12 Girls and 14-Under Girls Cruiser). Congrats!
Other highlights:
The most pint-sized podium topper was five-year-old (six in “UCI Years”) Dylan Borbely of Belvedere, IL.
In 35-39 Cruiser, Doug-E Fresh Crowell took the gold medal practically off the neck of Jason Carne$ when he sneaked in to the lead in the final few feet.
17-24 men was the largest class of the day (and the only one to have a quarterfinal), with 39 riders.
The 13 Boys main served up a heaping helping of disappointment for Walker Finch and Brock Heffron when, in a bummer of a do-over from the Friday Semi, the two tangled, this time in turn two, and handed off control to Jake Campbell and Antonio Bonessi for the 1-2 finish.
Check out the Saturday Photo Gallery for more fun and excitement from the race.
It is currently way-past-midnight on Sunday morning as we post this, and it is snowing in Dallas. There is a fair chance that we will not be shooting tomorrow (today?), as we did not pack for a snowy 30 degrees when the first gate drops at 8AM. Hopefully, some main photos or somesuch.
Story Via BMXNEWS.COM
The Super Nationals are always, as Forrest Gump said, like a box of chocolates…you never know what you’re gonna get.* No question that it is always one of the better races of the year—that much is practically assured. But with the two days of national racing bookending the USAC National Championships, it makes for an interesting chemistry of people either attending or not attending for the same reason. Add to that that this year, pro turnout was impacted a tad by the fact that the Madrid SX race is next weekend, so some either did not want to risk injury, or wanted to conserve energy and currency.
Still, we had a great day of racing under the Desoto Metroplex BMX roof. In the Elite classes, it was a short field, with only 15 Elite men, 13 Elite Women (and Jr. Women combined), and six Jr. Men. Some speculated that the non-US riders might stay away form this one, but that didn’t happen as Maris Strombergs turned in a wire-to-wire finish in the main, with teammate Kyle Bennett in for the second and Sam Willoughby in the right step for third.
Elite Women had some rare-and-welcomed action. Just as the crowd was ready to pop their No-Doze (in the motos, Dom had two firsts and Alise had adequate points to make the main), Jamie Lilly dove for the inside in the first turn, and jammed Stephanie Barragan and Alise post a little higher than comfortable, taking over the second spot. Alise was well back in the pack after losing momentum, but back on the pedals to catch Dom and Jamie, who were opening up a lead. What happens next was told to us a couple different ways: One telling has it that Dom came unclipped in the early part of the second straight, and the awkward position of the unclipped foot on a clip pedal made for a rather uncomfortable approach to the jump into the second turn. The other telling was that she got out of form over the jump into the second turn. Whatever the case, she seemed to have lost just enough speed for Jamie to tag her back wheel coming out of turn two (where Courtney Tomei saw some daylight, and looked like she might have a piece of the podium when it was all said and done. Jamie went down pretty hard in turn two, and Dom was still leading the race as the pack entered the third straight. By this time, Alise had navigated through the carnage in turn two like Rowdy Burns in “Days of Thunder” and was on Dom like she was Cole Trickle. Midway through the straight, Alise took the lead, and it was pretty much over. Final order Post, Frances Garcia, and Stephanie Barragan.
Aside from those two races, a few standout Amateur main events: In The 14 Girls Main, pals Felicia Stancil and Shay Glynn went into turn one closer than peas and carrots. They never made it out. Amy Mcintyre and Megan “The Major” Pritchard were there to take posession of the two top slots. Cole Tesar holds the deed on 13 Cruiser and does not even rent it out – especially on weekends. He also won 13x by a respectable margin with “Mojo” McMullin in the two spot. 14 cruiser in both boys and girls was worth note. Of the gents, Tyler Whitfield rode it like he stole it, and took the win. The 14 Girls cruiser was a contentious lap with Carly Dyar leading Felicia Stancil most of the way…buy we have a feeling Felicia was still smarting from her digger in turn one in 14G, and kept the pilot lit til there was no more track to chase..and got past Carly just before the stripe.
The 16x main gets the “Heartbreak Ridge” award. Rusty Nesvig was leading, with Justin Posey in second. Not exactly sure what happened as they reached the heart of the turn, but Rusty and Justin both went down, and took four other guys with them. Local Billy Russell and SE Racing’s AJ Hiatt took it from there for the 1-2 at the stripe.
Friday was a great day of racing, and Saturday promises to be equal-but-different as the USAC National Championship gets going.
Keep it here on BMXNEWS the rest of the weekend, and check out Friday’s Photo Gallery.
Today’s race could best be described as “sharp.” Not only were the motos ticked off at a healthy 100-105 moto per hour clip, but the race began and ended “on the sharps.” At no earlier, no later, than 11:30 AM, the first gate was dropped…and the final main crossed the line at, literally 7:59PM…so yes, it was a full workday (including a regulation-though imaginary-30-minute lunch) for 274 motos worth of riders.
In the Elite Mens’ main, Cristian Becerine was rocket-like as he blasted out of the gate and was first at the stripe.
Text via BMXNEWS.COM
On the heels of yesterdays post on BMXNEWS.COM, where we talked about the events leading up to the big day, today was akin to the moments just after the Space Shuttle lights ‘em up and begins to shake, rattle and roll up the tower. Not quite calling “Liftoff” just yet, the 2010 ABA Winternationals held its organized practice and pre-race today. And not unlike the stars arriving 300 miles away in Hollywood, a constellation of BMX stars unlike any other this year has turned out to uphold the long-standing tradition that holds “it ain’t a season until the Winters.”
In addition to top-hand American elites, Phoenix is playing host to contingents from the Netherlands, the UK, South Africa, France, Japan and even a Canadian or three. Mike Fields made a great point in his Vintage post earlier this evening when he noted that the pro turnout was thick enough to cause a 15-minute delay in getting through staging to get another gate in practice. Granted, it was mingled in with JR. Devo types, but still… Also on hand are a slew of dirt jumper stars who trekked down in the Vans rig. .
Mike Day and Khalen Young are in town—two blokes we have not yet seen in the new decade. Check out the newest episode of the Announcers Tower Podcast where Mike talks about his ongoing back injury, and long-term plans for London 2012.
GT and Free Agent are suited up in new jerseys, making it extra fun to try and pick them out of the crowd. Known no-shows thus far include Injured-reservists David Herman (nursing a minor hip fracture), and Jason Rogers.
A healthy 97 motos in the pre-race today, which Mike Fields says foretells a 280+ moto Saturday (I think the formula is suspended for this race, due to “special circumstances” of added foriegn participation and everyone wanting to escape colder days in their zip code (present company included).
No GO211 this weekend in Phoenix, so you’re going to have to kick it mid-school and get your news from us. We will be posting nightly updates here, as well as photo galleries right here on BMXNOW.COM. Also, follow BMXNOW on twitter for as-they-happen-updates from the infield. Speaking of the infield, there is an 80% chance of rain Sunday, so providing there IS an infield and a place to stand, we’ll be reporting from there Sunday as well. There was talk of the weather’s impending treachery, but it did nothing to dampen spirits in the pits. If you’re not having fun here at the Winternats, well…you just aren’t trying hard enough.
Photos will be posted by lights out both days. Speaking of photos, check the link below for an appetizer course of photo-ala-moto from Friday’s pit stroll and pro practice. Enjoy!
A beautiful, crisp, sunny winter morn greeted hundreds of BMXers for day two of the 2010 ABA Gator Nationals (winter…yeah, right. is it still Winter if you can get a sunburn?). Some had their minds on making good on thwarted plans from Saturday, others on keeping their streak alive, others on the clock, as the moments to making their flight ticked away, and still others on the NBL Competition Congress that was happening 700 miles away in Northern Pennsylvania. More on that later.
No doubt that one of the people who had their mind on improving Saturday’s performance was Mariana Pajon. Not that Saturday’s *performance* was so bad, as it never really got off the ground (she was leading the main, before spinning into the pavement in turn one)…but Sunday would provide a good “do over” opportunity for the 2009 Elite Women World Champ. Another looking for an upgrade was Connor Fields. Word was that he was so boiled-over after Saturday’s unclip calamity that all who walked within his perimeter Saturday night received a free steam treatment and not much chit-chat.
Where Elite Men was concerned, we have to admit that, if we were a betting sort, our paper route money would have been on Long, Stumpy and Becerine for the Sunday podium (maybe, or maybe not in that order). These three were closer than the Smith brothers in every photo we had of them all weekend (minus the beards). Of course, there were a few in the mix who had spoiler potential—not the least of which was Saturday’s winner, Maris Strombergs. But Maris was taken off the spoiler list, and put on the “bummer” list after a rather unfortunate run in the semis left him on the other side of the fence for the main. Barry Nobles was lookin good, with only seven points going into the quarters (low points out of the motos was Stumpy, with four). And, then, of course, was the local-boy-done-good potential presented by the, albeit long, odds of a Josh Meyers win. Come main time, Josh was stuck way out in Lane 8, Nobles was sidelined after an OTB odyssey in the last turn of the Pro Cruiser main left him in “ugh!-my-aching-back” condition. Looking good for the paper route fund… But, as earlier written on BMXNEWS, Josh had a rippin’ gate start, and got down the runway like the Concorde. By turn two, it was Josh, followed by Nic, then Stumpy. Visions of Saturday’s late-in-the-race reversal of fortune started to appear as Nic was pushing Josh HARD to edge ahead of him, if only by a micro knobby. But this time, the lead held, and Josh Meyers scored his first AA Pro win. Josh turned A Pro on Sunday of the Disney Cup in 2008, and it was a steady march to this day on the top of the podium, his mom, dad and new sponsor looking on. Score one win for our first “M,” Josh Meyers.
Our second M got her second chance at the top-step and made it all the way home in Elite Women. Mariana moved out of the motos with only four points, tied with Amanda Geving. Alise Post was shaken a bit by a biff in the third round, but is tough as a two-buck T-Bone, so was still way-in-the-mix, come main time. No spinning into the pavement this time for Mariana, only spinning for the win. Second went to Amanda, and third was in the grasp of Alise, but she got reeled in by Ashley Verhagen in the last straight.
Junior Men set the stage for the Con Man to get some relief from his heart burn, as he had not lost a lap all day. Tory Nyhaug equaled Connor’s three points in the motos, so he would definitely be a factor. No Corben Sharrah in Jr. Men today, so that would mean one less drama straw out of the bundle. But Austin Loebe was applying more pressure than a used car salesman all weekend. As the moto sheet clip board got another gate thinner, Connor jumped to the lead and it was owned like Trump from that point on. In yet another last straight toss-up, Tommy Zula zipped in to zap the second spot from Austin, who ended up on the left step today. Great racing from all those guys though, and any step these dudes are on is a step above, indeed!
Junior Women. Well, what can we say about it? Dom decided not to go to the beach today, so you, therefore, know how this story ends. She took the win, with Ashley Lynch and Teegan O’Keeffe in second and third, respectively. Even though the contention for the top step was fairly pre-ordained, Dom and her podium pals made an opportunity out of it—for fun, cuttin up and enjoying the base of what BMX is all about.
Oldsmar 2010 was massively worthwhile, and you should buy a 2011 calendar now expressly for marking this race on it. Check out the Sunday Photo Gallery for more, and we’ll look forward to seeing everyone in two weeks at Black Mountain BMX in Phoenix for the 2010 ABA Winternationals.
ELITE MEN
Josh Meyers
Nic Long
Randy Stumpfhauser
Sam WIlloughby
Donny Robinson
Danny Caluag
Cristian Becerine
ELITE WOMEN
Mariana Pajon
Amanda Geving
Ashley Verhagen
Alise Post
Kim Hayashi
Stephanie Barragan
Madison Pitts
Courtney Tomei
JUNIOR MEN
Connor Fields
Tommy Zula
Austin Loebe
David Oquendo
Tory Myhaug
Juan Marin
Shaun O’Connor
Chase Hines
JUNIOR WOMEN
Dominique Daniels
Ashley Lynch
Teagan O’Keeffe
Tiva Feldman
Alaina Henderson
Bianca Quinalha
Kaitlyn Larson
The 2010 ABA Gator Nationals got into gear Saturday with 138 motos (said to be a few ticks higher than last year). The full four Elite classes were active, and USAC/ABA’s blossoming Junior Development Program was chock-full of superstars-in-waiting (Saturday’s honors going to Tyler Whitfield and Shelby Stacy in Jr. Devo Boys and Girls, respectively).
One bit of new process that was announced today was that Elite classes would get to pick lane assignments for the semis and main based on riders’ finishes in the previous rounds. BMXNOW did not completely understand how it all worked, as the goldenrod sheet that was handed out at the riders meeting looked a lot like “build your own computer out of everyday parts” instructions, but we will find out more about the inner working of how this will work at future races, and report back.
Elite Men was a suspense-filled race with classic reversals of fortune applied, as if at the command of a Hollywood director who had not received his shiatsu that day. In the race, Cristian Becerine lead it pretty much from the crest of the first jump to the deepest part of the last straight. Stumpy was there in second for most of it, but Maris was stalking the lead in a big way and mounted a awe-inspiring charge in the last straight to get the win from his FA teammate by half a wheel at the line. It looked a lot closer from half a track away, but Bill Morris, ABA head official zipped it up on the instant replay and there it was…Maris had his win! Tough break for Donny Robinson today. dR was sitting in second or third in the semi, when he went down double-H-hard in turn two. BMXNOW talked to him after the race, and he is OK, but had a nasty-looking scuff on his shoulder blade.
Elite Women was as stacked as it could get with Dom stuck on the undercard. Current UCI World Champ, Mariana Pajon, was up from Columbia to size up the American girls she will likely meet in Madrid in a month. Aside from Mariana, the main had most of the other “Who’s Who” names in the class, with Post, Geving, Barragan, Verhagen, Pitts and Carr in the gate. Props to Kim Hayashi for grabbing her own spot in the big lap. Into the first turn, it was Pajon, Post and Verhagen, then the balance. The omelette got scrambled in a way only the marvel of a GO211 replay will be able to confirm, but ended up with a sizable portion of the field on the pavement of the first turn. Amanda Geving got around the shards of her fallen comrades and made a successful drive for the stripe. Stephanie Barragan and Madison Pitts were 2-3.
Have you ever seen one of those Atomic bomb films from the 50s, where trees bend in half, and houses are blown into matchsticks on the test range? OK, well, that sums up pretty well how Dom Daniels dispensed with Junior Women. Nothing against the other seven ladies, as they were the only Elite class main of the day in which nobody pulled the eject cord.
Which leaves Junior Men. Connor Fields pretty well owned the class throught the day, with impressive showings at key times by Tory Nyhaug, Corben Sharrah and Austin Loebe. The stage was set for a contentious main, and we sure got one. Through the second straight, it was Connor and Austin in Siamese-lockstep. Through the Pro Section some unfortunate circumstance befell Connor (though we did not see what it was because our view was blocked), and Austin came out on top, with Tommy Zula and Corben Sharrah with the two and three. The crowd was definitely
If you are a recurring BMXNOW visitor, you probably know that, on Saturday Night, we usually are pressed between the unstoppable force of the Earth rotating on its axis, and the immovable object of the 8AM first gate. Thus, after the evening’s primary activity is complete (editing, correcting and posting the day’s photos), the time for writing is short, before the witching hour is nye.
Translation: Check out Saturdays photo gallery and we’ll hve more from Oldsmar after Sunday’s race.
Copy courtesy of BMXNEWS.COM.
Jared Graves was the infield favorite for the Reno win, as of the third round on Saturday at the season opener. Of course, we now know that the infield swamis were incorrect that day. But it put Graves back on the radar coming out of Reno, and riding on in to a dusty town of cattle ranches and rodeo clowns, known as Guthrie, Oklahoma (cue “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” soundtrack).
Saturday, Graves got as close as one can get without being the top-stepper himself, with a second to Stumpy. Sunday was no day of rest for this Aussie, as he dispensed with the motos efficiently, and set his sites on the one-lap dash for the cash. In the main, the above photo foreshadows the finishing order from right-to-left…as early as the first jump. No dramatic turns in this main, but still plenty of action and RPMs being laid down by the fastest eight guys in BMX galaxy on January 25, 2010.
If the elite and pro classes were salsa, the AAs would have been be “zesty,” on Sunday, while the Jr. Men would be “muy caliente!” Guthrie must have been a bit of a bummer for Northerner Tory Nyhaug. Though he, himself, had plenty of caliente going on in his own right throughout the weekend, the tumble gods had his number in both Saturday and Sunday’s main events, making him less than the “way up in the mix” finisher he always is. In fact, two of the three smiling faces on Saturday’s Jr. Men podium returned for an encore on Sunday, with Elliot McGrath and Tommy Zula, for a second and third, respectively on Sunday (it was the other way on Saturday). The Con-Man, Connor Fields kept traction in the action in the first turn, and delivered another Jr. Men victory for the Free Agent faction (the first was on Saturday in Reno).
Keeping with the salsa analogy, the combined Jr. Women/ Elite Women class on Sunday would be the interesting mild. Six laps into her new Intense sponsorship, and anticipated comeback, Arielle Martin went down in the second straight, in the first round on Sunday. It looked pretty bad at first, as she was down for a good 10 mins while honest-to-goodness paramedics were called to the infield to make sure she was well tended to. A backboard ride off the infield did not calm the nerves of all her friends and fans, and she was soon taken to an area hospital for a scan of one stripe or another. By sundown, word came down that she received some stitches to close a gash on her chin, but all else was right down the middle with her condition. No word on how long she’ll be out, if at all…but we’ll check with her and bring you a follow-up in “Latest Dirt.”
Other than the hand-over-mouth concern we all had for Ari on SUnday, the racing was solid, but similar in flavor to Saturday, with Dom Daniels racking up another win. This time, it was Ashley Verhagen on the “Camera-Left” two-step and Alise Post staying consistently in one podium position or another for the third.
It has been a fairly long 72 hours, 23 of it having been spent in a car (as many of you can relate). The BMXNEWS alarm clock has been hammered into a fine example of urban recycling, but we will have more on Guthrie after the Tylenol PM wears off sometime Monday, so check back.
Meanwhile, we did put the time (and recently purchased MacBook car adaptor) to good use on the return trip, and got all photos edited and prepped by the time we hit Rolla, MO.
Thus, the Sunday Photo Gallery for your viewing pleasure.
Copy Courtesy of BMXNEWS.COM.
Today marked the first national of the 2010 ABA Season. An impressive turnout of 279 motos provided elements of chance and skill, bells, whistles, wins, losses and excitement exceeding that of casino downtown.
It was also the first event that implemented the ABA’s new criteria and class breakdowns for the Pro/Elite Classes. Strange, though it may have been, to see Dom and Alise racing different classes, and having the reigning National Number One Pro Woman riding down-ticket in the Junior class, we photogs were bracing for only seeing the pros once in the mains, versus the customary three times we’re used to at ABA Pro races (Due to the UCI tie-in, only one main will be run for the Elite and Junior classes).
After a collection of consistent showings in the motos, quarters and semis, Bubba Harris saw the promised land in the first turn of the AA Pro Main Event. Arturs Matisens, Kyle Bennett and Cristian Becerine were all casualties of Arturs’ front wheel washout…and that’s where Bubba made the move that would put him atop the podium for the first time since his ankle injury sidelined him in the spring of 2008. Donny Robinson and Jared Graves were there for the two and three spots, respectively.
Elite Women was owned, in full, by Alise Post on Saturday. The main saw Post, Ashley Verhagen and Amanda Geving (who put up a serious challenge for second in the last turn, but ran out of track in the end) get to the podium.
Jr. Men Brought Connor Fields to the front in the main, confounding Tory Nyhaug and Corben Sharrah (who was showboatin’ than new white #1 on a black background).
Jr. Women went back and forth in the motos, but it was Dom in the main, follwed by Brooke Crain and Talyor Wolcott (who was a little hard to spot at first, minus her IPOT uniform—one of the 2010 changeups in Reno).
We’ll have more commentary on Saturday’s race, and reports on Sunday after the final gate drops tomorrow.
Meanwhile, checkout the 172 photo gallery from Saturday.
(Copy Courtesy of BMXNEWS.COM)
The final day of the 2009 NBL Christmas Classic brought some serious heat to an otherwise cold Louisville day. With 191 motos on the docket, the first and second rounds were done by about 1:30. And while most of the same suspects were doing their “TCB” dance on day three of this Presidents Cup/Christmas Classic weekend, there were just fewer of them today. The day looked to be vanilla all the way, til the mains brought the mix-ins.
And the first main of the day was a fitting opener for the off-the-hook racing that would follow. Above, you’ll see Tommy Opincar, Domingos Lammoglia and Tim Dinger closer than a Siamese mariachi band in turn one while Jason Carnes hits the clear track on the inside. Seconds after the shutter snapped, Opincar was (somehow) clear and Domingos was on the ground with Joey Albright (who is eclipsed by the trio in the shot, but is right off Dinger’s right shoulder) coming to an abrupt stop via his neck. Uggggleee. All in all everyone was OK, save for the dashed hopes of a main not finished. Final results went Carnes, Opincar and Brian Strieby, making his return to the podium (sort of*) after a long dry spell.
Elite is always a boost to the blood pressure, and today was no exception. Barry Nobles had Lane 1, and eyes on some pocket money for his upcoming trip to Oz. First turn action had Nobles in the lead with Day one winner, Javi Columbo close in. The pro section would, again, swallow up a trio looking to tangle for what Barry was leaving behind him, as Latvian Arturs Matisons, DKer Josh Smith and Matt Kelty all thundered to the ground. Final order at the stripe was Nobles, Columbo and Josh Meyers, making his second Elite podium in as many outings since turning up yesterday.
Amanda Geving was the only gal in the house to jump the decidedly-slower pro section in a moto (didn’t matter, as she was handily in the lead, but it was a major league crowd-pleaser). The big question was “would she, or wouldn’t she?” in the main. Well Jamie Lilly was welded to her chainstay out of the first turn so, by decision time, it had to be “Left.” Jamie caught and overtook Amanda, then it was a battle again down the third straight, with Jamie by a bike or two. Amanda’s final move, in the last turn, could have been goop or glory. Unfortunately, for her, this time it was goop…and she ended up dusting off as Jamie dusted on to the finish for the win. Madison Pitts for second and Carley Young from PA escaped the dust up in turn three to take the third spot.
Super-Ex brought the same three from day one to the podium, but in a slightly different order. Today, it was CJ McGuire who got out and got down for the wire to wire win. Tyler Faoro grabbed second check and Logan Collins brought home right-step honors (well, right-step to the camera).
Some heavy duty, hand-over-mouth, wrecks wreaked havoc on the Am class mains, most notably 14x. Maliek Byndloss was in command of the pack as he was throughout the weekend (having never lost a moto or main, in all three days). Hernon Santillon from Assassins For Hire was trying to make it a diamond-perfect-minus-one, but got de-rhythmed in the section and went down HARD just prior to entering turn three. Moments later, Tyler Whitfield found the soft stuff at the top of the turn and went down as well, but was up and back in the clips real quick like. Hernon was another story. Down for at least 10 mins, and carried off on a backboard. We have not heard word of his condition as of this writing. Hopefully, he’ll be back at it real soon.
Look for more coverage from the weekend on BMXNEWS.COM, after this wagon train pulls out and heads North. Til then, check out the Day Two Photo Gallery.
*Strieby made the podium, but missed the actual ceremony.
