Southwest Nationals Race Report & Photo Gallery

Filed under General on August 09, 2013 | Comment(s)

The last time the USA BMX national circuit stopped in Arizona was back in March, for Round 3 of the season. Now, eighteen races later, the National scene returned for Round 21 - for the second Indoor "short track" races of the year.
Here are just some highlight shots from the Friday night pre-race. Enjoy!
The USA BMX crew were able to stretch a little bit more length out of this arena than they had in 'Vegas, measuring it off at nearly 850 feet. By far, everybody's favorite part of the track was the fun yet challenging rhythm section down the third straight, and beginning with Friday's pre-race, it was clear that races could be won or lost right there, and in the turns. With a big 'n burly first berm, moves were being made as early as moto No.5 in the first round on Friday.

FRIDAY:
These days, it seems as if the big "highlight" race of Fridays are the A-pro showdowns (with the occasional guest AA-pro) and the Jr.Devo warm-up - which is usually a good indicator of what's to come the rest of the weekend. 
This time in Tucson, it was was Tucson's very own macho-man, K.J. Romero, who took on fellow A-Z pros, and took the win in a 1-lap showdown. Ironically, Tucson's favorite son - Haro's Corben Sharrah, decided to sit it out and put his bet on 50/50 tickets ...and won, taking home more payola than Staat's electrician's apprentice.

In Jr. Devo, we found some new face in the ranks and on the podium. Last year, Uhl Woods made a name for himself at this very race, and there must be something he likes about coming to Tucson, because he once again scored the win, followed in by Utah's Williams and Cali's Garlick. 

USAC JR DEV BOYS
    1  UHL WOODS, , BENBROOK, TX
    2  JACOB  WILLIAMS, TERAFLEX JEEP MODS, SANDY, UT
    3  CURTIS GARLICK, WESTSIDEBMX.COM, NOVATO, CA
    4  MATTHEW JONES, BELLFLOWER BICYCLES, CORONA, CA
    5  JEFF MARSHALL, RADIOACTIVE STAATS, MARICOPA, AZ
    6  MASON BERRY, X FACTORY, CAVE CREEK, AZ
    7  DAMIAN ONTIVEROS, 510 BAY AREA BMXERS, FREMONT, CA 

Would this be the sign of things to come all weekend? We'd all have to wait until the start of Saturday's action to find out.

SATURDAY:
The stage was set. The Jr. Explorers from the U.S. Border Patrol marched the colors out and Isabella Knipp belted out a great rendition of the national anthem, as two racks of hungry  trider kids waited anxiously in the wings. It was Southwest Nationals time, Day One - and the crowded stands on both sides of the arena were in for a treat, with some tenacious tusslin' in Tucson.
By main event time, the intensity of qualifying, quarters and semi's had built to a fever pitch- and everyone from novices to experts, and all inbetween, were ready for battle. And one of the best battles of the day definitely was 15 Novice. With only three guys in the novice final, you might think it'd be a good time to go by a crispy ciniman Churro from the snackbar. ...and if you did, shame on you! For you missed some insane Novie action, as the lead rider was feeling the pressure entering turn two, and with his comp breathing hard down his neck, he cut it a bit too hard and took an impromtu digger. Our heroes in second and third were already hooked up in an elbow-to-elbow battle and seeing the carnage in front of them, decided to cut it straight in to the turn, rather than turning right. Locked up, both riders launched striaght up and off the top of turn turn, ditching their bikes and safely sliding down the soft backside. All three riders DOWN, is always a great race and the crowd became loud, cheering on the chase. Our crashed lead rider was a bit stunned and confused, and scrambled to his feet, just as the two over-the-berm boys grabbed their bikes and cyclo-crossed it up to the top of the turn. By the time they got back on the pedals and the track, it was an all new race to the line, for the other half of the track. Pure excitement - and it just goes to show why you've got to LOVE novice racing as much as the experts!

15 NOVICE
    1  DUSTIN ROSS, , PHOENIX, AZ
    2  DAVID ANAYA, ADVENTURE CREW, TUCSON, AZ
    3  CLAYTON WARNOCK, DAD, YUMA, AZ 

But you've also gotta give it up for those fast cats in expert - especially those older ones, who always seem to put on a show. It's been awhile since we've seen T.P. Todd Parry hitting the national circuit, and we've gotta admit - we've missed him. After taking some time off, he's back, and along with it, always comes excitement. 
This time, it was in the 41-plus Expert main - and both TP and Gorgeous George were comingoff of cruiser victories and wanted to score a "double" as much as the other guy. From the outside lane, Mister BS - Brian Simmons, was out to stop either of them from accomplishing that feat, and got a great snap. But with this being a short-track, the inside lanes favored getting to the first turn, and it was Chandler's Monday-night Clinic master who got there first. While the Redline rider proceeded to rock it, Extreme's comeback-kid was reelin' him in like a 2-pound trout. (Quickly!) Thru the rhythm section, Parry made his move as if a National No.1 title was on the line, and Goodall seemed to knw what he was doing as he veered a little wider and let T.P. go for the extreme inside line. Knowing that Parry's line would send him to the middle and exiting toward the top, George carved a picture-perfect high-low and came out nearly side by side with T.P.. After a quick little elbow and bump, they sprinted to the line and Arizona's skinny Redline guy scored the win over the big 'n buffed Utah'nian. 

41 & OVER EXPERT
    1  GEORGE GOODALL, REDLINE, CHANDLER, AZ
    2  TODD PARRY, EXTREME TEAM/FLY, SARATOGA SPRINGS, UT
    3  CHRISTOPHER JENKINS, RRC-FLY-SUPERCROSS, LAS VEGAS, NV
    4  BUBBA HAYES, BLAZE FACTORY, COLORADO SPRINGS, CO
    5  BOB LEFTWICH, NEWTON FACTORY OUTLET, TOLLESON, AZ
    6  HOWARD CATO, KIDS N MO/510 BAY AREA, OAKLAND, CA
    7  JAMIE KEELAN, , ARVADA, CO
    8  BRIAN SIMMONS, KIDS N MO/510 BAY AREA, OAKLAND, CA

What a way to conclude Day 1 of the Southwest nationals;  we can't wait for more!

SUNDAY:  With plenty of photos taken already, our on-the-spot Pull reporter grabbed his laptop and took a seat in the stands, amongst the hundreds of racers and parents in the cushy blue seats of the Tucson Convention Center. 

Let the writing (and races) begin:

A-PRO: Since Albuquerque, we’ve noticed the bad luck of A-pro Gilbert Contreras. While often out front, and always a top contender, it seems that one bad race (usually due to a hard bail) keeps him from that top spot on the podium. That was the story – again,  yesterday, and we were starting to wonder how long this 1-main crash streak could continue?!  Well … it did. The Hostile~Bombshell pro finally put together three good runs to nab the overall pay check. Congrats!

JR DEVO: From the inside lane, Vendetta’s Makieva Hopson goes straight to the front and holds off 510’s Ontiveras for the victory.

MIXED OPENS: Little dudes of the Mixed Opens roll in to the gate and two 6 & under front runners jump straight to the lead. Just feet before the line, the 2^nd place rider, Michael Villanueva, hits the turbo boost and whizzes past the leader Brody Pace to steal away the win at the line.
A big pile-up in turn two of the 11-12 Mixed main see’s the Big Tools’ Brooke Grindle sprint away scot-free. Terry Robinson was quickest to his feet and scrambled back to score the 2^nd place.
Prepared for battle with chest-protector and all, Arizona’s very own Anthony DeFazio dominates the 17 & Over Mixed open from the start.

OPENS: Avalanche’s Connor Eaton put his Richie Anderson schooling to the test and scores another trophy that’s about as shiney as his polished frame.
In a rare occurance, Phoenix factory’s Pistol Pete Choat slides out in turn two of X-Open, while attempting to go for the win. This left the victory to the Tangent Cartel’s Justin York.
GT’s Jack Kelly, who has barely lost a single race all year (ok – he’s actually lost twice – in Open), did just as he’s done all year.
Radro was on fire, taking a comfortable 4-bike length lead to score his first of a what he hopes would be a few wins today. As if that was impressive enough, Kevin Pauls powered to a half a straightaway lead in his 13-14 X-Open. They don’t call him overdrive for nuthin’! 
Tucson local Jeremy Chandler put on a show for his hometown crowd, and wins his open. 
The oldest of the open classes seems to be the only guys who wanted to mix up their wheel choices, with a few cruiser bikes takin’ on the 20’s. While Jamie McBride took his cruiser to a win, Mathew Neal (Team Type-1) defended the 20” wheels and held off 31 & Over Open overall win.

GIRLS: 7 girls was chock full of future talent and the Nag No.1 of J&R’s Stella Sensuri showed her fellow girls the fast line around the Tucson Convention Center, bettering her third place from the day before.
In 8 girls, it was 2-up and 6 down in the first turn. Scrambling to get back to their bikes, Jaslin Jones was the quickest and had to hold off Diamond Rhoads to get the third place finish.
Right before the mains, Leyna Jones was awarded a Top Gun jacket (which is 4 wins in class, 4 wins in Open and 4 wins in cruiser) – proving with an exclamation point how fast she is. In class, she won it from wire to wire, just as she had all weekend .. wait, make that – all year.
Haro~Promax’s Jaydin Wenck took yet another victory, just as he did on Saturday.
13 girls was a good race – with Ajo Bikes’ Adrienna Ramirez, trailed closely by the Monster – Madison Martinez.
Form~Elite rider Sadie Thompson had been flyin’ all weekend and bettered his 3^rd place yesterday by two positions.
In the newly-combined for 2013 15-16 girls class, Supercross’ Mydock and Phoenix’s Blackmore were neck to neck down the first straight, but Rachel took off from the first turn and cranked her way to make it two in a row.
J&R’s Lauren Whistler is always the one to beat in 17-20 girls, and Sunday was no different. Big Tools’ Kendal Perez, from Nevada, jammed in for the 2-spot – and no doubt looks forward to hitting the Black Jack nationals which is next up on the calendar.

CRUISERS: Kicking off with the little dudes on great big wheels, 7 & Under saw Dane Morales stuck in the 2-spot and trying every little move he could, whenever possible. Down the first straight, he was in third and managed to move up to two. An inside swoop in turn two didn’t work, so he went for it in the rhythm section and finally got by Redman’s Brayden Croteau for the win.
J&R’s Jack Bakken, our other newly crowned Top Gun took it home in 8 cruiser – demonstrating just why he earned himself that cool leather “bomber” jacket.
10 cruiser was practically a 6-way tie to the first jump, and showed how tight this class is.  Any one of these guys could’ve won it, but it was Ajo’s hometown hotshoe Sammy Montijo who blasted out of the first turn with the lead and held on for the win.
Extreme’s Cameron Wood has long been a name to contend with, and he is without a doubt the fastest BMXer to come out of Montana – possibly ever. In 11 cruiser, he proved it once again by scoring the win ahead of Flyin’ Ryan Marts.
“OOOOHHH!” exclaimed the crowd, as Extreme’s Hunter Brown gave Roman Jaworsky a nice lil’ bump in turn one. The momentum for Radro was instantly thrown off, and he was quickly eaten up by the pack – leaving Brown to easily take the big win.
Redman’s BB King won with a HUGE lead – not much comp for the Kid who towers above his class.
Redline~Challenge’s Josh Rice gave a big ol’ fist pump as he was the first to cross the line in 14cruiser, after a nearly flawless lap that will no doubt send a message to the rest of his class that he has arrived.
After watching his brother score the cruiser win, Extreme’s Hayden Brown has no choice but to follow it up with a matching trophy. You know how brothers are – they never want to be 1-upped by the other. While 15 cruiser had a small turnout, the three contenders still put on a show.
The race in 16cru was all for 2^nd place, with about 5 riders in contention and going to the 2-slot in the second turn. Meanwhile, up front, Colton Duminie ran away with it, but the other two podium positions were anybodys. Josh Siemsen and Damian Ontiveros rounded out the podium.
This being Arizona, you’d have to expect to see some Gordy’s Bike Shop jersey in the main, and even out front. Alec Nesbitt was just that rider. He held off the hard charge of Zach Jolicouer and Shane Harlow, to add a 17-20 cruiser win to his BMX resume.
Ajo Bikes is another shop team, who has always supported the scene here in Tucson, and this weekend – their 2013 roster was flyin’ out fornt often. While we’re not sure why they call him the Pivot Man, we do know why they call Shaun Chandler the winner of 21-25cruiser. … he’s FAST.
Elite’s Michael Smith might have one of the most common name in America, but he’s also got two first place trophys and points for 26-30 cruiser after a dominating weekend in Tucson.
It was a great race in 31-35, with the three riders left for the final duking it out in every turn. After a lil’ bump and run in turn two by Eric Baca, Gordy’s rider Tyler Clark came back for an even bigger bump in the last turn, and went on in for the win. These guys were a great example of how you don’t need a full 8-man main to keep the spectators and Charlie the announcer on their toes. 
Personally – 41-45 cruiser was one of the highly anticipated mains I was looking forward to watching. Now that Todd “T.P.” Parry is back, everybody knows that he and Archibald would put on a show. With the King of the Northwest in the lead, Parry had to ride the white chalk line through the rhythm to get in position for a pass on Dave Archibald. T.P. set himself up nicely to grab the inside line on ol’ Archie, and the crowd took to their feet to see the outcome. The Phoenix rider did his best from getting shoved off the top of the berm, but had to settle for another second as Parry powered in for the win like a speeding armored car with no brakes.
Coming off of his great 20” main the night before, George Goodall was getting a generous amount of pats on the back everywhere he went. Of course, none of it goes to his head, and Sunday seemed like just another day at the races for the Factory Redline ripper. Holding off the charge of Troy Robinson and Jesus Felix, the former National No.1 Cruiser champ upheld his reputation in typical fashion.

GIRL CRUISER: Probably the best race in the girls cruiser race came in 15-16, with the stylish Gordy’s gal Kaeli Lixandru out front, leaving the 2^nd and third placers to fight is out – trading elbows in every turn. Ashley Cohen finally held off Sanchez for the 2.

NOVICES:  With a swarm of anxious parents lined up behind them, the 5 & under novies were set in the gate and ready to rock Tucson. From the middle of the pack, Seth Allec fired straight to the font, while Cole Edenholm and Ryder Bednar duked it out all around the track for 2^nd and 3^rd.
In 6 novice, there were three lil’ tough guys stretched out around the track , safely spread out around the course. Mason Key wound up with the Sunday’s win.
7 nov lost one rider over the first jump, but Keaton Frescholtz ran away with it, as a war was waged for 2^nd place. In to turn two, the kids in the 2 and 3 spots all piled up, sending a chain reaction of carnage in the corner. Taylor Huey and Zyla Wix managed to veer around the wreckage and sprinted in for the 2^nd and 3^rd. No kids were harmed in the running of this main.
8 nov: Aiden Key was doing his best to get by the the leader – good ol’ RubberNeck. But Key just couldn’t quite make any of his techniques stick. Caden Warnock won it, and Aiden gets an A+ for effort, along with a 2^nd place trophy.
Close call at the line for 10nov, Gavin Allen nearly catches Poorboy’s Joshua Anich over the final tabletop.  Close, but no cigar.
12 novice looked like it might be a elbow-to-elbow battle, when 3^rd place finisher Joseph Donnelly went for a BMX 101 inside swoop, and pulled up alongside Alexander Poole, only to slide out and bail.  Good attempt – and better luck next time.
15 novice was 3-abreast in every corner! They were so close you could’ve thrown a blanket over them. Dustin Ross made the move in the first turn, and held off the charge to score the win.
In 41 ‘n over Novs, Bicycle Source team rider Tim Millek takes the two, just a tad behind Kevin Smart. It’s good to see the legendary Bicycle Source of SoCal fronting a team again – but where are the ol’ polka-dotted jersies? 

INTERS: From lane 3, 7 inter Zane Vonbergen fired out to the lead like a bullet, but got some close comp near the finish. Chase White lived up to his first name and nearly caught the In-Zane one at the line. All he needed was about 10 more feet to get it done.
Good race in 9inter – close between all three finishers – with Eric Anderson coming out on top.
10 inter-time saw Danny Sanko and Cameron Bernards sprint grip to grip to the finishline in a classic BMX drag race reminiscent of The Snake and Mongoose.
It was almost all follow-the-leader in 11 inter – until the last turn, that is. Wild Child’s Jacob Graves made a swoop, bumped Brandon Garcia, and left Riley George some room to get on by. Tight racing in that last turn!
With a 3-way battle to the first turn, Benjamin Miguel  escaped unscathed from the action in turn one, but had a whole hoard of 13inters on his tail.
The over-the-berm show began in 14 inter, as the battle for third place sent two riders over the top and in to our USA BMX banners, while Zhean Lafitte took off for the win.
Toby Tolbert shot out to the front like he was fired from a cannon, and never looked back in 15inter. Austin Nelson was in 2^nd place for just a split second, tried to make something happen in turn two, but slipped up and slid out.
With two riders down on the last striaght, it was a foot-race to the line in 19-27inter. Devon Spain was scrambling for the 2^nd, and with the crowd cheering him on, tripped just a yard or so away from the finishline, leaving 2^nd place to Jon Fallon. 

EXPERTS: Richie Anderson-training is paying off for Connor Eaton, and he doubled up for the day with another dominating race from start to finish.
7x saw the neon green gloves and feet of Ronnie Kim take it from the start. Newly crowned World Champ Dane Morales tried to work his way up to the lead but missed a shift, leaving the Wild Child racer for the win.
Jack Bakken decided to not stop at just 4-wins each in class, cruiser and open – and from the looks of things, is going to attempt to go after a Sam Willoughby-like win streak.
In 9x, Tangent’s Brandon York was hitting the nitrous oxide button down the last straight trying to catch the leader – LDC’s Chase Gunderson, but fumbled  with the switch and went down in flames, along with Maison Duncan.
The best bet to beat Jack Kelley seems to be Leo Hile, but it’s going to take a bit more work for the Haro-Promax rider to catch and beat GT’s unbeatable and uncatchable Kelly.
Rennen-Anwer –vs- Team Extreme. In 11x, it was Cameron Wood –versus- the stylish golden locks of Zach VonBergen. After Wood won cruiser, he was out to double-up and held off Count VonBergen.
Not happy after his cruiser finish, Jaworsky came back with a vengeance and was not going to be beat in 12x.
With a major pileup in turn one, Bryce Batten took it from start to finish, and nobody was close. There’s a good reason “B.B. King” runs a NAG No.1 on his plate, and from the looks of things – he’ll likely do it again.
After Jordan McCloud and Jacob Staten took a detour down the first straight, Pauls and Rogers were left up front to fight it out for the 14x win – with the long, tall Pauls takin’ yet another win.
Hopson The Hulk and Phoenix’s Ensey were going for it in 15x! ...and that’s all I’ve got to say about that.
16x – Tangent’s Jacob Abbe ran straight to the front, and too-tall Josh Banuelos did his best to slip his pedals and lose 2^nd place, but got back on the gas to hold on to third as Walker Finch nabbed the 2.
Supercross’ Justin Anderson couldn’t quite catch Haro’s Andrew Townsend, but put up a good fight. Much to the Tucson crowd’s delight, Extreme’s Jeremy Chandler rounded out the podium.
DeSoto’s Brandon Elmore in 19-27x, was sporting the new S-quared colors, took another win. Without the Patterson brothers in attendance, it was left up to Dylan Vaughn and Kyle Bastin to catch Elmoore.
In perhaps the best race of the day, Mike McGonigle had the lead going in to the last turn, and got a quick blast by Brandon Pannucio to steal the win away from the Haro-Promax rider. It worked, and the big guy in green powered past the blast to hold on to it, while McGonigle dusted himself off.
3-went down in turn one – including Redman’s Ben Hershkowitz, which left Blaze’s Jason Miller all alone to himself, for the 36-40x win.
In the final race of the weekend, Parry was not to be outsmarted again by the wiley one; George Goodall.  The hulking TP powered straight to the front, with Gorgeous George hanging right in tow, and smoothly waiting for his opportunity to strike. Battling for the third-spot, Blazin’ Bubba Hayes got the boot in turn two, and flew over the berm - helping assist our tear-down crew with some early banner removal. Up front though, Goodall tried the same last turn set-up on Parry, but Todd was ready for it this time and carved the last turn like the champ he is, to hold on for the victory.

Once again, the Southwest “short-track” nationals put on a great show for the fans and spectators, with plenty of stand-up on your feet, oohs-and-ahhhs action. About the only bad news is that it looks like the Tucson Convention Center, with remodeling in their near future, had decided to not host the event next year.