Seaside Nationals Race Report

Filed under General on May 02, 2014 | Comment(s)

WORDS AND IMAGES BY: JASON "SHOOTER" McGUIRE

There is not a whole lot better than being able to race BMX and then minutes later be sitting on the beach watching the waves crash and lull you into a deepened state of relaxation. However, being able for all of the above to happen on a weekend when USA BMX invades Ventura, CA to put on the Seaside Nationals at Ventura BMX Raceway really puts the entire experience over the top.

California is widely known as the BMX mecca of the world. There is no better place to be if you want to ride year round, enjoy beautiful scenery and have some of the best weather in the entire country. Why else would countless BMX companies, top amateurs and the world’s fastest Professional BMX Racers call this place home. 

For such a young track, it was quite an accomplishment to bring in a national event, but after today it looks like there will definitely be some amazing racing action all weekend long. After experiencing total rebuild from USA BMX Master Track Builder, Billy Allen, Ventura BMX Raceway is looking primed for this weekends event. There have already been some big name riders seen wandering both the pits and the beach, so there is no telling how big this race may turn out.

FRIDAY:

Friday night blasted off with 95 action packed motos and the Pro class had a surprise visit from Haro’s Nic Long. While normally you would not see a AA rider at a non Pro Series event, Nic took full advantage of the close proximity and walked away with a solid victory of Jake Peebles and the newest addition to the Tangent Cartel, Japanese rider Daiki Ikeda. 

The amateurs also put on a solid teaser for what is to come the rest of this weekend and there were some locals that really had the turbo boost on with hopes of catching a handful of momentum heading into the weekend. One thing we know for sure, this race is going to be off the chain and if you are not joining us all in Ventura for the weekend, you are missing out on what could be the largest amateur race of the season!

Check back tomorrow for the live updates and images from Day 1 of the Seaside Nationals and the complete live audio webcast from usabmx.com/webcast.

SATURDAY:

Day number one of the Seaside Nationals brought riders from all around the country to the beautiful town of Ventura, CA. With 263 motos on tap, there was no doubt the racing was going to be world-class.

Heading into the main events, the Pro class was the talk of pit row. Austin Hiatt has been on a recent streak that has netted him some pretty solid finishes, while Staats’ Kristaps Vinters and Fastsign’s Marty Wisehart were in full attack mode attempting to make things happen and hopefully aid them in reaching the top of the podium. Unfortunately for all these super fast dudes, Haro~Promax’s Rusty Nesvig joined in to sweep up some cash and the bragging rights. All three rounds of the A pro main event had Nesvig up front handling business as usual, but the remaining podium spots became a complete toss up. Fast Signs~Redline rider, Marty Wisehart was the man of consistency, which consequently locked in a solid third. Staats’ Kristaps Vinters topped off the top three with a second place that should give him some boosted confidence heading into the summer racing season.

Amateur racing is always the bread and butter of BMX and it never ceases to amaze spectators with the dedication and level of competition these riders face over the course of a national weekend. Day one of the Seaside Nationals was no different and both the men and the women impressed with bar-to-bar action all the way to the last gate drop.

In a previous race report, I gloated about the impressive showing from the three Shriver sisters; two of which ride for J&R Bicycles. Once again, these three young ladies absolutely dominated their respected classes. Richelle Shriver is the lone wolf currently riding for Mom and Dad. It is time someone picks this little shredder up as she continues to rack up wins. Seeing as how her two siblings currently reside on J&R, it seems that would be the best fit!

When you are a rider with a national at your home track, your results usually end in one of two ways, either performing on the top end or struggling to make the main. Some would argue that it gives you home track advantage, but that can be a curse in the fact that your entire routine gets screwed up. Traveling BMX racers usually stick to solid schedules and when you are home, that all comes to a sudden halt. Luckily for Factory Phoenix’s Leyna Jones, her performance did not suffer one bit. She was on top of the 11 girls class all day yesterday and with a second place in cruiser to pair with her class win, Leyna looks primed to kill for day two.

The girl’s race of the day came from the 21-25 year olds. Little did anyone know that this small girls class was loaded with dynamite and ready for fireworks. Out of the gate it was Extreme Team’s Meghan Matthews taking the holeshot, but Bellflower’s Belinda Wassenarr took over the lead during the second straight. Coming down the last straight it looked like she had it on lock, but little did she know that Devan Searle was charging in at the last minute to take the win at the line. She also picked up a win in her cruiser class to complete her double~double for the day.

The time finally came where Jack Kelly and Patrick Coo split up their ages and are now in two different classes. While it is a bittersweet moment to not see that battle for a while, a new one has risen between teammates. Coo moved into the 12 year old class and with that move came the introduction of his teammate Gavin Bowers. The new rivalry has already sprouted to be one to watch for as long as we can. Day one had Gavin Bowers pulling off the win with a decent lead, but Coo will be on the prowl during day two.

Is anyone capable of stopping Alex Tougas right now? The Canadian National NO.1 Amateur has a knack for showing up to the track and pulling holeshots and wins like it is just another day in the office. The 15x class is far from a joke, but it does not seem as if anyone is capable of stopping Tougas. He picked up another win over names such as Bubba Gonzales, Dustin Hammond and Brian Ensey. This kid is dangerous…

Lain Van Ogle is back and looking faster than ever. After experiencing a rough injury that cost him an Amateur NO.1 title last year, Lain came out yesterday and bested some of the best competition in BMX. If he can remain healthy this year, he will be in the title hunt once again when the Grand Nationals roll around in November.

Day one turned out to be an awesome day of racing and Ventura has proven to be a primo location and an up and coming track that will be making big waves throughout the entire track directory. Stay tuned for the final race report to recap the weekend’s events and be sure to follow all of the action live at usabmx.com/webcast.

SUNDAY:

The USA BMX crew arrived at Ventura BMX Raceway early Sunday morning and there was a very apparent chill in the air. By the time the sun peaked over the Pacific Ocean and the first gate dropped, the weather was prime for another beautiful day at the BMX track. 

“May the fourth be with you” was a phrase being muttered by many in celebration of National Star Wars day, and to celebrate we had a special guest appearance in the form of a light saber fight between the one and only Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. These two battled it out and put on one great show and to top it all off they stuck around for a little bit and signed autographs while taking in all of the racing action.

The main events were summoned upon us at a rapid pace and the A Pro class on deck was ready to put on one bar bangin’ show for the spectators. We were missing out on Austin Hiatt’s mini-bro Marty Wisehart after he took an unexpected spill in the semi, but nonetheless the other eight Pro riders were locked and loaded. Once again It was Nesvig cleaning house and taking home the win after holding off a determined competitor in Austin Hiatt who totaled his points up for a second place finish. Jake Sverns kept consistent through the three rounds and was able to pull off a much-deserved third over Pete Pascual. If the Razzle Berry keeps up his winning ways, there is a good chance he will be up for the Rookie of the Year title at the end of the year. 

Jr. Devo saw a very similar result as day one with Bubba Gonzales taking his factory Hyper ride to the top step after holding off both Phoenix’s Brian Ensey and Free Agent~Tangent up and comer Jacob Haley.

Lets talk amateurs. One of the best things about watching them race is being able to look at a rider and immediately be able to tell that they will go far in this sport. Whether it is the top 17-18x rider or a 10i rider that is showing skills that go beyond what others would think they are capable of.

For me, one of those riders is Jammin’ Jordy Scott, who currently holds the title for National NO.1 Girl Cruiser. Obviously this girl has more titles than most could dream of at the young age of 12, but the technique and skill level she shows, both on and off the track is truly outstanding. She seems to always be out front and this weekend was no different as she racked up multiple wins. Even more impressive, is the video I watched of this young superstar ripping up some hidden trails. I could of swore she was riding them better than half the guys. Either way, this girl is a truly gifted cyclist and I am sure she is going to continue to accomplish great things and hopefully one day become a historic Olympian.

Is Andrew Townsend on the fast track for a National title? That very well could be the case for the 17-18x-rock star out of Hampton, VA. Like many top riders, he has already amassed his six victories needed to be in the running, but that has not kept him from continuing to win. He did just that in the 17-18x class on day two and he will definitely be one of the favorites from here on out until the Grands.

Where has Jordan Miranda been? There is no doubt he has been hitting a lot of races, but unfortunately the results have been less than desired for this guy. Well that may have all changed after picking up his first win of the season on Sunday. Out of the gate Miranda was prepared to win. Brandon Cato was hot on his tail, but Miranda was just too much for anyone else in the class to handle. This win will definitely boost his confidence and we should start seeing more victories come from him as the season progresses.

While we would love to talk about every race that tore up the track this weekend, it is hard to fit it all on the pages. The Seaside Nationals turned out to be one of the most energetic and action packed events of the year and we could not be any happier. A huge shout out to all of those who attended this weekend and be sure to join us in just two short weeks when we roll into Albuquerque, NM for the Spring Nationals! Also, be sure to check out the June issue of PULL Magazine for more coverage on the Seaside Nationals and the best images of the weekend!