USA BMX Tar Heel Nationals Race Report

Filed under General on June 20, 2014 | Comment(s)

WORDS AND IMAGES BY: JASON MCGUIRE

FRIDAY:

The 2014 USA BMX Tar Heel Nationals kicked off earlier today at Burlington BMX in Burlington, NC the weather could not have been better. After arriving at the track, my first destination was the top of the starting hill so I could get a look at what Burlington BMX had to offer. To my surprise, there were a more than usual amount of racers doing a pre-ride track walk. You see a lot of this type of pre-race activity in Motocross, but it is fairly limited when it comes to BMX. It was pretty cool to see riders from all around the country walking the track and talking about the different lines they were going to try in each section. 

Practice was underway and with this track flowing downward, riders were picking up a lot of speed by the time they hit the first turn – causing many to over-clear the double that led into it. This track also has many features that favor those who enjoy taking it to the air and busting out some style. So much so that even the younger kids were able to boost some of the doubles. 

Unfortunately Mother Nature was looming up North and a rain cell rolled in and within minutes after Pro practice the grey skies unleashed their thunderous boom and the torrential downpour commenced. After about a 45-minute rain delay, the decision was made to postpone the pre-race until tomorrow. That being said, the normal national schedule will run with practice and then day one of the Tar Heel Nationals and as soon as that race has commenced, we will run the pre-race. 

We are ready to go for an action packed day of racing tomorrow and we hope to see you all there. Stay tuned for live updates throughout the day on the USA BMX Facebook page and we will see you in the morning for day one of the 2014 USA BMX Tar Heel Nationals! 

SATURDAY:

Unlike the rain out we experienced during the Friday night pre-race, day one of the Tar Heel Nationals featured picture perfect weather from the first gate drop to the last – including the addition of the pre-race! The water from last night actually helped the track more than anything and once the track crew at Burlington BMX put in a little TLC; the surface was primo for the day's racing action. 

One thing that immediately stuck out was the action for the younger kids. Being that Burlington BMX has a lot of shorter obstacles, the little guys and girls were able to do quite a bit of jumping and it also left for some very close racing. It was nice to see a track that was more well suited for the younger kids rather than the top end of the expert spectrum, but the smaller size also challenged the experts who had to be aware of the areas where they could possibly over clear a jump and lose their speed and momentum. 

For the limited amount of Pro riders in attendance this weekend, they made sure to keep it exciting, leaving the spectators on the edge of their seats. In Maryland, there was a fierce battle between Doublecross' Alan Hudson and FBN~CYAA's Kyle McRory and while McRory made an appearance in today's main event, it was Doublecross' Jake Sherbno who was in the battle for the win instead of Hudson. After very jumbled 1st and 2nd rounds in the main event, the podium came down to the final lap between McRory, Sherbno and My Radar~Vert~J&R rider Will "The Thrill" Grant. The Thrill showed his seniority over his other two contenders and prevailed on top of the podium with McRory taking yet another second place finish and Sherbno rounding out the top three. Tomorrow could be a bit different as Sherbno finished 1-1-1 in his qualifying rounds and if he can better his 4-1-5 finishes today, there is a good chance we will see him on top of the podium tomorrow. 

A lot of BMXers are expert travelers. Whether you are a weekend warrior or a born and bread gear head that chases NAG and National titles every year, there is one common thread: travel. The same holds true for the Johnson family who made the trek from Garland, TX. Their three kids are always seen tearing it up on the track and for their daughters Anna and Abbie, they once again made the big show. For Abbie, her riding style mimics that of her big sister and it is very evident she is working towards becoming a champion just as her sister has. After picking up a solid 5th in the 11-12-girl cruiser class, she is well on her way towards that goal. As for Anna, she once again had a dominating performance in the 13-14 girls cruiser class and is in full attack mode for chasing both the National NO.1 Girl Cruiser title and the National NO.1 girl title. 

Who is Wildon "Poison" Ivey? The simple answer is he is one fast little dude from Sarasota, FL who also sports some pretty top-notch dreads. Up until this weekend, he has not been real well known. Sure he has been hitting a handful of nationals and putting up some very good results, but without a big sponsor and running in some pretty plane clothes, he easily got lost in the shuffle of all of his other competition. That has all changed now that he is riding for the Alltow Wrecking Crew. Not only is he continuing to kill it, picking up another double today in 10 cruiser and 10x, he has the complete factory look to go with it! There is no doubt in my mind this kid is going places and if anyone wants to dispute that with me, shoot me an email! 

By the time the Grands rolls around, the National NO.1 Girl title could very well come down to the winner of the 15-16 girls main event. While other classes have girls capable of accomplishing such a goal, the rider count may be the main deciding factor. Bailee Enlow from Grand Forks, ND (another long traveler) made sure her competition knew her name well by the end of the day. After having an awesome first straight, she had to keep Powers Bike Shop rider Kristen Klein at bay in 2nd. The last turn got tight, but Klein could not keep it together and would hit the ground. That left the door open for Chiara Rohenbach who pull off the second after losing the push that Answer~Rennen's Abagayle Macleod was putting on before she ran into Klein. This has been one of the best classes to watch all year and tomorrow will bring more opportunity for Macleod, Klein and others to try and knock Bailee Enlow off the top of the mountain.

Blackcrown's Carson Leet is another young gun who is ready to explode and start making a big name for himself. Not only is this kid quick, but he also has more style in one rotation of his cranks than a lot of kids do in their whole lap. Check out the photos below and you will see a pretty solid one-hander he was doing in practice all morning as well. Now about his racing, a big win in 11x capped off the day and he looks to be ready for another one tomorrow. 

After avoiding fears of rain and enjoying the blessed sunny but cloudy skies, day one of the Tar Heel Nationals was a huge success! Join us tomorrow at usabmx.com/webcast for the live audio feed of the entire event and also be sure to check out the USA BMX Facebook page for updates throughout the day. See you tomorrow! 

SUNDAY: 

Walking out of my hotel room this morning and to the rental car, the slate grey skies left many of us worrying about another dramatic episode of thunderous rainstorms. Luckily my trust Yahoo weather app eased my concerns after showing a clear radar for the entire morning. Unlike the hot and humid weather from day one, the cloud coverage virtually eliminated the mass amount of humidity and left a pleasant chill in the air – and of course no rain drops either!

After blazing through the qualifying rounds in what seemed like record time, the main events were ready to fire off on all cylinders. The Pro class was yet again an interesting concoction as Sherbno had once again looked strong in qualifying, but Grant was craving for his second win in the professional ranks and Kyle McRory was focused on taking out everyone in his path to the top of the podium. The first round had Sherbno leading the pack with Grant hot on his tail, but McRory was lurking in the shadows. The final turn came up and McRory darted in like a banshee and swooped the pair before they could blink, stealing the win. Sherbno was sure to fix his fall back in round two as he walked away with the victory, but if he wanted the overall, it would take another win and some luck. Round three came and went as fast as the first and second, and McRory had the determination to make sure he was the only one in position to take the win. He would go on to win the round, the day and pick up his second career win in as many weeks. Will "The Thrill" stayed consistent with second place overall and Chase Hines put his MCS ride on the final spot of the podium.

There were very few main championship class main events that would be considered an "easy" win. It seemed that almost every main event lap came down to the final straight and a few even required video review in order to solidify the winners.

The 11-12 girls class was one of the few that had a clear winner when it was all said and done. Any guesses on who? I will give you a hint...she has a pretty crazy paint job on her custom Factory Cyclecraft ride and it is so realistic, you can even "taste the rainbow" so to speak. Give up? Well the rider I am referring to is the one and only "Skittles", who also goes by Mckenzie Gayheart. She without a doubt did some damage on the big-wheeled cruiser and he win wire-to-wire win today was a big improvement upon her third place finish the day prior. 

In a somewhat surprising occurrence, the 46-50 ladies cruiser class pulled bigger numbers than most of the other female cruiser classes over the entire weekend. Seeing as how this event was a stone throw away from Florida, we all knew Meredith Lidstone was going to come make it difficult for the other riders of the class to win. Turns out the "Nag Hag" stuck to her game plan and was able to pull off the elusive double-double for the weekend. While not able to get past Lidstone, Firedog/BlackCrown rider Cynthia Pappas also performed extremely well and was able to finish off her weekend with a pair of deuces. 

I can honestly say that there is not a single person I know who is not thankful for those who serve our country and help protect our freedom to enjoy all of the things we do. For one of our own, BlackCrown's Luke Segal, he is preparing for another deployment to help defend our wonderful country and this weekend marked his last national until he is able to return from over seas. It was awesome to see such a stand up guy be able to end it with a win in the tough 36-40 cruiser class and receive such a huge uproar and applause from the crowd as he crossed the finish line with another victory. Be sure to check out his feature in the latest issue of PULL Magazine and we surely cannot wait to see him back at the track in Tulsa! 

Hyper's Judd Ciancio used his age this weekend to lead him to a huge double-double. Judd made the age group move up this weekend and was killing his comp every lap. While this weekend will surely help him out in the standings, there is no doubt he has to be on the lookout as the target on his back just got a lot bigger! Although you are now 46 and in a new class, those dudes are still fast and will keep you honest. 

In the last issue of PULL Magazine, Alltow's Tyler Bailey was our featured up and comer of the month and has continued to stay on top all year long. Well we also found out that he has a sister named Danica – and she is just as rad! Not only did she pick up some wins this weekend, you will never see her riding without a huge smile on her face, and while only 7 years old, she rips it around the track like a seasoned veteran. This girl will surely be going far in this sport and who knows, she may even make an appearance in the 2024 Olympic games! 

The 14X class was one to keep on the radar all weekend – especially the rivalry between Alltow's Kendal Wong and BlackCrown's Tristan Judd. After a rough go between the two on Saturday, there was no telling what would happen when battling for the lead on Sunday. When the gate went down, Judd struggled down the first straight and Wong was trying to get to the inside any way he could. Through turn one they were clean as Jason Rotger showed them the way from point a to point b. Heading into the final turn, it looked like Wong was ready to hit the launch sequence on Judd, but waited to strike after the turn. With a little bar lockin' down the final straight, Judd faltered, Wong pulled the two and Rotger waived as he crossed the line with the win. No matter what anyone says, rivalries have always been a part of every sport and in my opinion, they help build the competition and drama for the spectators. Sure you don't want them to hurt or kill one another, but a solid rivalry is always welcome! Seeing these two go at it the rest of the year will be sure to bring on the fireworks. 

As always, there are countless amazing races I could talk about, but it is time for us to check out of the Tar Heel Nationals in Burlington, NC and prepare for the next one! We want to extend a huge thank you to all of those who attended the race this weekend and an extra special thanks to the track crew at Burlington BMX, who helped make this weekend such a success. Be sure to join us next weekend for the 30th Anniversary of Rockford BMX at the Midwest Nationals in Rockford, IL – trust me, you won't want to miss that one!