2014 DISNEY CUP/FALL NATIONALS RACE REPORT

Filed under General on October 25, 2014 | Comment(s)

WORDS AND IMAGES BY: JASON MCGUIRE

Kissimmee, FL, October 24-26, 2014 – USA BMX rolls into the Silver Spurs Arena for the 2014 Disney Cup and Fall Nationals. With 227 action-packed motos, the racing was on fire! 

FRIDAY:

The last time I was in Kissimmee, FL for the Disney Cup was in 2007. It was the first year of the event. The grand feeling of being on Disney property for a national BMX race was something quite unique. For many, they treated the trip as a family vacation and threw in a few days at the Disney resorts. Since then, the event has moved to the Silver Spurs Arena and has boasted big numbers with a large foreign rider contingent. This year, the Fall Nationals pulled in 227 motos for a full day of fast and tight indoor racing!

There was no shortage of Elite Men as 41 riders put their hat in the ring for their shot at taking home the win on day one of the event. In quarters, one of the biggest drops was Renato Rezende, who had been a front-runner for the majority of the day. With the field cut to 16, the semis were stacked to the gills with both Olympians and World Champions. Would Sam Willoughby continue his hot-streak and take home yet another win, or would one of his competitors persevere and claim the stop step of the podium? The gate slammed down and once again it was SW91 leading the pack into turn one. David Herman and Connor Fields were hot on his tail, but with the short track and tight conditions, nothing was going to happen. Willoughby would take the win followed by Herman and Fields to round out the podium for day one.

Elite Women has almost every heavy hitter in the building for the weekend, and there was no shortage of the excitement. Throughout the qualifying rounds, Alise Post and Mariana Pajon were looking as fast as ever. Shanaze Reade also made the trip and was looking the best she has all year on USA BMX indoor tracks. During the third qualifying round, she went into turn one rubbing with Mariana, which ended with the Olympic gold medalist scraping dirt off of her jersey. The main was set and the statement was made to show the rest of the ladies that Shanaze Reade was here to win. When the main event group shot out of the gate, Redline’s Alise Post was in a drag race with Mariana Pajon. Post would edge her out right before the first obstacle and slide over for the block. Into turn one they went and Post was trying to pull away, but Pajon never let her get far. The final turn came up and Pajon tried to shoot under, but it was too little too late. Post would take the win, Pajon for the deuce and Amanda Carr took third. Day two is shaping up for an all out war for the ladies, and with Brooke Crain and Felicia Stancil ready to go after a rough day one, Reade, Carr, Post and Pajon have that much more to worry about.

At the Hall of Fame Nationals, Lain Van Ogle made his pro debut and capped it off with a solid win. He did that once again today after besting 23 other A pros. During practice, he was looking extremely fast and seemed to be capable of running with the Elites. When we spoke with him, he said he would just be racing A pro for the weekend, so we are going to have to wait to see what he can do in Elite. Joining him on the podium was a pair of Texans in Lee Lewis and Brandon Elmore.

The Vet Pro class had Derek Betcher join in on the fun, and considering he has not been actively racing for a couple of years, he looked pretty impressive throughout the day. Javier Colombo and Cristian Becerine were both battling back and forth as they usually do, and Matt Pohlkamp was never to be counted out. Becerine took the main event by storm and had the lead into the first turn. Colombo was right behind his back wheel, but things went haywire and he would hit the ground – taking down Pohlkamp with him. Person Pauleto and Derek Betcher escaped the carnage to finish two and three in that same order. With the points race tighter than a straight jacket, Colombo will definitely need to grab a win in order to even things out and not let Big C gain any ground.

Off to the championship classes we go, and girl’s cruiser helped kick us off on the right foot. In 21-25 girl’s cruiser, Kendal Perez was making sure the long trip from Nevada was worth it. She came out of the gate with a rocket booster under her seat and held off Zero Tolerance~SE Racing’s Jessica Jayne to grab the win. With the momentum, and a solid 4^th in class, Perez should continue to have a successful weekend.

Moving into the fella’s cruiser classes, Aram “The Diesel” Schwinn rolled coal while on his way to a big win in the 13-year-old class. There was definitely nothing easy about the company he was in either. Factory Ssquared~Answer’s Hayden Robinson, BlackCrown’s William Parker and FBN~C-YAA’s Evan Sinchak all had the capabilities of topping Schwinn, but those were not the cards dealt their way for day one. Another great note about the diesel is the jersey he rocked and other members of the Hostile Elite crew were running. The team members in attendance were sporting a vibrant pink, which took the place for their traditional green. While the details were not confirmed, the pink is for the support of breast cancer awareness –something we find pretty awesome. Hats off to the entire Hostile Elite crew! 

The 12-year-old girl’s class was by far one of the best amateur races of the night. There was a fierce battle down the first straight between Crupi’s Abbie Johnson and Factory Ssquared’s Natalee Daugherty. Johnson would take the advantage in and out of the first and second turns, but Daugherty was charging hard. The final turn came up and Daugherty tried to slip under Johnson and run her up, which left enough room for BADD & Co. rider Jersey Piccarreto to swoop under the both of them. With the momentum from the top of the turn, it quickly became a three-way battle to the line. Abbie Johnson dug just a bit deeper than the others and came away with the win. Natalee Daugherty grabbed the second over Piccarreto by just a hair at the line.  It is going to be a barnburner if these young ladies continue to fight that hard for the next two days.

Welcome to Expertville! While the 19-27x class pulled one more rider (42) than the 17-18x class, a lot of eyes were on Haro~Promax’s Andrew Townsend. He is one of the top three favorites for this year’s National #1 Amateur title, but some wonder if he can keep the mental toughness required to make it through this grueling weekend and the Grands – all while staying at the top. After cruising to the main event, Townsend got locked and loaded for the final lap of the night. His gate was by far the best of his day and he powered into turn one with the lead. However, Aruba’s Zaithyel Soekandar, who has been known to crush a dream or two, was on his inside and laid him a nasty elbow that put Townsend to the ground – taking five other riders with him. Soekandar would walk away with the win. A win that Townsend could have used to further his points lead just a bit more. With two days remaining, Townsend will certainly be looking for revenge. If history repeats itself, Townsend will surely get it by dominating the class.

Day one of the Disney Cup/Fall Nationals is in the books, and there were more fireworks than the Fourth of July show in New York City. With so many classes with stacked groups, there is no telling who has the advantage in taking the Disney Cup. Hopefully day two will shed some light on those who are outshining their competition. Be sure to check in on the USA BMX Facebook page throughout the day for continuous updates. You can also check back here after today’s event for the complete race report. For now, it is time to go racing. See you on the track! 

SATURDAY:

The second day of the Fall Nationals and Disney cup was absolutely nuts! There was not single class that hit the track and took it easy. For many of these riders, it was make it or break it. The points earned towards the Disney Cup chase were vital for anyone who had a rough time on day one. By the end of the main events, some riders possibly cemented their spots, others gained ground in trying to become a Disney Cup Champion and a few may have to live to fight another day. Nonetheless, every rider laid it all on the line today in their quest for the championship.

Kicking off the race report for day two, we catch up with the A pro class. After the final 8 men were set into the gate, there were many ways it could end up going. FBN~C-YAA rider Kyle McRory made an impressive showing on the big hill at the Gold Cup East Finals, and he was ready to try and knock day one winner, Lain Van Ogle, off the top step. Factory Ssquared’s Maliek Byndloss was also in the gate and his presence alone meant that the other seven riders could not let off the intensity. When the gate went down, it was Van Ogle, McRory, Elmore and Byndloss in that order in and out of the first turn. It was a tight battle back in third, which kept Byndloss busy with Brandon Elmore. McRory was on the hunt and had an opening in the final turn. He shot low for the move on Van Ogle, but it was just too tight to stick. Van Ogle would pick up his second win of the weekend, McRory would falter to last, which left the door open for Ssquared~Answer’s Brandon Elmore to pick up the second over Byndloss who finished third.

The Vet Pro battle once again came down to Big C and Javier Colombo. It was Colombo who pulled Becerine down the first straight and he would never look back. There were a couple of times that looked like Becerine would be able to reel Colombo in, but it was not going to happen today. Colombo would cruise across with the win, Big C for second and Matt Pohlkamp finished it off for third. Imagine that, the three guys that spend more time on the podium together than anyone else in BMX! 

The Elite Women’s class was another tough battle between Alise Post and Mariana Pajon. Both of these ladies won throughout the day, and when they sat right next to each other in the main, it was a toss up on who would have the advantage. However, history has a way of repeating itself and Alise Post made that happen. She would get the pop and the inside line set her up perfectly to check out. Pajon had her hands full with Shanaze Reade, but was able to run her up the first turn, shut the door and start the pursuit on Post. In the end, Post would rack up another win, Pajon in tow for the second and Reade taking the final step on the box over Domenica Azuero.

Every lap of Elite Men racing is just like the main event. It is the hardest class in the world to make it in, and those who do are truly the best of the best. Seven of the eight riders in yesterday’s main event would find themselves there once again. The big change was Dan’s Comp rider Justin Posey subbing in for Alfredo Campo. With the good juju for Redline flowing, it was no surprise when Sam Willoughby took off like a rocket and pulled away from the group as fast as possible. Posey was right on his back wheel as they went crank-for-crank, but a passing opportunity never presented itself. In the end, Willoughby cashed in another win, Posey for the deuce and the U.S. Olympian, David Herman, found himself with a solid third for his second podium of the weekend.

Strange Motion~Kicker’s Lilly Campbell could be one of the most underrated young ladies currently competing on the national circuit. She has picked up a ton of wins against some stiff competition, and continues to do so each time I see her ride. She has done that once again this weekend with wins in 10&under girl’s cruiser. This girl is the real deal and has a bright future if she continues to keep winning at her current pace. 

Dave Maltezos and Chris Knapp put down a serious battle of elbows in the 36-40-cruiser class. From the gate drop to the finish line, Knapp was giving Maltezos everything he had left in the tank. Each turn had the two putting elbows into one another, and in the end it would be Maltezos taking the win, but Knapp made him earn it the hard way. 

Elida Beeman has been putting in a ton of work over the past year. In that time I have seen her go from a rider with a ton of potential, to flourishing as one of the dominant 15-16-year-old ladies. While she is a small package, she has a lot of punch when it comes to her riding. She piloted her Factory Doublecross ride to another win today over Staats’ Adrieanna Ramirez, Ssquared~Answer’s Jamie Wndholz and Chara Rohenback. There is no doubt that this young lady has the potential to become a future USA BMX National #1 Girl. 

Triston “Lime Time” Judd has had his best year of racing since he started. The young Texan finally found his groove and started riding the way that many knew he was capable of. After a summer tour that was mainly spent east of the Mississippi, Judd is ready to take the NAG #1 plate the second he gets the chance. For the second day in a row, Judd grabbed the win with Bryant White in tow and Victor Silva following closely in third.

Day two of the Disney Cup and Fall Nationals is in the books, and as we prepare for the kickoff of the final day, the racing will be the best of the weekend. Be sure to check in throughout the day on the USA BMX Facebook page for updates and images showcasing the day’s activities. Also tune in to usabmx.com/webcast for the live audio stream of all the racing action!