2016 LasVegas Nationals

Filed under General on July 17, 2016 | Comment(s)

The King, Elvis, who was no stranger to this gambling mecca in the middle of the desert, once sang - "Viva Las Vegas!" No matter who you are and what you are in to, there are a lot of things to love about Sin City. But for our BMX-version of this classic Vegas theme song, we've changed up the lyrics a tad: 

"Bright light city gonna set my wheels
Gonna set my wheels on fire
There's a whole lot of trophies that're up for grabs,
So get those stakes up higher.
Viva Las Vegas! Viva Las Vegas!"

With 329 motos for Saturday, this event continues to be one of the biggest draws of the year. Heck; it's 'Vegas, baby ...fun for the entire family. And the SOuthPoint Hotel & Casino is the perfect place to host this event, with a little bit o' fun for mom and dads, as well as kids of all ages. 

Coming into this weekend, there was a lot of internet chat going on about "The Perfect Storm" in 15-16 Girls. With Jordy Scott just moving into the class, and reigning No.1 Girl Sophia Foresta still in it before her 17th birthday, this was the one weekend that we would get to see the most action-packed 16-16 girls class. ...including, the one time when we'd see two #W-1's in the same class (Olivia and Jordy).

With 25 girls signed up, this was the largest group (perhaps EVER?) at a regular-season national, and a win here would definitely be a huge boost for the National No.1 Girls title chase. Chula Vista winner Adrianna Rameriz and a few others encountered a bit o' bad luck in the semi's, and didn't make the Great-8 final cut. Of those who did, the "perfect storm" was all set to sail, and the seas were about to get ROUGH!

Something that didn't go unnoticed was Oregon's Olivia Armstrong, who - just like in Washington, blew her gate in the semi and had her work cut out for her to make Saturday's main. Announcer Erick Grindle compared it to a "Sam Willoughby moment." With such a short track, to come back from a dead-last start to getting in a transfer position, you've really got to ride smart and get thru traffic. Right at the stripe, she nipped out Anna Johnson; the current leader in No.1 Girls points. 

Down the first straight, Sophia snapped good from an outside lane, but with such a short straightaway, she was coming over hard after the first jump and everybody got the squeeze going into turn one. Foresta and her GT came out with the lead and never looked back, while Jordy Scott and company got the ol' "Welcome to the class" treatment, and rather than trophies or Saver stamps, all they took home were some soil samples of the slightly-sandy Southpoint dirt. 

15-16 GIRLS - SATURDAY

• 1 SOPHIA FORESTA, GT, S JORDAN, UT
• 2 SUMIKO YUKI, DANS, SACRAMENTO, CA
• 3 ADDISON FINCH, FACTORY HARO/PROMAX, FT COLLINS, CO
• 4 TAYLOUR HOWARD, VENDETTA/ELITE BICYCLES, SPARKS, NV
• 5 OLIVIA ARMSTRONG, BAY AREA BMXERS, BEND, OR
• 6 DALENY VAUGHN, REDMAN / ROCKSTAR, TUCSON, AZ
• 7 JORDAN DUGGIE, SOLID FOUNDATION, LAKESIDE, CA
• 8 JORDY SCOTT, HYPER BICYCLES, HENDERSON, NV

On Sunday, Sophia proved she is the Queen of the class, and won again from start to finish. Only this time, there was little carnage in her wake, and Hyper's Las Vegas local, Jordy Scott, did her best to reel her in and wound up on the podium. One thing is for sure - we can't wait until a few years, when we see both of them battling it out for the No.1 Woman Pro title after Brooke and Alise retire. The one thing we can probably guarantee 100%, is that there is a future No.1 Pro Woman (perhaps more than one) out of this class. 

15-16 GIRLS

• 1 SOPHIA FORESTA, GT, So. JORDAN, UT
• 2 ADDISON FINCH, FACTORY HARO/PROMAX, FT COLLINS, CO
• 3 JORDAN SCOTT, HYPER BICYCLES, HENDERSON, NV
• 4 SUMIKO YUKI, DANS, SACRAMENTO, CA
• 5 DALENY VAUGHN, REDMAN / ROCKSTAR, TUCSON, AZ
• 6 COLE SCHIELD, FACTORY BLAZE, LITTLETON, CO
• 7 OLIVIA ARMSTRONG, BAY AREA BMXERS, BEND, OR
• 8 KAITLYN DETERS, SSQUARED BICYCLES, ST PETERS, MO

With such hot racing in nearly every class - from novice to expert, it's impossible to pick just one or two mains that stood out amongst all others. But it is easy to name those riders who looked impressive:

JESSE WELCH /Haro-Promax

The SoCal local has always been quick, but this weekend in Vegas, it was looking like he'd stepped up his game a dew notches. We're betting he didn't lose a single race all weekend. 

15 EXPERT - Saturday

• 1 JESSE WELCH,  HARO/PROMAX, CA
• 2 ARAM SCHWINN, HOSTILE ELITE, TX
• 3 DAHVIN CHILDS, J&R BICYCLES.COM, CA
• 4 HUNTER BROWN, EXTREME TEAM, UT
• 5 RILEY HOUSE,  SUPERCROSS, AZ
• 6 DECLAN MOORE, YESS, IL
• 7 JORDAN MOYER,  CLAYBORN, KS
• 8 BRAXTON ELSEN,  FREE AGENT, CO