The Search for the Winner's Circle in Louisville

Filed under General on September 06, 2022 | Comment(s)

Labor Day weekend and Derby City BMX go hand in hand throughout the BMX community, taking the battles and prowess of winning at the Derby to another level. For some, the weekend is just a three-day weekend at the end of summer; for the Amateurs and Pro Ranks across the USA BMX series, it's a three-day work week charging around the World Famous Derby City BMX.

The hype was boiling over leading up to race day. Pro BMX racers from across the world flocked to Louisville, bringing Olympians, World Champs, young bucks, and hardened veterans out of their training programs and into the race day environment. Charging into every lap they could get their tires on, last names like Andre, Willoughby, Upshaw, Daudet, Kimmann, Stancil, and Nobels were the talk of the town during the local practice nights ahead of the weekend.
That hype didn't disappoint as the pro class got straight to it, battling bar to bar down the straightaways at Derby City BMX. The 9x USA BMX Champ, Alise Willoughby, and her Australian training partner, Lauren Reynolds, came out swinging through motos and joined each other on the podium all three days. Current National No.1 Women Pro and 2022 World Champion Felicia Stancil charged between the SoCal ladies for the second-place spot throughout the weekend's main events.

WOMEN PRO TOTAL RIDERS = 15 GROUPS = 6 | Friday

• 1ALISE WILLOUGHBY, PROMAX/GW/TLD/TOYOTA, CHULA VISTA, CA
• 2FELICIA STANCIL, FACTORY SSQUARED, INDIANAPOLIS, IN
• 3LAUREN REYNOLDS, FACTORY ANSWER, SAN DIEGO, CA
• 4MOLLY SIMPSON, DAYLIGHT, RED DEER, AB
• 5DALENY VAUGHN, DK BIKES, TUCSON, AZ
• 6PAYTON RIDENOUR, MONGOOSE BICYCLES, POTTSTOWN, PA
• 7MCKENZIE GAYHEART, FULL TILT/RADIO, FORT WHITE, FL
• 8CARLY KANE, DK BICYCLES, GUILFORD, IN

WOMEN PRO TOTAL RIDERS = 13 GROUPS = 6 | Saturday

• 1ALISE WILLOUGHBY, PROMAX/GW/TLD/TOYOTA, CHULA VISTA, CA
• 2FELICIA STANCIL, FACTORY SSQUARED, INDIANAPOLIS, IN
• 3LAUREN REYNOLDS, FACTORY ANSWER, SAN DIEGO, CA
• 4TEIGEN PASCUAL, FACTORY RIFT TANGENT, GARIBALDI HIGHLANDS, BC
• 5DALENY VAUGHN, DK BIKES, TUCSON, AZ
• 6LEXIS (LIGHTING LEXI) COLBY, GORDYS BICYCLES, PHOENIX, AZ
• 7OLIVIA ARMSTRONG, FULL TILT/RADIO, BEND, OR
• 8MOLLY SIMPSON, DAYLIGHT, RED DEER, AB

Like the Women's class, the Men's Pro ranks finished each day with the same faces but in a different order and with a lot of action. The eagerly awaited return of the Chase Bicycles Champ, Joris Daudet, came with high expectations. Without missing a beat, he went into the weekend hot alongside his fellow Euro dominators, Sylvain Andre, and Niek Kimmann. Charging his way to another top spot for the season, Daudet kept his riding dialed as always while battling with the 313 and w5 bikes of Kimmann and Andre. While Daudet and Kimmann switched steps from Friday to Saturday, Mr. Consistant Sylvain Andre kept his Cammencal ride firmly planted on the middle step of the podium.
While the podium racers were shining in the camera flashes of the media crew, others in our men's pro class were shining in their own right. On their pro series return, Alfredo Campo, Anderson Souza, and Izaac Kennedy came out with some serious speed into the Derby City first turn and out of motos. With Izaac locking in a fourth place on both Friday and Saturday, the SpeedCo/Avian and LUXBMX ride put on a class-stopping performance on Sunday to round out his weekend with a win.

MEN PRO TOTAL RIDERS = 37 GROUPS = 15

• 1JORIS DAUDET, CHASE / BRGSTORE.COM, CORONA, CA
• 2SYLVAIN ANDRE, COMMENCAL BIKES, LYON
• 3NIEK KIMMANN, MEYBO, BOX, TLD, HETEREN
• 4IZAAC KENNEDY, SPEEDCO/AVIAN, BRISBANE, QLD
• 5CAMERON WOOD, MONGOOSE BICYCLES, PEORIA, AZ
• 6ALFREDO CAMPO, FACTORY MOTO, PRODUBANK, CLERMONT, FL
• 7CORBEN SHARRAH, DAYLIGHT, TUCSON, AZ
• 8ANDERSON EZEQUIEL DE SOUZA FIL, PROGATE, SPEEDCO, WINTER GARDEN, FL 

MEN PRO TOTAL RIDERS = 37 GROUPS = 15 | Saturday

• 1NIEK KIMMANN, MEYBO, BOX, TLD, HETEREN
• 2SYLVAIN ANDRE, COMMENCAL BIKES, LYON
• 3JORIS DAUDET, CHASE / BRGSTORE.COM, CORONA, CA
• 4IZAAC KENNEDY, SPEEDCO/AVIAN, BRISBANE, QLD
• 5ALFREDO CAMPO, FACTORY MOTO, PRODUBANK, CLERMONT, FL
• 6ANDERSON EZEQUIEL DE SOUZA FIL, PROGATE, SPEEDCO, WINTER GARDEN, FL
• 7NICHOLAS ADAMS, FACTORY RIFT TANGENT, ORANGEVALE, CA
• 8KAMREN LARSEN, HARO RACE, BAKERSFIELD, CA

While the big hill racing was action-packed, the Old(er) dogs were out for war in Louisville. With points leader Barry Nobles charging through the series as the Vet points blocker, the other front runners in the class were looking to bypass the Alabama Slamma to get some points. Who was able to grab the elusive win in Vet Pro? None other than Jeff Upshaw. Using his Driven ways, Big Jeff seized the opportunity in Friday's main event as the class found some carnage in turn two. Bobbing and weaving through the chaos, Nobles could power back to the two spots ahead of Rockford BMX's Dustin Jacobs. Rounding out the Vet Pro racing back on top, Nobles towed in Remix BMX's Alan Hudson and Bombshell's Emilio Falla.

VET PRO TOTAL RIDERS = 17 GROUPS = 9 | Friday

• 1JEFFERY UPSHAW, DRIVEN CYCLING ACADEMY, NAMPA, ID
• 2BARRY (BAMA SLAMMA) NOBLES, CHASE, MERCEDES, FLY, STERRETT, AL
• 3DUSTIN (DUSTMAN) JACOBS, PROGATE, RIPT, TBONE, FREEPORT, IL
• 4K J (KAYYYY JAYYYYYYY) ROMERO, SUPERCROSS BMX, ROCK HILL, SC
• 5NIC LONG, RAMONA, CA
• 6MIKE (MIKEY B) SWEARINGEN, SUPERCROSS BMX, AMELIA, OH
• 7ALAN HUDSON, REMIX BMX, PHOENIX, AZ
• 8EMILIO FALLA, BOMBSHELL, MURRIETA, CA

VET PRO TOTAL RIDERS = 14 GROUPS = 6 | Saturday

• 1BARRY (BAMA SLAMMA) NOBLES, CHASE, MERCEDES, FLY, STERRETT, AL
• 2ALAN HUDSON, REMIX BMX, PHOENIX, AZ
• 3EMILIO FALLA, BOMBSHELL, MURRIETA, CA
• 4K J (KAYYYY JAYYYYYYY) ROMERO, SUPERCROSS BMX, ROCK HILL, SC
• 5MIKE (MIKEY B) SWEARINGEN, SUPERCROSS BMX, AMELIA, OH
• 6JEFFERY UPSHAW, DRIVEN CYCLING ACADEMY, NAMPA, ID
• 7CHRIS SUTTON, FACTORY ANSWER, PHOENIX, AZ
• 8DUSTIN (DUSTMAN) JACOBS, PROGATE, RIPT, TBONE, FREEPORT, IL

- AMATEUR RACING REPORT COMING SOON -