MILE HIGH NATIONALS RACE REPORT

Filed under General on August 01, 2014 | Comment(s)

WORDS AND IMAGES BY JASON MCGUIRE

FRIDAY:

Nestled away in the Rocky Mountains lies Dacono, CO. While the town is small, it packs quite a punch when USA BMX Nation rolls in for the Mile High Nationals. This weekend marks the sixth year since we last visited Dacono BMX, and both the track and facility look better than ever! 

This year, Deak Brown and his crew have been gearing up to host one of the greatest stops during the 2014 USA BMX National series. The track has an entire new look, complete with a raised starting hill, black top corners and a pro set to make any AA blush. After rain earlier in the week, the grounds were expected to be pretty muddy, but as practice kicked off, the ground and track were ready for the barrage of riders that were ready to tear it up!

Practice went off without a hitch and the riders seemed to have a good opinion about the way the track rode. Out of the 67 motos for the pre-race, the pro class did not make and we went straight to Jr. Devo. In the main event, Trenton Sherrill and Caleb Wall were battling for the lead on the inside and since it was a little crowded, Staats' Jason Boyle opted for the pro set and while he had to roll the last one, it put him right back in the mix. Like a game of cat and mouse, it was back and forth all the way to the line. Sherrill would take the win over Wall and Boyle would finish third after his valiant effort in the pro set. 

Big Tool's Kendal Perez put on an impressive performance tonight in the 17-20 girls main event. She went wire to wire for the win, making it look easy. Now although she had a great performance, there was another girl who is looking really great right now. Shayna Lier out of Rapid City, SD was on point as she gave Perez a run for her money. She showed great speed, skill and fluidity while on her way to a second place overall finish. 

The 17-18X class was one of the most competitive of the night. Jason Boyle’s brother, Michael was ready to win as soon as he rolled into the gate. Boyle number two shot out of the gate like a cannon and led the pack into turn one after boosting a sizeable triple step-up. Now that he had the holeshot, it became apparent that he was there to win. While Cole Baxter (2nd) and Kiowa Ritcheson (3rd) were right there with him, Boyle was just too much and conquered the class for the overall win. 

The Friday night pre-race was pretty awesome and it set us up perfectly for the remainder of the weekend. Check back here tomorrow night for all of the coverage from day one of the Mile High Nationals. Also be sure to follow us all weekend long with updates at the USA BMX Facebook page. 

SATURDAY:

One of the best things about Colorado is the scenery and weather. While it is no surprise that Dacono BMX has some pretty rad 360 degree panoramic views, the blue skies and 86 degree temperature made it all the better! With Mother Nature in full cooperation, it was time to start dropping gates for the 151 moto filled day.

The A pros lined up in the gate to kick off their first round of the main events and picking a favorite between Bryce Hocking and Austin Hiatt was no easy task. The gate went down and Hocking had the win in his sights as he led his competition through the first turn and towards the pro set. Hiatt was stuck in the middle of the pack, but quickly picked up another spot while hunting down the leader. Hocking finished strong and held off the hard charging pack for the win, but we still had two rounds to go. Round two found Hiatt on the inside and Hocking on the outside – of which he was looking in by the first turn. With Hiatt leading the way, Hocking was driving hard into the second turn and looked to have just enough space to slide up into the top three, but things got tight when he slid out going for the move. That 8th place finish would leave it tough to pick up the overall in round three. Even though it was almost certain the win was out of the question for Hocking, he still powered through to set the pace for tomorrow and picked up the win, but Hiatt's hard charge put him in second and secured the overall. Hocking will surely be hunting for the win tomorrow after being so close today. Hopefully the track monster stays asleep this time...

Very few are able to pedal manual the triple step-up that places riders into the first turn, but for Redman's Dougie Butcher, it comes as second nature. He made his presence known in the Junior Development class after getting a gate worth gold in the main. While the gate was impressive, it was not the game changer. Butcher took total control of the race after throwing down a picture perfect pedal-manual, of which gave him the advantage into the first turn. Next he stomped the pro set with ease and pulled away from the rest of the pack, including one of the most talented guys on the track, Brian Ensey. It was not easy, but Butcher laid down the law and has proved once again this year that he is here to stay and his competition better be on the look out.

The 13-14 girls cruiser class was the only girls cruiser group that showcased a full gate of young ladies all frothing at the bit to take the win. It was a tight squeeze down the first straight, but all was well as nobody hit the dirt. Samantha "Little Dynamite" Soriano took the reigns and never looked back. While she had Black Box Industries rider Ashlyn Morrow, Hostile Elite's Kaselyn Ondrias and Dan's Competition's Sumiko Yuko all breathing down her back tire, there was nothing that was going to keep this girl from picking up a big win. This will definitely be the class to watch in girls cruiser tomorrow, and we cannot wait to see these ladies go at it all over again! 

16 cruiser may not have had the most glorious rider count, but Kuwahara's Ethan "Lil' Red" Alvey made sure he made the most of it. It looked as if Alvey was going to be forced to settle for second, until the final turn where a small window of opportunity presented itself. Just as Trenton Sherrill thought the win was in the bag, Alvey swooped under him in the final turn and slammed the door in his face. After that, it was all over as Alvey went on for the win with Sherrill in tow for second. 

When I raced in Colorado years ago, I realized real quick that the altitude brought the racing to an entire new level. The air is thinner and unless you have been training for it, most riders come unprepared for the change in climate. So was it the air that helped put Phoenix Box Factory rider Shayla Blackmore out front? I mean she is from Colorado Springs, so it is entirely possible. Or maybe it is just because she can flat out win! You could tell she was looking for an opening in turn one to make a move for the lead, and at the point in time it was Doublecross' Elida Beeman who had a blow up that took her out of the race. With Blackmore now battling with Factory GT's Sophia Foresta, it wasn't going to be easy, but Blackmore persevered and held off the hard charging Foresta to pick up the overall win. Will she do it again tomorrow? Let us just say that the odds are in her favor. 

Being in the front can be a blessing, but it can also lead to a day of disappointment. For Haro~Promax's Connor Eaton, it was the latter. This little guy has been tearing up the national series all year long and he was once again on point to pick up a win. In practice he was outclassing a lot of his competition and a lot of it was due to the amount of pedals he was getting in over the length of the course. It seemed like he never stopped pedaling. With the lead in the 7x main event, Eaton was one turn away from picking up another big win, but one too many pedals started the bobble, from which he could not recover and found himself on the ground with the second place rider, Deegan Warnock. That left the door wide open for Luke Bakken to overtake the lead and ride past the stripe for the win. While today was not planned to end with a crash, don't count Eaton out just yet as both him and Warnock will be back to battle for the win tomorrow.

Day one of the USA BMX Mile High Nationals was definitely entertaining and featured a ton of awesome race action. Day two is ready to rumble with 141 motos and many riders looking for redemption when the first gate drops in the morning. Be sure to check the USA BMX Facebook page throughout the day for updates, and as always check back here tomorrow night for the final weekend wrap up from all of the weekend's events! 

SUNDAY:

Upon our arrival at Dacono BMX for day two of the USA BMX Mile High Nationals, there was a chill lingering in the air as the sun rose over the Rockies. The pro class was warming up as usual, but it was hard to tell who was riding the best. Austin Hiatt definitely had the capabilities to win again, but Lee Lewis was hungry for it and Deak Brown wanted to prove something as he was not only competing in the class, but is also the current Track Operator of Dacono BMX. 

When it came down to it, the dash for cash was on! All three riders were in position to take the win, but their finish in the final round would matter most. It was as tight as Santa Claus in a chimney going into the first turn and Austin Hiatt was held up on the high side. He would come unclipped and have to shut it down as Lewis and Brown went one-two down the pro set. Across the line it was Lee for the win and Brown in second, but that was just enough for Brown to pick up the overall. That left Lewis settling for second and Jared Becker, who stayed consistent all day, for the final podium slot. 

That left us wondering if a Track Operator has ever competed in and won in A pro during a national at their track. If someone has the answer, let us know! 

Tim Strange over at the Strange Motion~Kicker team must have some secret weapons up his sleeve – at least when it comes to picking the right riders. Lilly Campbell out of Davenport, IA made a big boom across the BMX world after picking up two solid wins in the 10&under girls cruiser class. Not only did she double in the class, it was against some pretty tough competition in Extreme Team's Crystal Roddy and Rift~Tangent's Breanna Winter. There is no doubting that these young ladies are the future of BMX, so hopefully they will stick with the sport and become the next Olympians! 

The Factory Extreme Team was getting Extreme today as four of their riders in cruiser all picked up wins. It started out with Cameron Wood from Bozeman, MT taking care of business for the 12 year olds. Next was Hunter Brown in 13 cruiser after a tough battle against Blaze Factory rider Braxton Elsen. Hunter also recently picked up a World NO.4 ranking on his cruiser in Rotterdam. Third on the list was Alex Clift in 15 cruiser who had the style and skill to handle the rest of his competition. Last, but certainly not least was Danny Patterson who had a rough fall earlier in the day, but came back to win the 21-25 class. All in all, it was definitely a solid showing by the members of the Extreme Team. 

Bubba Hayes is a name that many will recognize, and in recent days memory, he started the brand Blaze. Not only does he have his own frame, he is also running a very promising, but young Blaze Factory team. On top of all that, his daughters Emily and Ashley are both racing and putting up some impressive results. The unfortunate part is that they must race each other and as always, there is only one winner. That being said, Emily picked up the win today over Ashley, but there is nothing wrong with that as she was right behind her sister in second. Even better is that they swapped places on day one. Mark it down as a win each and on to the next to decide the family feud! 

It does not seem often enough that a rider from Canada comes down and starts racking up wins on U.S. soil. Sure there is Alex Tougas, but for the most part it is not a common occurrence. Enter Bobby Worth, who first popped onto our radar early last year. Worth is definitely one of the most talented riders in all of Canada right now, and he proved that once again after picking up a double win in 16X. After besting riders like Brian Ensey, Chrystofer Davis, Ethan Alvey, Austin Palasota and Dougie Butcher, this kid is the real deal and is looking to crush dreams. 

As always, we could continue to talk about the race for hours, but to find out more on the Mile High Nationals, you will have to wait for the next issue of PULL Magazine to hit the doors. We want to thank everyone that made the trip to Dacono BMX and we hope that you all had a wonderful weekend on the USA BMX National Series. With the Quaker State Nationals going on next weekend in Pottstown, PA, there should be a ton to talk about. See you at the races!