Derby City Nationals Race Report

Filed under General on August 30, 2014 | Comment(s)

August 29, 2014 – Louisville, KY – This weekend marks the 30^th consecutive year that Derby City BMX has hosted a national caliber BMX event. For many, this is one of the premier facilities in the world and holds a special place in their hearts. As usual, the USA BMX crew rolled in for another adrenaline pumping takeover of the ever-famous Derby City BMX and kicked off day one of the Derby City Nationals and Eastern Divisional Championships with a BANG!

Earlier this year, the crew here at Derby City BMX set out on a mission. Their goal was to redefine their pro section down the third straight and make sure that, if taken correctly, would be noticeably faster than the amateur side. They did just that and it showed. During the main events, the left side out of turn two was no easy feat, but the rewards were high as riders gained multiple bike lengths on their competitors who chose the technical right side. So what made the big difference? For the older and faster riders, a tabletop was their first obstacle, but in many cases they were going to fast for it, which made for a high probability of overshooting the landing. However, if you did decide to hit the pro set, it had to be hit with precision or else your momentum was washed and you could quickly find yourself in the back. 

FRIDAY:

This being a three-day national event, the pro riders were in full attendance and ready to take on anyone in their way of getting on the podium. For even more incentive to pick up the win, each victor of the pro classes received a custom made red and blue bat courtesy of the one and only Louisville Slugger. In the words of Redline’s Alise Post, “I finally won one of these awesome trophies!” 

On to the main events we went and Motive Power’s Austin Hiatt had the weight of the world on him as he lined up in the gate. If he could pick up the win, he would officially be the newest USA BMX AA pro. When the gate went down, the only thing on Hiatt’s mind was picking up the W – and he did just that. It was a dominant win for Hiatt and one that he has been craving for quite some time. Congratulations Austin, now it is time to prove yourself to the big boys! (No pun intended)

The Vet pros were next and as usual, the final lap came down to SE’s Javier Colombo and Chase~Stay Strong’s Cristian Becerine. It was nice and tight leading into turn one, but Becerine’s inside advantage gave him just enough to keep Colombo at bay. From there, it was nothing but keeping it on two wheels. Becerine would pick up the win with Colombo in two and Doublecross’ Beau Richards rounding out the podium.

With Shanaze Reade and Olympic Gold Medalist Mariana Pajon not making the trip to Louisville, Redline’s Alise Post increased her odds of winning that much more. However, the crowd was wondering if she could hold off DK’s Caroline Buchanan and GT’s Felicia Stancil. Dominique Daniels also made the trip, and you can never count out the five time USA BMX NO.1 Women’s Pro champion. Lap after lap, Alise dominated the competition. So much so that she came unclipped out of the gate in a qualifying round and still came back for a third place finish. That did not change in the main as she took a commanding lead out of turn one, which also netted her the $250 Answer Holeshot award. Put another win on the list for this young lady. Since her injury, Post has had some impressive rides and is looking faster than ever. There is no doubt she has the title in her sights this year, and something tells me she is not going to let anyone else take it from her.

Speaking of titles, both the two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Maris Strombergs, and the current World Champion, Sam Willoughby, were both in attendance and ready to battle. Unfortunately for Maris, his day was cut short after not making the cut in the semi. One thing I have learned from watching Sam Willoughby is that you do not want to let him get a couple of wins in a row. Once that happens and the head of steam starts to build, it is pretty hard to knock him off the top. Like a tiger pouncing on his prey, Willoughby launched out of the gate with winning in his vision. Willoughby went wire-to-wire for the win and the Answer Holeshot award – while holding off Chase’s Joris Daudet (2^nd) and SE’s Donny Robinson (3^rd). 

The 17-20 girls class got pretty hectic in the first turn. Dan’s Comp rider Samantha Brown was holding the inside line and trying to hold off Profile’s Shayona Glynn. While she was successful in keeping her high and holding the lead, carnage was about to unfold directly behind them. At some point, Samantha Miller, Mika Shaw, Sabrina Bice and Heather Collman all came together in one cohesive unit that had a messy ending. These four ferociously fast ladies were all battling for the inside and the implode sequence got launched. Fortunately all of them were okay and if we see this same group in the main again, the racing should be tight once again. Brown would get the win, Glynn for the deuce and Staats’ Savannah Davis for third. 

15x was easily one of the best races under the lights last night. Arizona’s Hayden Fletcher had the lead heading into the pro section, but Hyper’s Bubba Gonzales was a serious threat breathing down his neck. Gonzales was able to get a bit further on the inside and kept it lower than anyone all day. By staying that low and keeping his supersonic like speed, Gonzales was able to make the pass into the final turn and would go on for the win. It was a pass that was a true masterpiece of precision riding and skill. Will he be able to do it again today, or will Nick Deters, Hayden Fletcher and many others keep him from being victorious? 

Day one of the USA BMX Derby City Nationals was more exciting than a 1985 heavy metal concert. Day two is primed to be even better as riders are going for broke in their quest to secure one of the Eastern Divisional Championship jerseys. Check in on the USA BMX Facebook throughout the day for live updates and as always, check back to the USA BMX website for the complete race report.

SATURDAY:

Rain, rain, go away, come again another day. That was the song echoing through the trees at Derby City BMX, but Mother Nature was not going to win this time! With a thunder storm rapidly approaching, we were cranking motos out left and right. The first drop hit right at the beginning of semis and they slowly increased their numbers. By the end of the semis we were fully wet, but the new coat of Soiltac kept the track in one piece as racers acted as if it was a dry summer day.

After a short delay, the main events started and the entire crowd cheered for joy. With the rain still coming down, but at a much lighter pace, the pros proved it was not going to be an issue as there was zero hesitation at any point of their races. 

In A pro, Haro~Promax’s Bryce Hocking was on point, but FBN~C-Yaa’s Kyle McRory had him in his sights. Coming down the second straight, McRory took his manual on the step-up-down a tad to far and looped out ­– taking Justin Riddell and Skyler Prather with him. Hocking would go on to cruise in for the win while Dobulecross’ Alan Hudson took second and Chip N’ Dale Bike Shop rider Victor Behm took third.

Earlier this year, Jaime Staff made a triumphant return to compete in the Vet Pro class. He immediately made an impact after finding himself on the podium multiple times. Today, Staff showed just how young he really is after taking home the win. This guy still has a lot left in the tank and there is no doubt in our minds that he will be making an impact on the class for the foreseeable future. Beau Richards had another solid finish for day two, improving to second after his third yesterday. Last, but not least was Jason Sherrill to help round out the podium.

For Redline’s power couple, Alise Post and Sam Willoughby, they handled business in both Elite Men and Elite Women. This marks day two for the couple picking up the wins in their respective classes, and for both of them this weekend is bringing in some much needed help in the points. Any bets on if these two will make it a clean sweep for Redline?

11-12 Girls Cruiser was not the biggest class of the weekend, but there was a ton of talent in the gate. One of those riders was McKenzie (Skittles) Gayheart who has been making note to pick up as many wins as possible. She once again set the tone early in the day and held her performance all the way through the main event when it mattered the most. Skittles would end up beating out CCH rider Gabby Crane, Crupi’s Abbie Johnson and BADD & Companies Jersey Piccarreto.

One of the biggest up and coming riders of the year has had to be Graydon “Ladies Man” Hutchinson. This young hotshot from Grove City, OH has been putting in a ton of work on the track in order to be a consistent main maker, and so far in 2014 he has certainly done that. He picked up the win in 9 cruiser over Grayson Ammon, Tommy Jahnke and more. Be sure to watch out for this kid not only the rest of the year, but also in the September issue of PULL Magazine!

Where did Bailee Enlow come from? I believe we have asked this question before, but this is definitely a question that needs posed again after her huge win in the 15-16 girls class. Elida Beeman, Mya Yocum and Megan Schwinn were just a few other riders that were doing everything in their path to keep that from happening, but in the end it didn’t matter as Enlow grabbed the win. This new generation of female BMX racers is definitely a huge push up from generations past. Not only are these ladies jumping with the best of them, but their skills have also been taken to an entirely new level at younger ages. The next few years is going to get pretty interesting as we watch these young ladies make the transition from amateur to pro. 

13x was a back and forth battle of wills. Between Aram “The Diesel” Schwinn, Hayden Robinson and Jesse Welch, there were more lead changes than I cared to count at an event this large. It all came down to the final turn where The Diesel and Robinson were bar-to-bar. Schwinn kept his smooth while adding in a spare pedal or two, which was the ultimate deciding factor. Perhaps that home grown training track has started to pay dividends for the Hostile Elite crew. 

One of the biggest parts of the USA BMX National Series are teams. Of them, there are some that are putting in multiple team sheets at each race, but there are also those that rarely find themselves competing in one of the three categories. One of those teams in particular is the Factory GT squad. Races are few and far between for them when it comes to turning in team sheets, but for the last two days they have turned in a pair of sheets with nothing but victories. Tyler Brown’s crew has strung together weekend doubles with Sean Gaian (17-18x), Jordan Miranda (19-27x), Aiden Otten (7x) and Brooklyn Van Renselaar (7 girls). I do not care who you are, that is not an easy thing to do. For the GT crew, if they can keep it up and pack on another pair of solid scores, they could be the sleeper come Grands time. All of the major factory teams better watch out because Tyler Brown and company are barreling in!

Day two of the Derby City Nationals came to a dramatic close ­– rain and all. When you think about it, Louisville just wouldn’t be the same without a little bit of the wet stuff from Mother Nature. As the last gate dropped and the track crew covered the track for the night, we could already sense the sunshine for the final day of the Derby City Nationals. Be sure to listen in to the live audio broadcast for day three of the Derby City Nationals and follow updates throughout the day on the USA BMX Facebook page. Lastly, check right back here tomorrow night for the final weekend recap from the weekend’s final day. Now excuse me while I run outside and do a quick rain dance. 

SUNDAY:

I can remember sweeping water off of the tarps at this same time last year. The biggest difference was that it was 3 a.m. and we had acquired all of the cat litter, Portland cement and Diamond Dry within a 15-mile radius of Derby City BMX. Luckily this year turned out quite different as the rain held off for the entire day of racing ­– minus the almost non-existent drizzle in the air that popped up a couple of times.

We kicked off the main events with the A pros ready to battle it out in a dash for the cash. For F’BN~C-Yaa’s Kyle McRory, it was going to be redemption day after having to episodes of bad luck on Friday and Saturday. He was able to put it all together once the gate went down – though it was not easy. Doublecross’ Alan Hudson had the advantage as the pack dove into turn one, but McRory slid underneath and slammed the door as he made the pass. Bryce Hocking was in pursuit, but McRory was able to hold him and the rest of the class off to pick up another win on the year.

The Vet Pro class lost quite a few contenders, including day one winner Cristian Becerine and day two winner, Jaime Staff. SE’s Javier Colombo opted to stay for the third and final day of racing, and looking back I am sure he realized it was the best decision after holding off an impressive pair of competitors in Larry “Stardini” Dardini Beau Richards for the win.

Both the Elite Men and Elite Women had quite a few riders skip out on day three since the Argentina World Cup is rapidly approaching. There were still a handful of riders that were more than capable of taking home the wins, but with the streak that Alise Post and Sam Willoughby had going, it was not going to be a cakewalk. At the end of the day, the power couple dominated once again and left no doubt that they have their sights set on taking home a pair of National NO.1 cups from Tulsa. 

Speaking of taking home cool things, the Louisville CVB and Louisville Sports Commission teamed up with Louisville Slugger baseball bats to create some of the coolest pro trophies we have awarded. Coated in red and blue with a single white stripe and engraved with all of the event details, these exclusive bats (shown below) were a huge hit! While the pro riders usually love giving their big checks to the fans, they held on to these prized trophies.

Day three of the Eastern Divisional Finals is always a barnburner when it comes to amateur racing. For those in the main event, they had one final lap that would determine the outcome of the divisional champion. In hopes of securing one of the jerseys that are only given to the champions of each class and proficiency, riders were putting everything on the line.

In 10&under girls cruiser, Strange Motion~Kicker’s Lilly Campbell was looking unstoppable all weekend long after picking up a pair of impressive wins on the first two days. Unfortunately the cards were not in her favor to pull off the clean sweep. It was Amanda “Ponytails” Taylor out of Sarasota, FL who charged hard from the gate drop to the finish line, which got her the main event win. Unfortunately for Taylor, Lilly Campbell was still the Eastern Divisional Champion after the final points were calculated. Both of these young ladies did a fantastic job all weekend long and have a lot of untapped potential. Watch out for them the rest of the year! 

BlackCrown Products racer Jeremy Thompson showed a whole lot of awesome this weekend. Out of the six main events he made it to, he only lost one. The loss came at the hands of Dan’s Comp’s Scott Moreland in 41-45x. Sure that only loss didn’t allow for a clean weekend sweep, but it didn’t matter as his double on Sunday locked in TWO Eastern Divisional Championship jerseys. Consistently beating riders such a Raul Gomez, Drew Motley and Jim Bramer is no easy feat, but Thompson ended the weekend on top. After this weekend, he may have enough points to surpass Shawn DiPrete for the NAG 1 position – and a very realistic shot at the National NO.1 Cruiser title. 

If I were making my list of favorites for the 2020 women’s U.S. Olympic BMX team, Payton Ridenour would be on it. This young lady has been winning everything in sight at every race she attends. Her never-ending drive and determination is something special that not every rider has. She once again picked up multiple wins this weekend along with a pair of Eastern Divisional Championship titles. Mark my words, this girl is going places and is sure to be a National Champion one day.

The 19-27x class was definitely the race of the day ­– and it all came down to the last straight away. Chandler Denton, who recently departed from Profile, was in hot pursuit of Staats’ Trae Proctor. As of now, Proctor is one of the biggest threats for the National NO.1 amateur title and he was checking out. Denton got a good run through the pro set and swooped inside in the final turn – the drag race to the line was on! Denton started to pull Proctor, but then Ssquared~Answer’s Tyler Whitfield came from the outside in 3^rd and blew by both of them like they were standing still. Denton was able to regain a little bit of space, but it was not enough. Whitfield would end up with the overall with Denton in second and Proctor in third.

The Derby City Nationals and Eastern Divisional Finals turned out to be one of the best in recent years. There is no doubt that this side of the country has a ton of talented riders. We want to thank everyone who came out and joined us for one amazing weekend! The Derby City BMX crew always puts their heart and souls into this event and it is just one of many reasons why this is a must attend track on your BMX bucket list.

Join us next weekend as the USA BMX big rig rolls into Wisconsin Rapids, WI for the 2014 USA BMX Badger State Nationals!