March news

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31/03 One Bicycles press release
One Bicycles World BMX Team comes together in the Tampa Bay Area for a World BMX Qualifier to be held in Sarasota Florida.
One Bicycles is out of the Netherlands but has their US Division offices in St. Petersburg Florida. The team has riders representing all over the world and they are all congregating here in the Bay Area for this big event. There are also riders who make their home right in the Bay Area. Some of the riders have been World Champions several times over. These guys are the best of the best.
The whole event involves practices at the Bay Areas local BMX tracks, a National Race in Sebring Florida, a Pro/AM race in St. Petersburg Florida, finalized with the UCI World Qualifier in Sarasota. Remember BMX is now an event in the 2008 Olympics!
Come see the riders at practice and the races. Collect autographs and stickers, and enter in raffles for all kinds of prizes. Many other big teams will also be there.

The One schedule will be :
03/29/04 Riders start arriving Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
03/30/04 Practice at St. Pete. BMX from 6:30-8:30 PM.
   7751 26th Ave N, St Petersburg, FL 33710. Ph.# 727-345-2135
03/31/04 Practice at Tampa BMX/Lake Park from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
   17302 Dale Mabry Highway North (SR 597) Lutz, FL 33548-4761 Ph.# (813) 265-1269
04/01/04 Practice at St. Pete. BMX from 6:30-8:30 PM
04/03/04 Nat’l Race at Highlands BMX in Avon Park All day event.
   730 CR 17-A Avon Park, Florida 33825. Ph.# (863) 452-9995
04/04/04 Nat’l Race at Highlands BMX in Avon Park 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
04/06/04 Practice at St. Pete. BMX from 6:30-8:30 PM.
04/07/04 Practice possibly in Sarasota. Please call. ELSE:
   Tampa BMX/Lake Park from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
04/08/04 Practice at St. Pete. BMX from 6:30-8:30 PM.
04/10/04 UCI World Qualifier at Sarasota BMX All day event.
   17th St. & N. Tuttle Ave. Sarasota, FL 34234. Ph.# 941-957-4393
04/11/04 UCI World Qualifier at Sarasota BMX 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

31/03 Factory Avent / Bombshell riders heat up Northwest Nationals
Pasco, Washington - A small contingent of Avent / Bombshell Factory riders made the trek to the ABA's Great Northwest Nationals in Pasco, Washington two weekends ago and found great success. "dR" Donny Robinson, Joey Bradford and "Angry" Steve Stewart braved the Pacific Northwest cold and came out on top.

"dR" Donny Robinson, back after a short absence due to a partially separated shoulder in Tennessee in February, came out on top form with a win in Pro Open on Saturday. "dR" backed that win up with a solid fourth in AA Pro. On Sunday, Robinson pulled a respectable 5th in AA Pro and 4th in Pro Open. Donny should be back in top form after his injury, so look for big things from him in Ontario.

2003 ROC Champ Joey Bradford went to Washington on a mission and came away with a huge Double-Double in 14 Expert and 13-14 open. Bradford has been on fire lately and is going FAST. "Angry" Steve Stewart, healing up after knee surgery in February, made his first race back a succesful one, taking home a 2nd and a 3rd in 36-40 Cruiser.

In other team news, 18 Expert Jason Rogers will be out for at least a couple weeks due to a back injury sustained at the Volunteer Nationals in February. "Jason is a huge part of our team's success and we wish him luck and a speedy recovery," stated Team Manager Will Rells. Expect Rogers to be back in top form come Desoto.

Look for the Factory Avent / Bombshell team to be in full force at the ABA's So Cal Nationals in Ontario on April 3-4.

Factory Avent / Bombshell is supported by the best sponsors in BMX: Fly Racing (www.flyracing.com); FSA (www.fullspeedahead.com); Shimano (www.shimano.com); Maxxis Tires (www.maxxis.com); Tangent BMX (www.tangentproducts.com); Thomson Seatposts (www.lhthomson.com); Hot Shoppe Designs (www.hotshoppedesigns.com); Red Baron Racing (www.redbaronracing.net); Moto Mag BMX Magazine (www.motomagbmx.com); IDC BMX (www.idcbmx.com). Support the companies that support BMX!

For the latest and greatest in BMX technology check out www.bombshellparts.com and www.aventcycles.com!

30/03 Knox Pre-Titles Classic race report
The Knox BMX Club did a great job of putting together the Pre-Titles Classic with less than a month to organise the event. 250 entries is one of the biggest Victorian turnouts for quite some time. As per usual the track was in great condition but throughout the heat of the day the corners started to become a little slippery. It was a good opportunity for the riders to practice on the NBL start system that will be used at the National Championships over the Easter break.
Trevor Stamford took to the skies in the Vet Pro cruiser class with Jamie Bullows trying to follow, but Stamford was too strong and smooth for the rest of the field. Bullows finished second, Damien Callan finished third, just ahead of Glenn Suridge who made a last minute charge to the line.
The Pro Open motos were tough with 4 strong gates of riders. BMXBits.com.au's Danny Galea took all wins in the motos, GT Australia's Dean Miller was also dominant in the motos. Sinister's Levi Collins and BMXUltra.com/One's Jonathan "Jon Jon" Hoare were also making themselves known.
When it came to the semi finals there were no real surprises except maybe the start of something just short of total war. Galea was leading his semi into the first corner when Jon Jon took the low road and made up a bike length to pull up level on the inside of Galea, both riders drifted wide until Galea exited the track. The other semi had three rider battling it out down the last straight for the last qualifying position. Adam Robb took it inches ahead of Charles Nelson and Ken Babington.
In the main Jon Jon pulled to a handy lead with Scott Lacey, Dean Miller, Levi Collins and the rest of the field giving chase. In the second corner Collins pulled up even with Jon Jon and they fought all the way to the line, Collins taking the line honours.
During the lunch break commentator John Sturzaker had a chat with some of the pros, which made for a bit of a change.
The Knox BMX Club asked us to thank all the Victorian riders for supporting the event and the hope everyone enjoyed the racing.
Results
Pro Open:
1. Levi Collins (Sinister)
2. Jonathan Hoare (BMXUltra.com/One Bicycles)
3. Dean Miller (GT Australia)
4. Scott Lacey (BMXBits.com.au)
5. Daniel Stocks
6. Adam Robb (Redline/TotalBMX)
7. Matthew White
8. David Page (Norco)
Click here for full results

29/03 New Dirt Designs t-shirts
Click here to see the new dirt t-shirtThe guys at Dirt Designs, famous Australia-wide for their number plates and padsets, have been having a little bit of fun with their logo and come with a t-shirt design that has already started to cause a stir (click the image to the right to see the new design, printed on a womens t-shirt).
The sample of the t-shirt was on display at the Knox Pre-titles classic yesterday, and seemed to be a winner with the kids, a couple of them dragging their parents over to take a look.
If you are interested in the t-shirt and would like to find out more information check out www.bmxultra.com/dirt.

27/03 Supercross Press release
Henrik leading Robert Dewilde, his brother Jan and current ABA #1 Pro Warwick Stevenson in the second main saturday in Oldsmar photo courtesey of Dan Mooney/ABASanta Clarita, CA - Supercross now has 2 full time AA Pros that go by the moniker the "Viking". There is Jan "The Viking" Baltzersen and Henrik "Little Viking" Baltzersen!! Henrik decided to turn AA after Phoenix earlier this year as he said A Pro was making him slow. The Duo have made every main they have entered in the ABA circuit so far this year. Oldsmar Florida at the Gator Nationals, they both made the AA Pro Mains both days, Pasco, WA at the Great Northwest Nationals they both made the AA Pro Mains both days and are now sitting number 17 and number 15 in the current ABA AA Pro points.

Look for Jan and Henrik to be in Ontario for the ABA So Cal Nationals April 2nd - 4th where Henrik plans on making his last 2 AA pro mains before heading back home to Europe to race the UCI circuit. Eagle Eyes might notice that Jan will be riding the new Viking Signature EVO series Supercross Frame, while it looks like a regular Supercross EVO it is utilizing triple butted technology on the inside that makes the bike lighter and faster. The regular EVO series XXL weighs in at 3.9lbs for a $US299 MSRP, the Viking Edition is 3.4lbs at a $US415 MSRP.

The Supercross Factory Team consists of AA Pro Jan "The Viking" Baltzersen, AA Pro Henrik "Little Viking" Baltzersen, A Pro Randy Roberts, A Pro Tomas Fernandez, A Pro Bryan Otten, Vet Pro Todd Parry, Girl Pro and Current UCI World Champion Samantha Cools, 36x Ken Pliska, 28x Moses Tillman, 17-18x Justin Dodson, 17G Rachael Blackwood, 13x Aaron Maxwell, 12G Brittnay Bates, 7x Justin Myers

The Supercross Factory Team Proudly uses : ONeal Uniforms, Blur Optics, ATI Pads Plates and Grips, Tioga Tires, Crank Bros. Pedals, Pauls Brakes, SDG Saddles, Thomson Posts, Snap Gears, Answer Shoes, X-1 clothing and Moto Mag.

For more information about Supercross BMX check out www.supercrossbmx.com

26/03 Hello vet pro
It's been a long time coming for Australia but you can just about say good by to "Bruiser cruiser" and hello to vet pro.
The 30 & Over pro cruiser class started off in Australia as a novelty class called "Bruiser cruiser", a name that doesn't sit well with me, it's hard to take a class with a name like that seriously, which is why I tend to call it Vet pro cruiser anyway. That's getting off the track a little.
Bruiser cruiser has been good to the 30 & Over cruiser riders but has taken away from the Pro ranks, where you may have once seen A and AA fields money has been put into bruiser cruiser and the Pro classes have been combined. Some of the better riders who are in the 30 & Over field tend to ride A or AA Pro anyway, we could go on naming quite a few but we are sure you already have some in mind. What if the cream of the 30 & Over riders were put into a serious Vet pro 20 inch class and give that class a serious name, because we all know there are a lot of riders out there in that class that are serious about their racing.
This is something we have spoken about on BMXUltra.com for years now, and I hear that Warwick Wheeler is lobying for the class for the Australian Championships in the future, and why not the NBL have a Masters pro class, and they have the biggest influence over the UCI. Also in the rumour mill the Cash Dash may feature a Vet pro class with a significant prize pool and other incentives for the winners, from what we hear this is something that has been driven by sponsors and riders, talk about the tail wagging the dog.

26/03 One Bicycles USA news
Ezell rides a beautiful Gold ONE bike accented with Gold components by Profile Racing.

I had told him I would pay him a royalty on all Gold One bikes sold. Ezell called me after work one night and asked me to bring a Gold One bike down to Sarasota. Living in St. Petersburg I was not looking forward to the drive. Behind the wheel I asked myself: "what was I doing?" I thought of everything else I could be doing.

When I got there Ezell pulled me aside to review what his royalty was. He then told me to deduct it from the retail price and sell it to a young rider who I know had been scraping their money together to own a Gold ONE. We talked a little bit more and I found out that Ezell, now 28 years old, grew up as a boy across the street from the Sarasota track.

As I drove home I started to review what just happened and it hit me like a ton of bricks. This was one of those 'Life's Lessons' learning moments for me. "What was I doing?" I was going down to Florida's oldest established BMX track, to watch a man who has devoted his life to this sport give back and make a dream come true for one of his fellow human beings.

I only met Ezell last year but have found him to be a devoted father, a good son, a great friend to many, an extraordinary BMX athlete, and a professional representative for his factory, sponsors, and the sport. For me TREND's latest video cover speaks volumes as to the Man Ezell is. He is number 1. Thank you Ezell.

One bicycles wants to also thank TREND MULTIMEDIA, Troy Lee Designs, Bombshell, FSA, Tektro, Fizik, Maxxis, Bollé, ODI, EVS, Thomson, Zitoun, BOMBA, Nike ACG, our riders, and our customers for making this all so possible!

(by Kenneth Goodrich, manager ONE Bicycles for the Americas)

25/03 Factory Avent / Bombshell's Mike Moeller gets his props!
Lawrence, Kansas - 16 Expert NAG #1 Mike Moeller has gotten a lot of press lately. From being featured in the latest Bombshell ads for Sponsorhouse.com, Mike is also recognized as a local sports hero. In the latest edition of the Lawrence Journal-World newspaper, Moeller gets props for being the "most succesful athlete" at his high school, although not many of his peers realize it since BMX is not a "mainstream" sport. Well, with more recognition like this, and the growing interest in the sport due to it's Olympic involvement, the only direction for BMX racing is up! To check out Mikes story hit up the following link:

http://www.ljworld.com/section/freestatesports/story/165051

Also getting press is 14 Expert Joey Bradford, making the cover of next month's BMX'er. That puts Bradford and Moeller on the front and back of the mag. Also in the mix is 28 Expert TJ Johnson, making the cover of next month's BMX Today.

For the latest and greatest in BMX technology check out www.bombshellparts.com and www.aventcycles.com!

Factory Avent / Bombshell is supported by the best sponsors in BMX: Fly Racing (www.flyracing.com); FSA (www.fullspeedahead.com); Shimano (www.shimano.com); Maxxis Tires (www.maxxis.com); Tangent BMX (www.tangentproducts.com); Thomson Seatposts (www.lhthomson.com); Hot Shoppe Designs (www.hotshoppedesigns.com); Red Baron Racing (www.redbaronracing.net); Moto Mag BMX Magazine (www.motomagbmx.com); IDC BMX (www.idcbmx.com). Support the companies that support BMX!

25/03 Knox Pre-titles Classic
The Knox BMX Club will be hosting the Pre-titles classic this Sunday. The 4 beep (NBL) gate system will be used to give riders an opportunity to adjust before they get to Adelaide for the Nationals over Easter. We believe the club will be taking late entries, until Saturday, but not encouraging them.
Click here for the entry form and further details.
While talking about racing in Victoria this weekend, Eastfield and Lalor have Friday night club races, contact the clubs for further details.

25/03 Photos from Baccus Marsh 4X
A few Victorian BMXers hit up a 4X meeting in Baccus Marsh on Sunday. Jane Ollerenshaw was there with her camera.
Click here to check out the photos.

24/03 BMXA Combining classes at Nationals
It seems that BMXAustralia combining classes at the Australian Championships is causing quite a stir, and rightfully so. Where 9 riders deem a class there are a couple of classes that fell just short of the required number and finished up with 8. In 1998 when the World Championships were in Melbourne, and in classes where the entries were low, BMXAustralia did a ring around to see if anyone not entered would be interested in making up numbers. What happened this year? Nothing, the classes were combined, without even considering those that had enough riders in their classes but by default had their field extended. BMXAustralia really aren't doing themselves any favours. Now that classes are combined that means a reduced number of trophies handed out. Do the riders in the effected classes have their entry fee halved? No. They aren't even contacted to let them know the class has been combined. If BMXA are having problems with classes being small this year I think they will have even bigger problems next year.

24/03 Enigma Racing news
Enigma Racing has been hard at work for 2004. First is the release of the new Enigma Racing web site. If you're looking for any info from the factory team to all of the high quality products, you can check it all out on the new Enigma Racing web site.

Next up is the addition of some new team riders. You'll now be seeing mighty midget 6 expert Nazareth Greer, 10 expert EJ Dorrian, 12 expert/cruiser Thomas Richards, and 19 expert Ron Smith all tearing up the National circuit in their new Enigma uniforms along side of returning factory team riders A Pro "Maniac" Mike Gul, 14 expert Jeff Hayashi, and 16 expert/cruiser "LB" Alan Hudson.

And we're not done yet. Enigma has also added some new team sponsors for 2004. They include: Fly Racing, Maxxis, Sports Link, Sun/Ringle, Profile, and ODI. Watch for the Enigma Racing summer clinic tour with All Star Training camps to be coming to a track near you in the future.

Visit Enigma's website at www.enigmaracing.com.

24/03 Toowoomba Telstra Open pro results
The Toowoomba Telstra Open Day, held on Sunday, was a Tremendous success. Full race report, results, and photo's to follow soon.

Pro Final results- TELSTRA 1000;
1. Wade Bootes (EX Toowoomba)
2. Joel Clarke (Sunshine Coast)
3. Damien Rosenthal (Toowoomba)

Congratulations to all who participated...check Wade's track report out on his site wadebootes.com

Stay tuned for more.

24/03 Tektro Mag brakes review
Click here to check out our review of the Tektro magnesium brakes.

23/03 Coming soon
Sorry that things have been a little quiet here on the interview and product review front. All that is about to change, we have a lot of products being put through testing at the moment, including Tektro Brakes, the 2004 One Bicycles frame and a bunch of One components, we also have the new ATi pads and plates and Answer ACF helmet and Team 2 Jersey.
If you can think of someone that you would like us to interview email us (at the address above).

23/03 BMXUltra.com t-shirts available now
The new BMXUltra.com t-shirts are available now. Craig at Dirt Designs has done a fantastic job of the new BMXUltra.com t-shirts. Click the image to the right and to have a closer look.

We will be at the Australian titles in Adelaide over Easter, email us (at the address above) if you'd like us to hold one for you. For our international visitors and those not going to Adelaide, we can arrange to mail it out to you.

22/03 Wade Bootes Wins Toowoomba's Telstra 1000 Open
Wade Bootes returned to his original home town Toowoomba, in Queensland, on the weekend to a heroes welcome.
Click here to check out his journal and see what went down.

22/03 Victorian weekend round up
With not much racing in Victoria for the lead up to the Nationals, the Knox BMX club have really come to the party. Taking over for Park Orchards to run what will be a great event this coming Sunday, they also ran a huge club race on Friday night. While the riders are let down by their own association, Knox deserve a big pat on the back for going out on a limb with little sponsorship to give Victorians what they need right now some tough racing.
David Page took out the doubloe in 14-24 voucher class and Open class, Danny Galea also doubled in the 25-34 Voucher 20 inch and cruiser classes and our own Shane Jenkins finished second behind Galea in 25-34 Voucher 20inch and second behind Page in the Open class.
Julian Millis hit the track for the first time in a while flying new S&M colours, he hasn't lost a thing, seeing him jumping and gating he's ready to put on a big show at the nationals.
Jane Ollerenshaw has returned to her BMX bike after putting in some time racing MTB and has continued on her winning ways, Petina Pert was on her tail all night.
On Sunday there was a fund raiser for the Royal Childrens Hospital at Bellarine, just out of Geelong. Traditionally the event has been held at more popular tracks in Melbourne and been well supported. For a long time now Bellarine has been suffering, and not able to attract many riders at all. The organisers might point fingers at Knox for Friday's club race or for the clashing 4X race held at Baccus Marsh, but they should turn those fingers around as history would support the fact that not many people want to ride at Bellarine anymore. It's time for them to find out why.
There were a few BMXers at the 4X on Sunday, the track was technical but not too tough, the corners were very slippery but the jumps were easy enough. Danny Galea and Simon Anderson are some of the big names in Victorian BMX and 4X scenes, youngsters Aaron Jeffree and Jarod Khal joined them in elite. Stephen Robinson and Shane Jenkins (who was riding a MTB for the first time in a few years on a borrowed bike) were in the 30 & Over class. Bryce Jenkins, former world #2 in BMX and brother of BMXUltra.com's own Shane, was also in the elite class. In the Elite final Galea finished first, Anderson who came home strong had to settle for second and Bryce Jenkins crashed and had to settle for fourth. In the 30 & Over Jenkins missed the gate and had to work his way through the field, he finished second.

19/03 Donny Robinson So Cal clinic coming up!
San Diego, California - There's still time to sign up for Donny Robinson's So Cal clinic on Saturday March 27 & Sunday March 28. Donny will be joined by AA Pro Tyler Brown and UCI World Champ Joey Bradford. The clinic will be held at Cactus Park BMX in San Diego County. The Novice and Intermediate clinic will be on Saturday afternoon from 4pm - 8pm. Riders can expect to learn all the basics of BMX racing - gates, rhythm, passing, and jumping. The Expert clinic will be held Sunday morning from 8 am - 12 pm. Experts can expect to learn advanced racing skills and training techniques. Cost is $30 pre-sign and $35 the day of clinic! Expect tons of goodies from all clinic sponsors.

For more info contact info@bombshellparts.com or call 619-316-4935.

Factory Avent / Bombshell is supported by the best sponsors in BMX: Fly Racing (www.flyracing.com); FSA (www.fullspeedahead.com); Shimano (www.shimano.com); Maxxis Tires (www.maxxis.com); Tangent BMX (www.tangentproducts.com); Thomson Seatposts (www.lhthomson.com); Hot Shoppe Designs (www.hotshoppedesigns.com); Red Baron Racing (www.redbaronracing.net); Moto Mag BMX Magazine (www.motomagbmx.com); IDC BMX (www.idcbmx.com). Support the companies that support BMX!

For the latest and greatest in BMX technology, check out www.aventcycles.com and www.bombshellparts.com!!

19/03 Avent Morpheus frames in stock
Lakeside, California - Avent Cycles is pleased to announce that all 12 sizes of Morpheus frames and all three colors are now in stock and ready to ship. But, you better act fast if you want one, they're going to sell very fast! Dealers should call Fly Racing at 877-FLY-2-WIN or Avent directly at 888-2-RACE-IT .

Factory Avent / Bombshell is supported by the best sponsors in BMX: Fly Racing (www.flyracing.com); FSA (www.fullspeedahead.com); Shimano (www.shimano.com); Maxxis Tires (www.maxxis.com); Tangent BMX (www.tangentproducts.com); Thomson Seatposts (www.lhthomson.com); Hot Shoppe Designs (www.hotshoppedesigns.com); Red Baron Racing (www.redbaronracing.net); Moto Mag BMX Magazine (www.motomagbmx.com); IDC BMX (www.idcbmx.com). Support the companies that support BMX!

Check out www.aventcycles.com for more info!

19/03 Western Australia update
Hey BMXUltra.com fans, I Thought I'd send you through an update from Perth on the latest racing. The report below is from Round 4 of the State Series. The majority of the copy is from Blake Scofield at racebmxwa.cjb.net with a bit of editing/additions from myself, Matt Butterworth.

In other news, Perth will be holding a round of the UCI Ranking series in November 2004. The track is yet to be confirmed although the association will be calling for expressions of interest from clubs in WA to host the event. A/AA riders will then have an opportunity to vote on which track would be the most suitable.

Round 4 of the 2004 Western Australian Super Series rolled into Hills BMX Club in Kalamunda on March 14 for another great day's racing. The track features a long rhythm section up the second straight that you had to get right otherwise you would get passed. The feature jump was the triples into the last corner, as they are big and fast and if you didn't jump them when you had to, problems would arise. This weekend saw the return of Rick Holland, who had a nasty crash back at the States last October which resulted in a torn spleen. Rick had a smile from ear to ear being back on the bike.

This was the first round of the year that started early. The track opened at 7.30am for practice, with racing kicking off at 10am. During the heat races the weather was varied. During moto 1 it was warm, but not too hot with a slight breeze. During motos 2 & 3 it started to heat up and the wind picked itself up too. Then during moto 3 it became over cast and windier again.

The heat races went through pretty quickly. The highlight, (read lowlight) of the heat races would have been Ryan Barton's crash. He hasn't had the best year so far, and a knee injury isn't going to help him. Here's what he had to say on his crash: "We had a 6 man grid and I came out the gate about 3rd. We hit up the first step up and we were even. Then we all came to the second jump and I think it was Dylan Prince came under me. We interlocked handle bars in the air and he crashed infront of me then I landed on his bike with all my weight on my left knee and my elbow/funny bone wiped out. When the sports medicine people came the first thing they said was "can u stand for me" which was pretty stupid but I tried anyway but then fell straight back down. Then the lady said to carry me off by hand when the stretcher was right next to us. I think in the end there was 3-4 people down in a pile. I've been told it was a 10/10 stack. The overall injuries are a concussion - I can't remember anything past the first jump and I hardly remember getting carted off. After the sports medicine people checked me over they said sent me straight to hospital. I was there until the 4th moto. I crashed in the first A money heat."

A-PRO
Semi finals were required again this round and through the semi #1 went Ben Williams, Glenn Reynolds, Matt Briggs and Kristian Mills (due to a crash!) Through semi #2 went Rick Holland, Ben Davis, Blake Schofield and Andrew Gillett. Out of the gate Ben Williams got the jump but Glenn Reynolds went with him. Schofield had the inside and slipped into 3rd going into the first corner. Rick Holland got into 4th and was in hot pursuit. Ben Davis was up there as well. Going into the last corner triples Ben Willams decides to roll them. Glenn has to jump out the way and Schofield I have a clean run. Going down the last straight and over the line Ben Williams held on for the win, with Glenn Reynolds in 2nd and Blake Schofield in 3rd.

AA-PRO
Final #1 saw Benn Hall choose lane 8 for some reason. Either way it didn't matter as he got the jump and the holeshot. Scott Taylor slips into 2nd with Cale Mc Culloch up into 3rd. Chris Cabassi and Mark Taylor are also in the mix. Billy Hobbs and Kane Gill get together and both lose out. Going into the last corner triples Mark has worked his way into 3rd over Mc Culloch and Cabassi. Over the line Scott got the win from Benn Hall and Mark Taylor. Final #2 had Benn choose his lane a little more wiser this time. Out of lane 3 he again took the holeshot. Scott and Mark were again onto him. This time though Mark got up into 2nd. Over the line it was Scott for 1, Mark for 2 and Benn for 3. In final #3 Benn Hall again took the holeshot but this time he held onto his lead. The Taylor's were in hot pursuit but couldn't catch Benn. Over the line Benn Hall took the win, over Scott and Mark Taylor. However, this win didn't give Benn the overall. The overall win went to Scott Taylor, with Benn Hall in 2nd and Mark Taylor 3rd.

BRUISER CRUISER
A good field of 11 riders nominated for the Bruiser Cruiser event including 35-39 8W Tony Hancox who had took delivery of a new Gack Hannibal cruiser that week. He was loving his new longer ride and was jumping everything. Matt Butterworth, Paul Throns and Nathan Schmidte were also looking strong in the heat races with Butterworth and Hancox tied for equal top points going into the final with three heat wins apiece. In the final Butterworth and Hancox get the jump and lead going into turn one. Hancox gets a faster exit and carries this speed through the second straight rhythms. (believe it or not you actually increased your speed through these by not pedalling if you got the section right). Throns is biting at the heels of both Butterworth and Hancox and a close finish looked on the cards. Hancox gets some breathing space by clearing the 3rd straight triples and holds on for the win, closely followed by Matt Butterworth and Paul Throns rounding out the podium places.

The next Super Series round is next weekend at Byford BMX Club (home of the 1984 Nationals for all you old school BMXers out there!). The track has gone through a couple of changes since last year. Apparently the first triple is longer and steeper, and the 3rd and last straights have been changed.

18/03 Dirt Designs website has been updated
Dirt Designs, Australia's leading Number plate and padset manufacturer, have just given their website a face lift. We must say it looks very slick.
As well as doing their own line of number plates and padsets Dirt print custom stickers, t-shirts and presentation plates. Find out what Dirt can do for your company or local club.
Check out how you can score stickers from you favourite pro riders.
Craig, head honcho at Dirt, tells us that there is more to come.
Check it out at www.bmxultra.com/dirt.

17/03 Aussies entry fees
Have you ever wondered why you pay so much money for the privilege to compete at the Australian Championships?
$110 for the first amature class entered and $90 for the second class, and Elite have to pay $260-$285, and for what? Sure there are costs, but what wouldn't help with those costs are the prizes are the trophies and prize money.
The trophies aren't worth much, you could stay home, buy your own trophy and come out with some loose change. And it seems that BMXAustralia aren't having much luck with sponsorship or they wouldn't have to charge so much for the elite.
What if BMXAustralia dropped trophies all together and just gave the medals for top 3 and number plates for top 8 and charged $40, wouldn't that have more appeal? It would bring our sport in line with the MTBers of Australia who laugh about our costs and like me don't understand why we race for trophies every weekend anyway. In the end it's only the results that matter.
You would think that with BMX in the Olympics in just 4 years that it would be easier to get sponsorship for the elite classes, when after all they are only riding for a total prize pool of $10,500. Less than our freestyin' and dirt jumpin' counter parts and we all know that they wouldn't pay that sort of money in entry fees. They just wouldn't show up. Are our elite riders getting the raw end of the deal and funding the other disciplines? It would only take 40 riders to cover the cost of the total prize pool.

17/03 Level 1 BMX Coaching Course in Adelaide
A number of requests have recently been received from people wanting to attend a Level 1 BMX Coaching Accreditation Course in Adelaide directly after the Nationals - between the Nationals and Happy Valley race on the Wednesday.

Thus a course has tenatively been arranged for Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th April at the Happy Valley BMX club rooms. This course is to be conducted by Grant White from BMXTrainer.com.

People interested in attending this course are asked to register their interest as soon as possible, so as a final decision can be made this week regarding this course. Please register your interest direct with Grant White at gwhite@bmxtrainer.com or on 0402 047 377.

16/03 Racing in Victoria this weekend
For those Victorian riders not heading to Liverpool this weekend there are a couple of races including the Royal Childrens Hospital fund raiser at Bellarine on Sunday. Friday night at Knox should attract a large number of riders and some great racing, we believe they are running voucher classes. If you are looking for a bit of racing this weekend it's time to check out these clubs;

16/03 Avent/Bombshell doubles up at Reedley NBL National
Reedley, California - Avent/Bombshell's NBL team effort Avent/Fly/Joselyns made it's way to the NBL's Airtime National in Reedley California and the results were outstanding. With some great finishes by Joey Bradford, Josh Oie and Jordan Miranda, the team doubled up on the weekend, winning the team competition both days, putting the team close to the top of the NBL points chase.

Factory Avent/Bombshell team riders 14 Expert Joey Bradford and 7 Expert Jacob Abbe were in the house and representing the Bomb Squad to the fullest. Bradford was killing it as usual with a win on Sunday after coming back from a hard crash on Saturday with LeAndre Parker while leading the main. Abbe is getting used to the NBL thing with a third and a second for the weekend, switching spots with teammate Brandon Crawford.

Highlights included Earle Phillips' double in 40-44 crusier, Josh Oie's double in 15 Expert, Jordan Miranda's double in 10 Expert, Stevie Carvajal's double in 8 Expert with teammate Austin McCollum tailing him for a couple of seconds. Alexis Warne nabbed two seconds in 10-11 Girls and Alex McCloskey picked up a second on Saturday and crashed on Sunday in 16 Expert. Alex roped a hard fought third and fourth in 16 over open. Cody Wilson picked up a third and a second in 11 Expert, Blake Selsor a third and a fourth in 10 Expert, and Matt Day a third on Sunday in 9 Expert.

The team's next scheduled NBL race is the Golden State national in Prunedale, California on May 15-16.
Factory Avent / Bombshell is supported by the best sponsors in BMX: Fly Racing (www.flyracing.com); FSA (www.fullspeedahead.com); Shimano (www.shimano.com); Maxxis Tires (www.maxxis.com); Tangent BMX (www.tangentproducts.com); Thomson Seatposts (www.lhthomson.com); Hot Shoppe Designs (www.hotshoppedesigns.com); Red Baron Racing (www.redbaronracing.net); Moto Mag BMX Magazine (www.motomagbmx.com); IDC BMX (www.idcbmx.com). Support the companies that support BMX!

For the latest and greatest in BMX technology, check out www.bombshellparts.com and www.aventcyles.com!

15/03 Send me an Angel - Reallife interview
David SterryIf you are a fan of the Old School BMX movie Rad or just a fan of 80's music chances are you know exactly who Reallife are and you know their music. Recently we found that Reallife (from Melbourne, Australia) have re-released the Heartland album, which includes Send Me an Angel, the track that features on the Rad movie soundtrack. Next time you hear this song it could be from your CD player rather than wearing out your copy of Rad.
Here's the interview we did with Reallife lead singer David Sterry.

BMXUltra.com: How did "Send me an Angel" end up on the movie soundtrack to RAD?
David: Record companies are always trying to license songs to film soundtracks, compilation albums and now TV commercials. It's not uncommon to sell more records this way than the band sells of it's own release. Bands generally love to be on soundtracks as well. The ultimate would be a James Bond movie.

BMXUltra.com: Did "Send me an Angel" appear on any other move soundtracks?
David: Yes it has. Teen Wolf Two, The Wiz and it's just been licensed for an upcoming Christina Ricci Vampire movie. It amazes me that the song is still so popular after 20 years.

BMXUltra.com: Did the movies help you make an impact in the US?
David: We'd already done very well in the States before the movie sountracks, but it did bring in extra fans from all over the world who had never heard of us before and for this we are grateful.

BMXUltra.com: At what point did "Send me an Angel" hit the American charts?
David: In 1983 it reached #28 on the Billboard Hot 100, but got to number 1 in many States, It spent a month at #1 in Germany and many other European countries in 1984 and a remix got to #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 again in 1989. The song has a life of it's own.

Heartland tour passBMXUltra.com: Did any other singles from the 1983 Heartland album make it in the US?
David: Yes Catch me I'm Falling got into the Top 30 in 1984. Angel and Catch Me were in the German top 10 at the same time.

BMXUltra.com: What have you been doing the past 20 years since Heartland?
David: Making other Real Life albums (Flame, Lifetime, Happy and our current album Imperfection) and touring. We may not be as successful, but we still love what we do.

BMXUltra.com: In your mind has your music changed much since the 80's?
David: We like to think of ourselves as a contempoary band. We're not stuck in the eighties. If you listened to our albums in order, theres a definate growth and direction in each. The technology of music has changed so much. It's a lot cheaper to record now. Our new album was entirely recorded at home on computers for a budget of around $3000, and it sounds great.

BMXUltra.com: When you play live do you still do the old classics?
David: Of course. We still love them and would never want to disappoint our fans from any era in the bands life.

BMXUltra.com: Do you ever get sick of them?
David: Never. It's such a humbling experience to see the joy on our audiences faces.

BMXUltra.com: Why did it take so long for Heartland to be released on CD?
David: That's a long story. The company that owned the rights was liquidated. After an 11 year legal battle I won the rights to release it.

BMXUltra.com: Where can people buy it?
David: If your lucky enough to live in Melbourne Australia (most liveable city in the world), you can find it at Gaslight Records in Bourke Street or via the links below.

HAPPY - A Different Drum (USA) www.adifferentdrum.com
HEARTLAND (on CD) - Gaslight Records (Chaos Music) www.gaslight.com.au
and from 'A Different Drum'
LIKE A GHOST (EP) CD - Gaslight Records (Chaos Music)
HAPPY/HAPPIER (Double CD set) OUT OF PRINT
DEEP SLEEP(EP) www.blahrecords.com.au
All ship worldwide ex Australia ('Happy' ex USA)

Cheers and best wishes to all the BMXers that visit your site.

You can find out more about Reallife by visiting their website at www.reallifemusic.net.

12/03 Racing in Victoria this weekend
There are no major meetings the weekend in Victoria, but there are a bunch of club races. If you are looking for a bit of racing this weekend it's time to check out these clubs (check with clubs for start times);

12/03 Knox Pre-titles Classic entry form
The Knox BMX Club have put together the Pre-Titles Classic, an event that will potentially be one of Victoria's biggest race meetings for 2004.
Held on the 28th of March, 2 weeks before the Australian Championships, it will be the last opportunity for Victorian riders to compete in preparation for the national championships.
The club have arranged to use the "4 beep start system" that was used at the national and world titles last year and would also be used in Adelaide for this years nationals, allowing riders to get some much needed gate practice. The club has also been talking with interstate riders interested in a good preparation event for the nationals. If your aren't sold yet, the entry fees will be very low and the prizes for all classes are Vouchers. There is also 14& Over pro open ($500), Bruiser Cruiser ($250) and Junior Bruiser Cruiser ($250).
Click here to download the entry form for full details (Word document).

Bootes cycles home12/03 Wade Bootes returning to Toowoomba
Wade Bootes, who started racing BMX in Toowoomba, will return there for the upcoming Toowoomba open day on the 20th of March.
The local newspaper, the Toowoomba Cronicle ran an article on him this week. Click on the image to the right to read the article.
If you have trouble reading it we're pretty sure the article will be available online soon at http://www.thechronicle.com.au/.

12/03 Shaun Day In Hospital
Last Friday, Victorian up and coming A Pro, Shaun Day was rushed by ambulance to the Frankston Hospital. Shaun had contracted Meningococcal Meningitis. Shaun spent over 48 hours in the intensive care unit.
Confirmed by his mother, he is now in a stable condition in a ward.

Shaun's road to recovery will be a long one and is not expected home from Hospital for around a month. When he does return he will be cared for at home for two months.

Letters of support can be sent to;
Shaun Day
c/o Frankston BMX Club
PO BOX 235
Frankston, Vic, 3199

Photo by Jane Ollerenshaw11/03 One/BMXUltra.com jersey photos
A short time ago we showed you a sneak preview of what the One Bicycles/BMXUltra.com jerseys were going to look like, well they have arrived.
Some of our readers may have already seen our AA Pro, Jonathan "Jon Jon" Hoare, wearing his at the ACT titles over the weekend. For those that missed the event here's a closer look (click on the pictures for a bigger image).
If you are interested in purchasing one of our jerseys send us an email to webmaster@bmxultra.com, they will be available without the rider name on the back.
BMXUltra.com Jersey front BMXUltra.com Jersey  back

We would like to thank One Bicycles for organising the jerseys for us and the rest of our sponsors Answer, Supercross, BMXBits.com.au, Dirt Designs, ATi, Pazzaz, Control Tech, Profile/ECI, Tektro for their ongoing support.

11/03 BMX Bandits on DVD
BMX BanditsThere's hope for Rad fans yet. BMX Bandits (or Short Wave as it was known in the US), the film that kicked off Nicole Kidmans acting career, is now available on DVD.
BMX Bandits was originally released in Australia in 1983, 3 years before the legendary Rad hit the big screens. It didn't have as much as a cult following as Rad, and it doesn't have the then big name riders or the crazy action on a track that still blows my mind, I think it has something to do with the big spoon.
The plot of the film isn't great and the acting wasn't going to win anyone a Grammy, it's a good fun kids film and it's a must for any BMXers DVD collection.
BMX Bandits is available at EZYDVD.com.au, it retails for about $AUS15. I went into one of their retail stores to pick up a copy for Dean Coles of BMXStars and myself. When I took two copies of the DVD to the front counter the guy behind the counter looked me up and down and said "Man, you must really like this movie!".

11/03 MTB 4X Nationals
Isn't it funny the love hate relationship between BMXers and MTBers at 4X events, the MTBers just hate a BMXer winning. I wonder what the MTBers would think when they find out that Michael Hannah, the now Australian Elite 4X Champion is a BMXer from way back. If you missed the results, Wade Bootes finished second after colliding with Luke Madill out of the gate. Luke finished 4th.
One name we missed out on in the 4X Championships report (it was supplied as a report from Sinster racing team) was Tom Hubert, who was riding in the under 17 class. He finished 1st place, and is sponsored by Haro/Freak Industries/Blackman Bicycles.

10/03 Australian titles entries due today
If you haven't entered for the Australian national championships today is your last chance, and you will need to have your credit card and a fax handy to make the deadline.
For more information click here for the entry form.

10/03 ACT Titles Part 1
The track: From what I heard, the last time there was any racing at the Melba track it was long and fairly flat, from the sidelines the changes looked to be good but once on the track it was a totally different story. Every rider I spoke to felt that the changes were done too hastily and not much thought was put into them. The dirt underneath the surface was still soft due to the lack of time it had to settle, so after a few laps the second to last corner was becoming a little slippery in places (I found that out the hard way). One good change was the new gate, it had an air ram compressor to drop the gate and a mesh platform to load your bike into so there was no chance of spinning your wheel.

The Racing: There was some great racing in the amateur classes. If my memory serves me correctly, in the 9 boys it was Liam Smith from Park Orchards who out jumped the field to take home the number one. In the 11 boys final Jamie Mahuika had about a 4-bike length lead coming into the concrete "S" bend until he lost a bit of traction and had to settle with a sore knee and 8th place. In the 30-34 men 20 inch I believe it was the Tuggeranong rider Paul Napier who took the title from a hard charging Dean Coles.

The pro classes had separate days of racing with the UCI round and pro open class on the Saturday and the A and AA classes on the Sunday.

Junior Elite ladies only had the four riders, so it would come down to who ever could ride the most consistently, Krystal Cranfield took the win from Emma Franklin in second.

The Junior Elite Men had 19 riders, in the motos Michael Fenwick, Leigh Darrel, Scott Lacey and Brian Kirkham looked comfortable to qualify through to the final. A bit of bad luck in the semi kept Lacey out and the finalists go as follows: Fenwick, Darrel, Kirkham, Jollife, Carter, Phillips, Ryan J (not too sure who the 8th qualifier was). Fenwick took the win from Darrel who was not far behind.

Elite Men, One Bicycle’s Khalen Young was looking the goods along with Kamakazi and Luke Madill (both of whom were hurting from a crash in the pro open final. Kamakazi took the early lead with Young and Madill breathing down his neck, it stayed this was for most of the race until the last straight where Khalen pulled a high-low to come out of the corner next to Kama, through the last straight Kama gets squirrelly and sandwiches Young between himself and Madill who came out of nowhere which forces Madill to take the scenic route round the finish line and Young and Kamakazi are both left on there backs in the last straight. End results were Felt’s John Johnson winning by a hare’s breath over Michael Robinson.

Pro open women had only 6 riders, and yep, you guessed it Melissa Mankowski took the win. If I remember correctly she didn’t drop a moto.

Pro open kicked off with 35 riders, which made the racing really close. Out of semi 1 it was Young, Kamakazi, Madill and Scruse. Semi 2 saw Fenwick, Jolliffe, Hoare (Who was showing off the new One/BMXUltra.com jersey and Answer helmet) and Johnstone transfer through to the main. It was interesting to see some big names like National #2 John Johnson, and rookie sensations Leigh Darrell and Gavin J not making it through their semis. In the main Madill seemed to have the edge over Kama and Young, Fenwick not too far back sitting in 4th suddenly found himself in 2nd when Madill washed out in the last turn and took Kama with him. Young 1st, Fenwick 2nd, and Jolliffe 3rd.

Results
Pro
UCI
Amature classes

10/03 Avent Cycles announces new European distributor
San Diego, California - Avent Cycles is proud to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Antwerpse Transport Bemiddeling (ATB) to exclusively distribute Avent products in Belgium. "We have been working with Luc Verdijck at ATB on our Bombshell products for quite a while now and we are extremely pleased that they have brought on the Avent line," stated Marketing Director Will Rells.

ATB will also be distributing Avent and Bombshell BMX and MTB products to select European countries as well as Belgium. They have developed a European website devoted to Avent and Bombshell, check it out at www.aventeurope.com. For more info contact ATB at info@aventeurope.com.

For the latest and greatest in BMX and MTB technology, check out www.aventcycles.com and www.bombshellparts.com!

09/03 UCI BMX News
UCI has launched a new website
UCI has recently launched a new website, with easy navigation and plenty of useful information. Perhaps the best feature is that each discipline will have its own front-page. From the BMX front page, you can easily navigate through various BMX items, such as news, calendar, ranking, results, World Championships and the BMX Supercross. Please visit; www.uci.ch

UCI Official BMX Track builders
Another step in the UCI BMX Development plan has been taken, when recently Tom Ritzenthaler (USA) and Mark Hildebrand (USA) has been appointed Official UCI BMX Track builder. Tom Ritzenthaler has been the main track builder for National Bicycle League for many years and has also been responsible for the World Championship track in Brazil 2002 and the UCI BMX track in Switzerland. Mark Hildebrand has worked closely with Tom Ritzenthaler on numerous NBL tracks and has also been responsible for constructing the X-Games downhill BMX tracks.

The UCI BMX Track Builders will be assisting UCI member federations building first-class BMX tracks, with focus on countries with limited BMX experience. Furthermore, the UCI BMX Track builders will be assisting in building the BMX tracks at all the major UCI events, such as the World Championships and the UCI BMX Supercross.

BMX Track building Seminar
UCI is conducting a one-day track building seminar in Aigle, Switzerland on Monday 12th April 2004. The seminar will be held by Tom Ritzenthaler and Mark Hildebrand (see above for details).

Various topics, such as the latest track design, jump designs, building technique and choice of material will be presented and discussed. For more information and to sign up for this seminar before the deadline 2nd April 2004, please contact; bmx@uci.ch

UCI BMX Supercross
The 1st round of the UCI BMX Supercross will be held May 1st – 2nd 2004 at Woodward West, Stallion Springs California (USA). Located 2 ½ hours north of Los Angeles, Woodward West is a newly developed action-sports facility that opened in May 2003. The camp features state-of-the-art ramps and skateparks as well as a huge downhill BMX track previously used at the 2003 X-Games BMX Downhill event.

Note that all riders must pre-register through their national federation (US riders shall contact National Bicycle League). Please visit the UCI website for additional information about lodging, travel and race information, got to; www.uci.ch

The BMX Supercross will be held in conjunction with a major BMX freestyle event, promising an action packed weekend. The CFB X-Games Qualifier presented by Target will feature Amateur/Pro Vert and Street event. For more information, please visit www.hsacentral.com

UCI BMX High-level training
The UCI is introducing the first high-level training program for BMX, leading up to the XXIX Olympics in Beijing, China 2008. National Federations will be invited to send athletes and trainers to the World Cycling Centre in Switzerland to take part of the first high-level BMX training course of its kind.

From 10th to the 23rd April, 2004, Michel Lalande will lead a group of 15 athletes and 5 coaches in an extensive training and educative program for BMX. The high-level program is directly aimed to young athletes with the goal to become champions. The course will also include a training program for coaches that wish to develop their coaching skills.

There are still a few places for athletes available, please contact the UCI office to receive the official application form. E-mail: bmx@uci.ch

09/03 ABA factory team report volume 1
There are some great behind-the-scenes battles that go down each and every national weekend that get little-to-no coverage. What I'm talking about, of course, is the team competition that the Factories put so much effort into year in and year out. Well, that's all going to change! From now on, right here on your favorite website and in every issue of the hallowed pages of the only independent BMX Racing Magazine out there, Moto Mag, the Factory team championships will have their due respect! So without further ado, here's the scoop!

The Factory Team battle is well under way and three teams have stood out each and every weekend. Avent / Bombshell is out to an early lead by virtue of some early victories at back east nationals. Team aces Mike Lundy, Mike Moeller, Jason Rogers and Alise Post are leading the way for the Red and Black attack. Redman / Yamaha Waverunner is still killing the entire field with their strong team and proved why they are the two-time defending national champs with an unbelievable score of 260 in Phoenix. Backboned by the incredible Jeff Pease, Terrell Proctor and Trae Proctor, look for some more huge team scores from this powerhouse. 2002 and 2003 runner-ups, Answer Factory teamed up with Staats Bicycles for 2004 and are right there in the mix with a Sunday victory in Phoenix. With a cast of killer riders including Bobo Lechner, David Herman, Mike Brabant and the newly acquired Andrew Mayfield, Answer is once again a force to be reckoned with. The Phantom / On-Trac combo team has turned some heads this season, finding themselves in fourth place early in 2004. With standouts like Shelbi Long, Billy Russell, and Fernie Jacquez Rounding out the top 5, the surprise team so far in 2004 has got to be Sharp BMX. Sharp has a good team on their hands, including Jarred Reuter, Brandon Cato, and Dylan Clark.

New teams on the move are aplenty! Challenge Racing is back at it with 2003 National #1 Amateur Josh Oie anchoring a squad that features former Staats racer Jordan Miranda and Matt Faulk. Out of the ashes of the Free Agent / IE Bikes team comes the Auburn / Extreme Sports team, featuring Jason Morris and new A-Pro Sean Storms. Newly styled in their neon-green Fly uniforms, you definitely won't miss them out on the track. Redline has stormed back into action with new pickups Tanner Sebesta and Jessica Rodolf. Gork has run a few team sheets this year and has done extremely well. Moto Mag has stepped it up with new sponsor TCI to throw their name in the Factory hat. ABA official photographers Reno Photos is also in the mix teaming up with Pro Bike Parts. Also new on the scene is the new Pro Concept team seen making the rounds in Phoenix.

Heres how it has gone so far.

ABA SILVER DOLLAR NATIONALS Reno, Nevada

The stage was set at the Silver Dollar nationals in Reno for a Factory showdown. Redman Yamaha / Waverunner dropped most of their older riders over the Winter break and looked lean and mean with all their main guys back from 2003. Answer picked up Andrew Mayfield and Mason Parks and, with a little Licata magic, held on to BOTH David Herman and Mike Brabant. The new Avent / Bombshell team showed up and turned heads with a tight roster of killer riders. Challenge Racing and the new Phantom / Ontrac team was ready to do battle as was Sharp in their new colors and the Auburn team. With killer performances by Terrell Proctor, Cevin Dietz, and Jeff Pease, day one saw Redman (242) take the win with Answer (229) in second and Avent / Bombshell (215) not far behind for third. Day two was a much closer battle with Redman / Yamaha Waverunner (232) taking the victory, Factory Avent / Bombshell (230) in second , and Answer Factory / Staats (223) rounding out the podium. Redman / Yamaha Waverunner took an early lead in the Factory war.

ABA WINTER NATIONALS Phoenix, Arizona

The second ABA "A" schedule of the season was the Winter Nationals in Phoenix,usually a place to get big scores for the factory wars. Factory Avent / Bombshell came into the race with the points lead due to some good finishes in Guthrie and Tennessee. Factory Sharp was in second hot off a win in Tennessee with Redman / Yamaha Waverunner in third and Answer Factory / Staats in fourth. Day one saw Redman stand out with an unbelievable 260 score behind a triple from local-boy Joe Sowers. Also making news was Corben Sharrah finally clipping in, approaching ludicrous speed, and tripling for the Tribe. Bad luck set in for Avent / Bombshell with a TON of riders going down including two hard falls by Mike Moeller and Mike Lundy that saw Lundy pulled off Avent's Sunday team sheet, which proved costly. Answer didn't fare much better despite David Herman, Kris Fox, and Andrew Mayfield taking the top three spots in 15 Expert. Redman (260) took the win, Redline (205) nabbed the second and Avent / Bombshell (201) raked in the third. Day two had rain pouring down over the track most of the day but by class mains the track was in good condition. Redman's Corben Sharrah just missed on tripling again and had to settle for the double. Behind wins from 12 Expert Bobo Lechner and 13 Expert Travis Ohrazda, Answer Factory (224) took the victory. Redman / Yamaha Waverunner (212) followed up with the second and On Trac (208) came in third. Despite losing Mike Lundy on their team sheet on Sunday, Factory Avent / Bombshell still came out of Phoenix with the points lead with Redman / Yamaha Waverunner in tow and Answer Factory / Staats bringing up third.

ABA FACTORY STANDINGS (As of Phoenix)

1 FACTORY AVENT-BOMBSHELL 1625
2 REDMAN-YAMAHA WAVERUNNER 1336
3 ANSWER FACTORY / STAATS 1261
4 PHANTOM-ON TRAC 1170
5 FACTORY SHARP 1113

The next ABA 'A' national will be the So Cal Nationals in Ontario, California on April 2-4. Can Avent hold on to their lead? Will Redman continue their Factory team domination? Can Answer's "home-track advantage" take them to the top? Look for the Factory team action to be hotter than ever in Southern California!

If you are a Factory team manager and have some interesting tidbits of info or just want to get your team props in this column, email factorybmx@hotmail.com.

08/03 Dirt Designs Pro stickers
We just got the word from the guys @ DIRT DESIGNS on where to send the specially marked backing from the limited edition stickers to get the other 12.

It's
DIRT DESIGNS STICKER GIVE AWAY
P.O BOX 78
DIAMOND CREEK VIC 3089

Riders include Luke Madill (GT Aus), Michael Fenwick (Specialized), Tony Harvey (Avent), Scott Taylor (Avent), Simon Anderson (GT Aus), Adam Robb (Redline/TotalBMX), Luke Pretlove (Redline/TotalBMX), Jonathon Hoare (BMXUltra.com/One), Dean Miller (GT Aus) & Chloe Mcpherson (GT Aus).

Don’t forget to send the stamped self addressed envelope.

And remember the only way to get these it to go up to your favourite pro rider & ask for one, shake his or her hand, say thanks & cheer them on in the final.

08/03 Donny Robinson to conduct pre-Ontario Avent/Bombshell clinic in So Cal
San Diego, California - For all of you So Cal riders that want a tune-up before the So-Cal Nationals in Ontario, 'dR' Donny Robinson will be conducting two 4-hour clinics at Kearny Moto Park in San Diego on Saturday March 27.

The first clinic scheduled from 8-12 am will be an all novice and intermediate clinic focused on the basics of BMX racing. Learn gate starts, rhythm skills, and track awareness from one of the most successful BMX'ers of all time.

The second clinic scheduled from 1-5 pm will be an all expert clinic designed for experienced riders to get the most out of their racing. Learn track skills and training tips from 'dR's' vast experience.

Come learn from the best in BMX as Avent and Bombshell's Joey Bradford and AA Pro Tyler Brown help out Donny in Sunny San Diego. Cost is $35. The clinics are limited in size and will sell out fast, so hurry and get signed up! Please call 619-448-4508 for more information or email to info@bombshellparts.com. Donny will have goodies and prizes to give away to each and every rider! Lets see you there!

Clinic sponsors include: Fly Racing (www.flyracing.com); FSA (www.fullspeedahead.com); Shimano (www.shimano.com); Maxxis Tires (www.maxxis.com); Tangent BMX (www.tangentproducts.com); Thomson Seatposts (www.lhthomson.com); Hot Shoppe Designs (www.hotshoppedesigns.com); Red Baron Racing (www.redbaronracing.net); Moto Mag BMX Magazine (www.motomagbmx.com); IDC BMX (www.idcbmx.com). Support the companies that support BMX!

For the latest and greatest in BMX technology, check out www.bombshellparts.com and www.aventcycles.com!

05/03 Pros take all the money?
BMX, like any other sport, has cyclic trends (no pun intended). In my 23 years of racing I have seen rules come and go and come and go and ... well I am sure you get the picture. Instead of progessing as a sport we seem to be chasing our tails, recycling old ideas that don't work. What goes hand in hand with that is the attitude some event organisers and parents of younger riders have towards "Pro" riders, this is also cyclic. A new family to the sport will see that the older riders race for money as their children race for trophies, but as their children get closer to racing pro their attitudes seem to change..
We have to define "Pro" riders as any rider who races for money. This would include vet pro (bruiser) cruiser and all the "voucher" classes if you want to get technical, but for this exercise we will leave them out. What is the problem people have with the "Pro" riders? For orgainisers it means they have to find a minimum prize pool to run a sanctioned and successful race meeting. For parents, in some cases, it means some of the entry fee they pay for their own child will subsidise the pro prize pool. You can see where these people are coming from.
There is more to the problem than that though. Organisers generally are volunteers who don't tend to have a lot of time to organise events, and don't understand how hard it can be to raise the money required to run a successful and profitable event. To organise sponsorship with major corporates you generally have to give them 12 months notice as they annually set a budget. If you don't get in before the budget allocated you simply don't get any money. That's not to say that you will get the money if you get in early, it just increases your chances. One of the biggest problems with raising money with major corporates is they don't understand BMX. This may change over the coming years with BMX being added to the Olympic program, but only if someone starts talking to the media and letting them know what it's all about, that's a whole other story.
If you did manage to talk to a major corporate you will have more of a chance to encourage them to open their wallets if you can prove to them you can create a real spectacle and attract a lot of people which would give them value for their dollar. What would really push them over the line is guarenteeing media coverage which further helps to add value for them. The only thing that attracts the media is a meeting that can attact the pros from all over Australia. If a large number of pro riders are together at a race meeting you can be sure that you will see the likes of BMXPress and maybe local TV stations at the meeting.
That's obviously a larger scale, now let's talk locally. Most "Pro" riders are at an age where they work and a lot of them have to travel, and many do. Even some of the best riders in their respective states wont cover their costs of entry fees, travel and accomodation from the money they win throughout the year. You will find that 99.9% of the riders are racing for the competition rather than the money, this is most obvious when you pay only the top 8 riders and you get an additional 20 up and coming riders in the field. Most of the up and comers are there to test themselves against the best riders on the track and improve their skills, it's unlikely they expect to make money from the sport. You will find that some riders even make a lot less from racing than they would have if they had worked for the day, and this is often the case.
I find it a concern that people would think that Pros just juice BMX for the money because in Australia there just simply isn't that sort of money in the sport. I race the "Pro" class most weekends, and have done so for nearly 20 years. I didn't stay in the sport for that long because it makes me rich, i'd be better off not racing at all.
If you'd like to discuss this topic email webmaster@bmxultra.com.

05/03 Happy Valley car rental deal
HAPPY VALLEY BMX Club are happy to announce that BUDGET CAR RENTAL will be offering 50% off their daily rate, off any vehicle over the Easter Period in South Australia, if you mention you are a BMXer and are coming over for Aussies and Southern Challenge.
Contact Budget on (08) 82240544. Fax (08) 82240544 For bookings and details.
Any Problems ask for Kirstie Dinian

05/03 Park Orchards Press Release
The Park Orchards BMX Club wish to announce that resulting from a committee meeting last week it was decided that we would not be holding an open event on 28 March 2004.

The BMX rumour mill is currently being fuelled with uninformed information. As a club we do not wish to debate rumours dispersed to satisfy personal agendas however you can be assured that the decision was arrived at after much deliberation over a number of issues facing the event. Added together these issues lead us to believe that the event could not be a success for our club, the riders attending, nor the sport of BMX.

Park Orchards as a club are focussing on rebuilding our local club scene. We as a club believe that attracting new riders to our sport and our club is our priority and incidentally that it is the biggest issue facing BMX in Victoria.

During the course of 2004 we will be introducing new initiatives at Park Orchards to get some “grass roots” riding happening core to this will be our local club scene.

Our committee would like to apologise for any inconvenience the cancellation of this event may have caused.

04/03 Dirt Designs Pro stickers
Dirt Designs pro stickers
Are you a ‘Madill maniac’ a ‘Fenwick fanatic’ or a ‘Hitman fan’?
Well if you are you're in luck. The guys at Dirt Designs have released limited edition stickers of their team riders to give away. "Where do I get one?" We hear you ask, simple, all you have to do is go up to your favourite pro rider, next time you see him or her, and ask for one. It's that easy (don’t forget to say please & thank you). What else do I get?? We're glad you asked, keep the specially marked backing from the sticker and send it along with a stamped self addressed envelope to Dirt Designs and they’ll send you another 12 limited edition stickers.
The stickers will be available from this weekend at the ACT championships.

04/03 Clash of the Titans follow up
After the announcement yesterday of the cancellation of the Clash of the Titans, which was to be held at Park Orchards later this month, we have received a bunch of emails from disappointed riders. Apparently a group of South Australian's had planned to pile into a bus and drive the 800 Kms to race the event.
Rumour has it that Knox are planing to run an event on the day so no one misses out.

04/03 Another Victorian 4X coming up
We all know how popular 4X is amongst BMXers and there's another racing coming up very soon. The Geelong MTB Club will be running a 4X event on March 21 at the Baccus Marsh Racecourse
(Melways Reference 339 B2). Registration and Practice start at 8:30AM and Racing starts at 12:00PM. For further informaion check out www.gmbc.com.au.

04/03 Bombshell signs Randy Stumpfhauser
Lakeside, California - Longtime leading BMX fork manufacturer, Bombshell Racing, has come to an agreement with NBL National #1 Elite racer Randy Stumpfhauser to exclusively run their line of "Tribal Carbon" race forks. "Randy is a great addition to our family and we are super stoked to have him aboard," stated Bombshell Marketing Director Will Rells. Randy joins AA Pro's Donny Robinson and Tyler Brown on Bombshell's fork program as well as the entire Avent / Bombshell Factory Team.

Look for Randy, dR, Tyler and the "Bomb Squad" at an ABA or NBL national near you!

Factory Avent / Bombshell is supported by the best sponsors in BMX: Fly Racing (www.flyracing.com); FSA (www.fullspeedahead.com); Shimano (www.shimano.com); Maxxis Tires (www.maxxis.com); Tangent BMX (www.tangentproducts.com); Thomson Seatposts (www.lhthomson.com); Hot Shoppe Designs (www.hotshoppedesigns.com); Red Baron Racing (www.redbaronracing.net); Moto Mag BMX Magazine (www.motomagbmx.com); IDC BMX (www.idcbmx.com). Support the companies that support BMX!

For the latest and greatest in BMX technology, check out www.bombshellparts.com and www.aventcycles.com!

04/03 Factory Avent / Bombshell scores big at NBL Jackpot National
Boulder City, Nevada - Factory Avent / Bombshell's NBL effort, Avent / Joselyns / Fly, rolled into the Jackpot National in Boulder City NV. to take part in the biggest and most competitive West Coast NBL race in many years.
The entire Answer Factory squad came out to play and the competition seemd all too familiar. The team scored big and came away with the National Team win on Saturday and a third on Sunday, turning in perfect scores both days.

The successful weekend was due in large part to the help of Factory "Bombsquad" riders Joey Bradford, who double-doubled in 14 Expert and in 14Crusier, T.J.Johnson, who doubled in 22-29 Expert with a hard-fought third in 16-over open, and Chad Kerley, with a win and a second in 10 Expert. Noteworthy was Bradford's Cruiser double on his brand-new Avent Jibster Dual Slalom mountain bike, clearing Boulder's Pro-Section with ease.

Outstanding racing from the Avent / Joselyn's / Fly gang as Deion Campbell doubled in 9 Expert and a win in 9 Cruiser, Earle Phillips doubled in 40-44 Cruiser, Stevie Carvajal doubled in 8 Expert with his teammate Austin McCollum in tow. Jordan Miranda battled with Kerley and swapped wins on Saturday and Sunday, Josh Oie nabbed a first and third in 15 Expert, Alexis Warne took home a first and second in 10 girls and Brandon Crawford took home one win in 7 Expert. Props go out to Brianna Mack for making her main and winning a moto in Pro Women after a year off the bike
.
Look for the team to rack up some more wins at the NBL Airtime National in Reedley Ca.

Factory Avent / Bombshell is supported by the best sponsors in BMX: Fly Racing (www.flyracing.com); FSA (www.fullspeedahead.com); Shimano (www.shimano.com); Maxxis Tires (www.maxxis.com); Tangent BMX (www.tangentproducts.com); Thomson Seatposts (www.lhthomson.com); Hot Shoppe Designs (www.hotshoppedesigns.com); Red Baron Racing (www.redbaronracing.net); Moto Mag BMX Magazine (www.motomagbmx.com); IDC BMX (www.idcbmx.com). Support the companies that support BMX!

For the latest and greatest in BMX technology, check out www.bombshellparts.com and www.aventcycles.com!

03/03 Clash of the Titans cancelled
The Clash of the Titans was Victoria's last major sanctioned meeting before the national championships. We found out yesterday that it has been cancelled.
Given this it looks like a bunch of Victorian's will be heading to Sydney for the Liverpool masters on the 20th/21st of March.
Click here for entry form and details.

03/03 Toowoomba Open day rescheduled
The Toowoomba (Qld) BMX Club have rescheduled their open day from the 7th to the 20th of March because of the clash with the ACT championships and UCI ranking round.
Sponsors have increased the pro prize pool to $1000, and there will be a special focus on the sprocket classes.

03/03 Factory Avent / Bombshell on top of factory team heap
Phoenix, Arizona - The strongest team in the ABA, Factory Avent / Bombshell proved their strength once again by coming out of the ABA's Winternationals still atop the ABA Factory Team points chase. The team weathered some bad-luck and stormy skies and remains the National #1 Factory Team in the ABA.

The threat of rain was something that loomed over everyone during Friday's and Saturday's practice, but did not come to fruition until Sunday morning. The new factory team looked dominant through motos and qualifiers on Saturday and looked to take home a hefty team score. Bad-luck set in however as every team rider from 13 on up went down in their class mains. The team still put in a respectable 201 on Saturday, with Chad Kerley nabbing a 9-10 Open win and a second in 10 Expert. Jacob Abbe's second in 7 Expert on Saturday helped a bunch and he followed it up with a 3rd on Sunday. The worst crash of all went to 16 Expert Mike Moeller who went down hard after the third turn. A slight concussion and bruised ribs didn't hold him back for long. On Sunday, Mikey came back strong with a win in 15-16 Open and a second in 16 Expert. The current ABA National #1 amateur, Mike Lundy, after his hard spill on Saturday night, came back with impressive double wins in 17-24 Open and 17-18 Expert. "The Beast" Alise Post turned in a whole mess of seconds on Saturday and followed it up with a win in 11-13 Girls Cruiser on Sunday after falling in her other two mains on the rain soaked track. Hot after taking the double-double in Tennessee, 18 Expert Jason Rogers battled a nagging back injury all weekend and still came up with some respectable finishes. Avent's other aces, 12 Expert Lahsaan Kobza, 13 Expert Dustin Vogler, and 14 Expert Joey Bradford came away with some decent main event finishes for the weekend.

Factory Avent / Bombshell is supported by the best sponsors in BMX: Fly Racing (www.flyracing.com); FSA (www.fullspeedahead.com); Shimano (www.shimano.com); Maxxis Tires (www.maxxis.com); Tangent BMX (www.tangentproducts.com); Thomson Seatposts (www.lhthomson.com); Hot Shoppe Designs (www.hotshoppedesigns.com); Red Baron Racing (www.redbaronracing.net); Moto Mag BMX Magazine (www.motomagbmx.com); IDC BMX (www.idcbmx.com). Support the companies that support BMX!
For the latest and greatest in BMX technology, check out www.bombshellparts.com and www.aventcycles.com!

03/03 Free Agent Factory team news
Round 1 of the NBL pro series was held this past weekend in Cold Windy Boulder City, NV.
The Free Agent squad showed up ready to win and take up all podium spots available.

With our new Hot Pro Girl on the squad Alice Jung taking the top slot on Saturday, FA was out to dominate.
Alice Jung took an impressive win on Saturday and then went on to show the spectators a demo with a great show of skill on the double down flat pedal course. With not enough women to race Alice along with 3 other Pro Women did a practice session with the boys to show them they can also hang with the skills...
On Sunday Alice got caught up on the outside of the first turn and ended up on the pro section having to settle for a 6th.
Look for Alice winning races and Jumping doubles at a race near you....

Dale Holmes came in to the race looking for some podiums after battling a cold the previous week.
Dale had some amazing battles with Warwick Stevenson. Dale had some bad luck in the class final only netting down a 5th,but when open rolled up he was ready.
He grabbed the hole shot and held the lead until a clean pass in the last turn gave Dale the 2nd and the hunger for more on Sunday.
When Sunday rolled around again Dale was found in both main events and looking to take them both. When the gate slammed in the main event it was the Free Agent duo grabbing the inside line into turn one. When the dust settled Dale got rad over the pro section and grabbed 2nd place in class behind his arch rival The Warlock.
In open Dale was in the mix with a strong 5th place finish.
Look for Dale on some more podiums this year.

The Bruised, Battered and Smooth Kyle "Butter" Bennet came to the race in bad shape and needing a good break and some relaxation after battling with some previous injuries...
On Saturday Kyle was looking to get the first win of the NBL year and got 2nd behind a hard charging Jason Richardson who by the way scored his first ever NBL pro main event win. So congrats to him on the effort.
In open Kyle was banging bars mid pack and took the 5th.
Kyle was another FA rider who took part in the double down flat pedal race...
He looked like the sure favorite after he posted the fastest time trial lap...but exhaustion got to him in the final round of 8 and wound up with the 8th spot.
On Sunday Kyle had some bad luck in the motos and ended up with the 7th place finish in the elite class.

All Free Agent riders loved the track and left very happy with the results.
Team Free Agent is the fastest Pro Team in BMX!
Remember you to can join team Free Agent.
Look at the website for details at www.freeagentbmx.com

02/03 BMX Victoria riders continue to suffer
It's time for me to get back on my soap box for a minute and express my concerns about BMX Victoria's poorly organised racing calendar.
It surprises me that so little thought goes into Victoria's racing calendar. BMX Victoria's riders will struggle at this years National championships and it's because of the lack of consideration for the riders. Apart from the Track Attack series in January and maybe the Clash of the Titan two weeks before the nationals (April) there is a big hole in the racing calendar filled with regional events and the annual flop that is known as the Supernationals. The regional events which traditionally were run during the "off season" starting after the nationals and running until the sanctioned races in October have taken over the calendar and are now all we have as lead up races for the nationals.
I am not against regional events at all, but there is a time in the calendar for them and it's not in the lead up to national events. Victorian riders traditionally don't support regional events, the ones that do normally don't get the opportunity to compete in pressure racing because generally only the pro class will have a final. Where's the benefit in travelling for such events?
The calendar from January to Easter weekend should have a sanctioned event at least every second week, and BMX Victoria should do whatever possible to make the meetings as successful as they can be. Bring back mailling entry forms to riders, call it an investment, if it attracts a furter 50+ riders you would have to consider it worth it. If you have to have regional events before the nationals make them "Super" events. For each region have a regional championships run on a weekend for each of the regions. During the off season have the series, call it the "regional cup". We need to create pressure racing so the riders know what pressure is when it comes to the nationals.
Victoria has a number of up and coming riders who may never reach their full potential because they can't get the competition they need unless they travel interstate, which can prove quite costly. With the Olympics qualifying just around the corner I think BMX Victoria owes it to it's riders to give them their best chance possible to qualify.

02/03 Southern Challenge entry form
The Southern Challange that was scheduled as a round for the DK Nationals series this year is still on the Wednesday, 14th April, after the nationals despite the demise of the series.
Click here for information and entry form.

02/03 Sinister news
Sinister's Levi Collins won the Australian 4X Expert final on friday. It was his first mountain bike race, he was on board a mountain bike that he'd borrowed from fellow BMXer Nathan Barker.
His team mate Brock Tuckerman finished fourth in the same final, also on a borrowed bike..
Here's how some of the other BMXers went;
Elite
2 Wade Bootes
4 Luke Madill
Expert
1 Levi Collins
2 Adam Robb
3 Dean Beerens
4 Brock Tuckerman
U19
2 David Page
30+
2 Stephen Robinson
Crash of the day went to BMXer, who has been off the bike for a while, Brendon Ruys.
The Sinister crew would like to thank those people who helped our boys on their winning ways.

02/03 BMXPros.com Race Report
NBL Boulder City National Boulder City, NV.
The NBL kicked off its 2004 Pro Series season in Boulder City, NV this past weekend. Just 15 minutes outside of Las Vegas, the Boulder City track was as just as risky as a high dollar bet, with a tight, technical layout giving the best of riders troubles. With the NBL Pro series just consisting of 8 Pro weekends, each race is important to get a good score to go toward the overall #1 Pro title. On Saturday night, they also held a special Pro race, called the Double Down event. It put 2 riders on separate courses, simulating dual slalom racing. 32 riders would go and get qualifying times and then were bracketed up against each other to find the best rider of the night. Here is how the BMXPros.com riders finished up for the weekend.

Randy Stumpfhauser , the 2003 NBL #1 Pro was running the #1 Pro plate for the first time and he rode it proud. Randy started off the day with a win in the Pro Cruiser Class and then headed over to the Saturday night Double Down Race. The Double Down race was an extra event ran by the track operator, that had a side by side trail like track, where 2 riders would go against each other. Randy, who had won the other race put on like this a few years ago, once again prevailed, and took his GT Ultra Box Bike to the winners circle. On Sunday, Stumpy was in both the AA Pro Main, where he finished 4th and once again was the winner of Pro Cruiser. Randy's sponsors include GT Bicycles, Hyundai, IRC Tires, Shimano, Fox Racing, Sun Ringle, Bombshell Forks, AC, Thomson Seat Posts, Powerbar, CTI Knee Braces, FSA Headsets, S & M, BMXpros.com, and Smith Eyewear.

Brandon Meadows has been putting a lot of time into training in the past few months and it showed in Boulder City. On Saturday, Brandon raced his way into the AA Pro main event, where he powered his way to a 4th place finish. Brandon was also in the Pro Open main and finished 8th. Later Saturday night, Brandon was riding excellent in the Double Down race, where he finished up 3rd. On Sunday, Brandon focused on AA Only and it paid off big time, as he finished on the podium, in 3rd place. Brandon's sponsors include Specialized, Tangent, O'Neal, Adidas, Oakley, Sun Ringle, Powerbar, and BMXpros.com.

Kyle Bennett, the 2003 UCI World Champion, came into the first race of the 2004 NBL Pro series looking to take back his 2002 NBL #1 Pro title. As the gate dropped in the main event, Kyle, who was riding flat pedals, holeshotted and looked to be on is way to his first NBL 2004 main event win, until a bobble in the rhythm section cost him and slowed him down to 2nd. Kyle also placed 5th in the Pro Open. On Sunday, Kyle was once again in the AA Pro main, but this time a crash in the first turn pushed him back to 7th overall. Kyle's sponsors include Free Agent, KHS, Answer, ATI, Velo, Sun Ringle, UGP, Truvativ, Kenda, Profile, Powerbar, and BMXpros.com.

Dale Holmes has not done too much NBL racing in the past year, but he put on a great show for the NBL fans in the Pro Open main event. Dale holeshotted the main event and took the lead with Warwick Stevenson in chase. Dale would have the lead all the way into the last turn, where Warwick pull side by side and the 2 would drag race to the finish. Dale just missed the win, but put on one of the best shows of the main event. On Sunday, Dale was at it again, battling with Warwick, this time in AA Pro and once again he finished up in 2nd and impressed the fans. Dale also rode strong in the Pro Open class, and finished up 6th for the day, and wrapped up an impressive weekend. Dale's sponsors include Free Agent, KHS, O'Neal, Kenda, Tangent, Sun Ringle, Shimano, Profile, Powerbar, Truvativ, DaleHolmes.com, S & M.

Cristian Becerine has had a great 2004 season and it continued in Boulder City. Cristian has always been a strong rider in the NBL and he easily made the main event on Saturday. As the gate dropped, Cristian was up front and rode a smooth race to a very impressive 3rd place finish. On Sunday, Cristian backed up his impressive Saturday result with another, this time it was 4th in Pro Open. Cristian's sponsors include Crupi, O'Neal, Answer, UGP, Sun Ringle, Powerbar, BMXpros.com, and Thomson Seat Posts.

02/03 GT/Schwinn Race Report
The NBL kicked off its 2004 Pro Series season in Boulder City, NV this past weekend. Just 15 minutes outside of Las Vegas, the Boulder City track was as just as risky as a high dollar bet, with a tight, technical layout giving the best of riders troubles. With the NBL Pro series just consisting of 8 Pro weekends, each race is important to get a good score to go toward the overall #1 Pro title. On Saturday night, they also held a special Pro race, called the Double Down event. It put 2 riders on separate courses, simulating dual slalom racing. 32 riders would go and get qualifying times and then were bracketed up against each other to find the best rider of the night.

Randy Stumpfhauser, the 2003 NBL #1 Pro was running the #1 Pro plate for the first time and he rode it proud. Randy started off the day with a win in the Pro Cruiser Class and then headed over to the Saturday night Double Down Race. The Double Down race was an extra event ran by the track operator, that had a side by side trail like track, where 2 riders would go against each other. Randy, who had won the other race put on like this a few years ago, once again prevailed, and took his GT Ultra Box Bike to the winners circle. On Sunday, Stumpy was in both the AA Pro Main, where he finished 4th and once again was the winner of Pro Cruiser.

Andre Ellison has been one of the most impressive amateurs on the BMX circuit for the past year, and in Boulder City, he kept up the tradition. On Saturday, Andre went out and showed the rest of the 18 year old experts the fastest way around the track, as he lead the race from start to finish, taking home his first NBL win of the year. Andre looked to back up the win in the expert class with another win in the Open class, but just missed out as he finished 2nd for the day. On Sunday, Andre had it a little bit rough, as a crash kept him back to 7th for the day in the Expert class.

Nate Birkheimer has settled into his new role as the Schwinn AA Pro just right, as he was in 3 out of 4 main events this past weekend at the 1st NBL Pro series event for 2004. Boulder City, NV, just 15 minutes outside of Las Vegas was home to the event, as well as being just a few miles from Nate's house. The Boulder City track was super technical, and Nate seemed to have the track wired, as he was out front all weekend in qualifying moto's.
On Saturday Nate made it to the Pro Open finial and had a great come from behind race, where he would finish up 4th.
On Sunday, with the Sun out shining, it looked down upon Nate, as a bad crash took him down early in qualifying, but he was able to come back and make both the AA Pro main and Pro Open. In AA, another crash held him back to 8th for the day, but in the Pro Open main, a clear run down the first straitaway, put him right up in the front of the pack. Nate rode a flawless race and would finish up 2nd overall.

Nate will be heading off to Washington in a few weeks for the next round of the AA Pro series.

Schwinn is proudly sponsored by Shimano, Sun Ringle, and Rock Shox.

01/03 Olympics competition final results
The GT/Dirt Name the Australian Olympic team competition has come to an end. After a month of keeping track of nominations of who you, our readers, think will make up the Australian 2008 Australian Olympic BMX team we now have the final results.

The winners:
(The entries were short listed by a way of elimination, those who didn't send the email with the correct subject heading and complete contact details were left off the list from which we selected the entries. The winning entries were selected at random.)
GT Jersey: Rachel Bracken of Aitkenvale, Queensland
GT Jersey
Dirt Designs pack: Peter McCarter of Wallsend.
Our winners will be contacted via email soon.

The Results:
There was no real surprise with the riders who made top 3 on the male and female lists, but what was good to see were the bunch of younger riders mentioned. We need to keep an eye on these riders over the next couple of years, and you can be guarenteed there will be others come to the limelight who haven't made our list this year.

Female riders
Melissa Mankowski 93.75%
Emma Franklin 71.88%
Chloe Macpherson 53.13%
Ziggy Callan 34.38%
Krystal Cranfield 18.75%
Renee Junga 12.50%
Tanya Bailey 9.38%
Nichole Callisto 6.25%
Male riders
Michael Fenwick 81.25%
Luke Madill 56.25%
Khalen Young 53.13%
Leigh Darrell 21.88%
Michael Robinson 15.63%
Scott Lacey 15.63%
Josh Callan 12.50%
Kamakazi 9.38%
Warwick Stevenson 9.38%
Jonathan Hoare 6.25%
Charles Nelson 3.13%
David Page 3.13%
Luke Pretlove 3.13%
Scott Taylor 3.13%
Ty Halliday 3.13%
Wade Bootes 3.13%

We'd like to thank GT and Dirt for supporting the competition this year and look forward to running it again next year to see how much the results change.

01/03 Jamie Peterson update
Just letting you know Jamie had a three hour operation yesterday, he is recovering well.

They have rebuilt a new socket for him and he has a few plates screws and you name it to keep it all together. The doctors were very happy with how the operation went. He has to spend the next five days in hospital and the following two weeks with his leg raised and not moving at all, then after the two weeks they will put him in plaster, when his swelling goes down.

He has a long road again with rehab, but with his positive outlook, he will definantly get there.

He has been moved to room 36 and his phone number is 9921-1336.

Thank you every-one who has gone and visited him, phoned him and given your best wishes, it has really helped him alot, as hospital gets very boring especially for some-one who does not know how to sit still.

Steve Hunter (South Eastern BMX Club)

 

Last updated: Thursday, 2 April, 2009 7:33 AM