March BMX racing news

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31/03 Interview: Jason Carnes

by bmxultra.com
Every once in a while we start an interview with someone that never quite gets finished for one reason or another. This interview with Redline's Vet Pro champion Jason Carnes is one of those. It was started before the 2005 ABA Grands, which is a busy time for any ABA rider, let alone one that drives the Redline truck and was heading to hospital for a knee operation right after the grands. But we don't think it's dated, so click here to check out the Jason Carnes interview.

30/03 Pump tracks

by bmxultra.com
Some of you may have already heard of and/or been riding pump tracks. But for those of you that haven't it's time to get your pump on.
There's a worldwide movement amongst MTBers to build pump tracks, which are small looped tracks with small jumps that will fit in pretty much any backyard or near by vacant lot or park. The idea is to develop enough skill to get around the tracks quickly, only pedalling to get started, but after that your pump should keep you going.
If you want to find out more check this out:
http://www.leelikesbikes.com/build-your-own-pump-track.html#more-77

30/03 Joe Kid screening in Manchester

Contact Theatre press release
hola….
Indeed..a second nugget of goodness from us to you…

Time for another sneaky free screening here at contact.
After our previous sneaky touch of bringing afro reggae’s doc. favela rising to you we have the pleasure of screening, as a taster to our forth coming inhouse show, skid 180…the BMX doc…Joe Kid on a Stingray.

Check… http://www.joekidonastingray.com/

FREE: 7.00pm :Thu 6 Apr :Space 1: Contact :Oxford rd:Manchester

Bell 0161 274 0600 to book free tickets.

29/03 Aussie Nationals

by Tony Hancox
Every year BMXA or ACTBMX have posted lists of entries to the Aussie Nationals. What has happened to BMXA? Not only are there no entries posted but replies to emails have become non-existent. In the last 6 months I have posted several questions with absolutely no answer. The excuses of NEW administration and staff are really “cop outs” as any business that has been running for 20 years must have some sort of system in place….or how else do they survive? It’s not asking too much for a simple reply but maybe it takes sites like urs to view our disgruntled message.

Here are the questions I had for BMXAustralia, if anyone else can help, please let me know:
Q1: Where are the entries listings for National Titles?
Q2: or Will they be posted this year as opposed to previous years?

29/03 NBL Silver State Nationals Las Vegas, Nevada

Double A Marketing press release
The NBL held round #4 of the 2006 Pro National Series this past weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada. Along with the NBL Pro series event, it was also a round of the UCI North American World Ranking series. The Nellis BMX track is one of the Pros favorites on the NBL Pro tour, with a high speed, technical track showcasing the pros speed and skills. Randy Stumpfhauser, Kyle Bennett, and Dale Holmes made the trip to Nellis for the Silver State Nationals and here is how each one of them finished up in the main events

Randy Stumpfhauser has had a great year so far in 2006, with wins in both the ABA and NBL Pro series events. At Nellis, Randy was consistently our front, winning motos and in all of the main events that he entered. With over 25 Pros in attendance, it was one of the toughest National events to make the finals at this season. On Saturday, it was a long day for the Pros as they raced both the regular NBL Elite National as well as the UCI round. Randy looked great and kept the consistency rolling into the main events, as he placed 2nd in the NBL Elite Series and 4th in the UCI Finial. On Sunday, Stumpy was on point again, this time with a 3rd in Elite men. Randy wrapped up a huge weekend in both the NBL and UCI points chase and looks to be ready for this upcoming weekends ABA Winter Nationals in Phoenix, AZ. Randy's sponsors include GT Bicycles, Kenda, ODI, AC, Tangent, Sun Rims, Bombshell, Fly Racing, Powerbar, CTI Knee Braces, OGIO, X Balm, Tool Shed, SDG, SRAM, Easton, S & M Bars, Cyto Max, and BMXpros.com.

Kyle Bennett as well as Randy has wins in both the ABA and NBL this season, and Kyle sits near the top of the NBL pro points. Kyle knows that it doesn't matter where you sit in the points mid season, its all about after the main event at the NBL grands, so he is working on getting great results at each event, to put him in title contention come NBL grands. On Saturday, Kyle looked wicked fast all day long and was in the NBL elite main event. Kyle was off just a bit on his start, and Kyle would wind up 8th overall. On Sunday, Kyle was on point all day and took the Sun Ringle Hole shot award and the $500 to come with it as he lead the main event all the way up to the last turn, but a small slide cost Kyle the main event win, giving his a 2nd overall. Donny Robinson was the winner of Elite Pro both days and congratulations go out to him. Kyle's sponsors include Free Agent, KHS, Fly Racing, Bombshell F1 Fork, Sun Ringle, Shimano, UGP, Kenda, Thomson, Utopia Eyewear, THE Products, S & M bars, ODI, ORP, OGIO, Powerbar, Cyto Sport, and BMXpros.com.

Double A Marketing proudly represents Cristian Becerine, Kyle Bennett, Dale Holmes, Brandon Meadows, and Randy Stumpfhauser. For more information on any of the riders, or on Double A Marketing, please visit www.BMXpros.com

28/03 Victorian state championships to stay open

BMVictoria press release
Following the success of the 2005 State Championships at Portland, the club delegates at the BMX Victoria State Council meeting on Saturday voted to keep the Victorian State Championships as an Open event into the future.

With recommendations to the council from both the BMXV Board and the Event Management Group the delegates voted by a significant majority to retain the open status introduced last year.

BMXV spokesman Graeme Anderson said he was pleased with the decision. “Opening up the states will bring in many interstate riders as was the case last year. With more riders comes better racing, a great atmosphere and also much more exciting racing. All of these benefits will also contribute to the BMXV aim of growing the sport in Victoria”

This year, Victoria’s premier race meeting will held at the Knox track in Melbourne’s east.
Knox is one of the host venues for the very popular and successful “Track Attack” series conducted each January and also the venue for the Knox Thunderdome in November each year.

The 2006 Victorian State Championships will be conducted over the weekend of November 25TH & 26TH

27/03 Cyclone Larry

by Kent Elliott
Hi all....

Please rally the troops to help us raise needed funds to help those devistated by Cyclone Larry in far north Queensland last week...PLEASE!
Graham, John, (Aust.) ... please help these clubs, - Rally the Pro's... troops, sprockets.. and Southern clubs, if the same was to occur in NSW, SA, Vic, ACT, WA, NT, Tas, etc., etc., we would be the first to assist.
I said many years ago I would NEVER BEG for BMX, well, I'm begging now... for a good cause.. so PLEASE DO ALL you can to assist.

This list will be updated regularly;
Thanks for your support.
The funds raised will be managed and distributed by BMX Qld.
________________________________

BMXA - will be donating a MAJOR One-OFF gift for Auction. Wait till you see this one folks. $1000 reserve price.. but worth every cent.
$100 - Toowoomba BMX Club.
$20 - Kent Elliott (Twmba - admin)
$5 - Troy Elliott (Twmba 7B)
$10 - David Budden (Twmba Pres)
$100 - Centenary Plains BMX Club.
$100 - Nerang BMX Club
$100 - Ashmore BMX Club
$5 & Signed HARO Jersey W8 - Jamie Gray
$5 - Cheryl Vince
$20 - Sheilds Family (Mackay Club)
$20 - Winter Family (Sunshine Coast)
$10 - 'DAMO' Damien Rosenthal ( Twmba Club - W6 )
$5 - Wes Kahler (Twmba club- track Boss)
$5 - Cathy Rosenthal (Twmba Club admin)
$50 - Errol & Kayelene Domin (Pres & Sec BMXSQ)
$200 - WOW..!! (thanks Mackey Pioneer BMX Club - TOP CLUB PLEDGE TO DATE - & THANKYOU)
$25 + pad-set he won. Karlten Wolsey (thanks Big-K - donated his 1st 8 Boys Pay cheque - Champion..!)
$50 - Barry Knight (Pres. BMX Qld)
$20 - WELLS Family (Cent Plains club - thanks Derek & crew)

TOOWOOMBA CLUB NIGHT Fri 24th March;
$2 - Matthew Flint (6 boys)
$20 - Nicholas Vonhoff (2003, 16B, 4A)
$5 - Daniel Cherry (8 boys)
$5 - Connor Whitehouse (8 boys)
$2.50 - Mat Williams ( Twmba non member - 16 b)
$2 - Mitchell Lawson (8 boys)
$2 - Luke Smith (8 boys)
$2 - Alex Smith (12 boys)
$3 - Brendan Beutal (5 boys)
$10 - Ben Cooper (8 boys - thanks Ben)
$2 - Jordan Lawson (8 boys)
$2 - Georgiana Nevin (10 girls - Banana's..)
$2 - Kane Bradford (7 boys)
$2 - Bailey McAurther (6 boys)
$2 - Tamika Thompson (9 girls)
$5 - Mitchell Single (9 boys)
$2 - Paige Thompson (9 girls)
$4 - Jake Thompson (10 boys)
$2 - Sam Taylor (8 boys)
$2 - Jackson Family
$2 - Daniel Bain (9 boys)
$2 - Tim Dent (9 boys)
$2 - Matt Cook (10 boys)
$5 - Mandy Elliott (admin)
$5 - Rob Flint ( 30+Crsr & BMXSQ Cmmtte Member)

Where are our Famous PRO's??? Com'on crew... PLEASE HELP US OUT! DONATE NOW!!!! Please....

Wade Bootes Pack:
WBR socks - WBR T-shirt, Limited WBR race Jersey signed by Wade Bootes
Trek/VW World Champion Stripes Race Jersey Signed by WADE BOOTES
One Ring sprocket/chain ring bag - Percentage Designs computer bag
2 x Gavin D Bmx 2006 Calendars - Signed by Wade.
___________________________________

LATE eMAIL:
From Pres Cairns Club;

Hi Kent,

A short note to say thanks for all the effort you guys are going to help the clubs up north. At this stage I think Cairns will be able to race within a week but it is going to take longer for Innisfail and Atherton to recover. Its great to see the BMX community rallying together when the chips are down. Please pass all our thanks on to everyone involved and I will be in touch soon

Regards

Kent Druery - Cairns Pres
_________________________________
Hi again Kent,

One year exactly basically since we held the Aussies! You think you can turn the wind on for the QLD's (Toowoomba) ? You ain't seen nothing yet!
All renovations were carried out by a new rider wearing Plate No. 5. His name is Larry. We don't think he should come back

Thanks again for all your thoughts and help

Regards

Kent Druery.
________________________________

Hi Kent

Firstly can I say a very big thankyou to all of the BMX Community for their thoughts and the support that is being offered to all in the North it is greatly appreciated. The Atherton track has taken quite a battering with the rain but thankfully the minimal infrastructure we have has survived well our little garden/storage shed we were sure would have been gone is still intact with a huge tree laying right a long side we were very lucky. All racing in Atherton has been postponed until the end of April when hopefully we will all have our own properties tidied up the rain will have eased and we can make a concerted effort to resurrect our track. As far as we know at this stage all families in the Atherton Club have managed to avoid any structural damage to their properties some families are still without power and are likely to be that way for another week or so. The main aim at the moment is to get properties cleared of all garden debris. We are off to Innisfail tomorrow to catch up with family and members of the Innisfail BMX Club I will attempt to get photos of their track and most certainly pass on all of your best wishes to them and update you on news from their club which I believe is not good once we are home. Once again thankyou all for your thoughts and good wishes.

Mary-Jane, Tom Fuller and Family
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please pledge now...!!! tracks are trashed - they need big help...$$$$$$$

Contact:
Kent Elliott
0419744758
mailkent@bigpond.net.au

24/03 Review: Bullets and Octane - In the Mouth of the Young CD

by bmxultra.com
If you haven't heard of Bullets and Octane yet you have to checkout this review. If you are after a sample of their music check out http://www.totalassault.com/contests/?contest=00373 and sign up for the free ipod while you are there.
Click here to check out the review.

24/03 Aussie National Talent ID Squad Points to Date

by Wade Bootes/Australian National Talent ID BMX Coach
It is important for riders, coaches and parents to read the Selection Criteria for the National Talent ID Squad if you wish to be selected. National Talent ID Squad Camp will be June 16th 17th 18th on the Gold Coast which will have QAS/AIS staff members and all State Coaching Directors in attendance. All information is posted on the BMXAustralia web site. If you have any question please contact your State or Regional Coaching Director or Andrew Nolen at BMX Australia.

There are 4 champ bikx races left plus the National Championships which counts for 1 and a half points, so the places on the BMXA National Talent ID Squad are up for grabs.

Best of luck to all Champbikx competitors at the National Championships in Adelaide.

Rank	Name	State	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Best 4	Nationals	Total
14 G
1	Krystal Russon	QLD	0	8	6					14		14
2	Katrina Durso	VIC		6	5					11		11
3	Kirsten Dellar				10					10		10
4	Jade Parker	VIC			8					8		8
5	Olivia Mcintosh	NSW			5					5		5
6	Emily Brown	QLD			4					4		4

14 B
1	Ryan Faux	QLD	10	10	8					28		28
2	Jacob Page	QLD	8	4	6					18		18
3	Brendan Abel	QLD	6	3	4					13		13
4	Adam Sanderson	NSW			10					10		10
5	Kevin Watson	QLD	2	8	1					11		11
6	Christopher Vockenson	QLD	5	4						9		9
7	Matthew Dunsworth	VIC	3	6						9		9
8	Robert Londema	SA	5		0							5
9	Jamie Welhan				5					5		5
10	Joshua Wallis				3					3		3
11	Corey Hewitson	NSW			2					2		2
12	Justin King	QLD		2						2		2

15 G
1	Rackel Bracken	QLD	6	10	8					24		24
2	Stacey Jones	QLD	1	5						6		6
3	Cherie Simpson	WA			4					4		4
	Erin Anderson	VIC			0					0		0
	Courtney Taylor	NSW			0					0		0

15 B
1	Sam Willoughby	SA	8	10	10					28		28
2	Michael Chasty	VIC	10	4	6					20		20
3	Josh Callen	VIC	5	6	8					19		19
4	Blake Collins	QLD	4	8	5					17		17
5	Justin Braybon	SA		5	3					8		8
6	Daniel Hatten	QLD	8							8		8
7	Nick Deninger	QLD	3	3						6		6
8	Anthony Dean	SA	2		2					4		4
9	Kurt Nicholls	QLD			4					4		4
10	Ian Docherty	NSW	1	1						2		2
11	Christoper Courtney	QLD		2						2		2
12	Justin Myers	SA			1							1

16G
1	Grace Ireland	NSW	8	10	6					24		24
2	Ceilidh O'sullivan	QLD	10	8	3					21		21
3	Caroline Buchanan	ACT			10					10		10
4	Caitlyn Ward	QLD	5	5						10		10
5	Ashliegh Weier	QLD	4	6						10		10
6	Caetlyn Hubert	NSW	3		5					8		8
7	Maggie Faux	QLD	2	4						6		6
8	Hannah Bayly	QLD		3						3		3
9	Alyce Patroni	WA			2					2		2

16B
1	Dirk Winter	QLD	10	10	10					30		30
2	Steven Janssen	QLD	8	8	4					20		20
3	Luke Bracken	QLD	2	6	5					13		13
4	Jye Danielson	QLD	6	5	0					11		11
5	Ashley Mccutcheon	VIC			8					8		8
6	Ben Davis	WA			6					6		6
7	Kristopher Ulyate	QLD	1	4	0					5		5
8	Mathew Davies		5							5		5
9	Luke Londema	SA	4		0					4		4
10	Samual Shields	QLD	3							3		3
11	Micheal Young	QLD		3						3		3
12	Tye Booker	NSW			3					3		3
13	Arron Hattin	QLD		2						2		2
14	Nicholas Cameron	NSW			2					2		2
15	Nathan Simpson	QLD		1								1
16	Masahiro Sampei	Japan			1							1

Points	Champ Bikx	Nationals
1st	10	15
2nd	8	12
3rd	6	9
4th	5	7.5
5th	4	6
6th	3	4.5
7th	2	3
8th	1	1.5

24/03 Formula’s Donny Robinson takes over ABA AA pro lead

Formula Bicycles press release
Pasco, Washington – After yet another stellar outing last weekend at the ABA’s Great Northwest Nationals in Pasco, Factory Formula AA Pro / Elite Men’s racer Donny Robinson has taken over the ABA’s AA Pro points standings. Donny is having his most successful and consistent year as a Pro. He is currently leading all Pro categories (20” and 24”) in both US sanctions and UCI North American Elite Men’s standings.

Donny has been on fire, with consistent podium finishes all year long. Pasco was no exception. dR powered his Formula Solution Pro Series bike to a second place finish in AA Pro on Saturday. Donny almost had it in the bag, winning the first two rounds. In the third round however dR tangled down the first straight and Donny just missed out on the win. Sunday, dR was determined to get the win and when the dust settled, dR found himself at the top of the podium. “It feels so good to finally be where I know I should have been the whole time,” stated Robinson. The win propelled him into the AA Pro points lead.

In Pro Cruiser, dR nailed down the win on Saturday aboard his Formula Solution Pro Cruiser. Sunday he had to settle for a third. All in all, the finishes were enough for dR to retain his Pro Cruiser points lead.

Donny is also leading the NBL’s Elite Men’s points lead after a win at the NBL Boulder Dam National. Donny also has the UCI points lead after winning the UCI Elite Men’s class in Boulder.

Look for Donny Robinson aboard his Formula Solution bikes at the NBL Nellis national this weekend and at the ABA’s Winter Nationals in Phoenix the following weekend.

Formula’s “Solution” Series of race frames are AVAILABLE NOW, factory direct. Formula features a full line of 100% American-built 6061-T6 Aluminum and 4130 Chrome-moly frames to fit just about every size and skill level rider. With features like CNC’d euro bottom brackets, dropouts, headtubes and chainstay bridges and geometry designed with input from the entire Formula Factory team, you can be assured that Formula bikes ride better, lighter, and faster than the competition.

For more info email info@formulabicycles.com or call 619-590-0530. Also make sure to check out www.formulabicyles.com.

24/03 Joey Bradford off to great start

Joey Bradford press release
Monterey, California – So far in 2006, GT Bicycles’ 16 Expert Joey Bradford has picked right back up where he left off in ’05 after winning his first ABA NAG#1 title last November at the ABA Grand Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After, the Grands, the head honchos at Pacific switched Joey from Mongoose to GT. Before his GT debut in Reno, Joey switched up tire size and changed crank length, which gave him some gearing problems. Reno was a start to the year that Bradford feels wasn’t quite up to snuff. Of course for Joey, with a second and third in 16 Expert, anything less than a win is sub-par.

Joey made up for it with a 16 Expert double in Bakersfield including a great high low pass between Sowers and Woodmansee to take the lead in Saturday’s 16 Expert main. Check out the following link to see this main:

http://joeybradford.com/images/videos/C1assmain1.MOV

A couple years ago, to make things a little more challenging, Bradford started racing a Mountain Bike in cruiser. Bradford busted out his brand new GT MTB, powering it to a pair of thirds for the weekend. Not bad for a bike that’s at least 10 pounds heavier than the competition.

The next weekend was the NBL Boulder Dam National in Boulder City, Nevada. After battling all day with Warren McDow and Euro Martijn Scherpen in the UCI Junior Men’s class on Saturday, Bradford took the lead from start to finish in the main. Joey also added yet another win in 16 Expert on Saturday. In Sunday’s 16 Expert main, Bradford tangled with Joe Sowers in turn one, nearly going over the turn.

Last weekend in Pasco, Washington, Bradford doubled on Saturday in 16 Expert and 15-16 Open. Bradford claimed victory in Open again on Sunday but unclipped down the first straight in his Expert main. He then tangled with Nic Long in turn one and nearly crashed and the race was out of reach by then. Here’s a link to Joey’s Saturday class main in Pasco.

http://joeybradford.com/images/videos/PascoDayOne.MOV

Up next for Bradford is NBL Nellis, ABA Phoenix and the Sea Otter Classic MTB race in his hometown of Monterey, California. Check out www.joeybradford.com for more info!

Joey Bradford rides for GT Bicycles and the following co-sponsors: Oakley goggles and glasses, Fly Racing gear, PowerBar, Ogio bags, Tangent plates, pads, and grips, Sun Rims, Sun Ringle hubs, Bombshell forks,Kenda tires, SDG seats, SRAM chains, Easton seat posts, Truvativ cranks, Avid brakes, O'Neal pants, Pearl Izumi.

23/03 Waitakere Race Report

by Adam Campbell
Round four of the Daliston Team Trophy competition went ahead at Waitakere (New Zealand) in spite of speculation that the race would be moved due to the poor track conditions. The sincere hard-working folk at the Waitakere club managed to offer up a track that was adequate for racing however some still considered the track to be well below the perceived UCI standard.

But I digress now onto the race report…

The team, which still currently held 2nd place going into this round, needed a good round & with the return of Scott Hosking it looked as if we may get it. Unfortunately this round would result in us earning our highest points total for the season.

Cory Martin (12 Boys) struggled to find the form that saw him win the Mighty 11’s test team trial earlier in the season. However Cory is a fighter & I know that come the final round at the NZ Nationals next month, Cory will be back to his best.

Kane Barry (13 Boys) was again dominant! And apart from a few scares did not drop a lap all weekend. Also dominating his competition was Wyatt Clinch in the 15-29 Cruiser, a class in which Wyatt was the youngest rider!!!

Wayne Pottow (16 Boys) is my choice for rider of the round. After an indifferent performance in the previous round of Daliston competition, Wayne was back! He rode very well against some very good competition & is a contender for a podium finish at the nationals.

Scott Hosking (Junior Men) & Tim Ferguson (Elite Men) had some real competition in the form of some visiting Aussies & while Scott has not raced since the North Island Titles back in October, he looked great & seemed to get faster over the course of the weekend. Tim also looked very smooth all weekend & I felt he raced as well as he has all season.

Robert Blackham (Elite Men) did not race due to an accident in practise at the track the night before in which he managed to break every bone in his foot except his big toe! So Robert will now be reduced to being a spectator & assisting me with my managerial duties at the nationals.

So after the completion of round four, the team is narrowly holding onto the two spot. The fifth & final round is scheduled to take place at the NZ Nationals over Easter in Cambridge.

Team Staats/Dickies would like to acknowledge the support of team sponsors; Dickies, Shift Racing, Horleys, Spy Optic, & DMT Shoes.

22/03 bmxultra.com/One Bicycles jerseys

by bmxultra.com
A couple of weeks ago now we gave you a quick look at the 2006 bmxultra.com/One Bicycles jersey and promised some more photos. Here's the jersey in all it's glory, our model today is our USA team member Jason Bergstrom.

The jersey features the bmxultra.com team sponsors for 2006 including One Bicycles, Answer BMX, Supercross, ATi, Dirt, Pazzaz, ManageSoft, and Tektro.

You can purchase your own through the online store at One Bicycles (www.onebicycles.com), who ship to anywhere in the world. The jerseys are completely customisable with your name on the back and country flags on the shoulders at no extra cost. It is also possible to change the team blue to another colour, but you will have to speak with One Bicycles directly via phone or email for that level of customisation.

22/03 Avent Vs Intense

by bmxultra.com
ECI have finally lifted the lid on the Avent Vs Intense thing that we got the teaser for a week or so ago.
It looks like Avent (Tony Harvey) and Intense (Kamakazi) are looking for Australian riders under the age of 13 to ride in their junior support teams.
The deals include:

Frame
Forks
Jersey
Pads
Plate
Free coaching from Tony Harvey or Kamakazi

For more information click on the Avent/Intense image (above/right) or email team@eciimports.com

22/03 BMXV Autumn Supernats entry form

by bmxultra.com
The Autumn Supernats had the potential to be something big as a lead up event to the Australian Championships for a lot of Victorian riders. But it seems that it's not going to be much bigger than a regional event as far as hype and prizes. Also it's a single event run over two days on two tracks rather than two separate events, which would have been far more beneficial for the riders giving them 2 chances to make the main and 2 chances to race under the pressure of a main.
That said I am sure that Victoria's best riders will be there to see how their Aussie preparations are going.
Click here to download the entry form from the race calendar.

21/03 Bootes wins Toowoomba Open

TeamWBR.com press release
Toowoomba, QLD March 18th
Toowoomba BMX Club was the host of the Toowoomba 5000 this past weekend in Toowoomba, QLD on top of the Great Dividing Range. A tight track with lots of jumps made for some close racing through the corners and long rhythm sections. The weather was once again windy but it did not affect the outcome of the racing on the day. Here is how the race unfolded.

Bootes was back in his home town were he started racing 24 year ago. Jarrod Graves is also a local hero that has started racing BMX again to help with his mountain bike season. It looked to be a race between the two local boys during the day and that’s how it turned out. Graves had the holeshot but could not hold onto it going into the first corner, Bootes made a move and accelerated strong to open up a big gap out of the second corner which saw him take the win. Graves was holding off Kamakazi and Gray by showing his skills on his BMX bike. Stevie Janssen made some ground and moved into 4th. Across the line it was Bootes, Graves, Kama and then Janssen.

Day 2 looked to be the same with Graves taking the holeshot from the inside. Gray was close behind with Bootes in tow. Gray made a massive transfer across the step up into the 2nd corner just missing Bootes’ front wheel and diving on Graves to take the lead. Graves and Bootes started to chase Gray back but ran out of track and had to settle for 2nd and 3rd.

The next major race will be back in New Zealand for round 6 and 7 of the UCI World Ranking series April 9th and 15th.

AA Men Results Day 1
1 Wade Bootes – TeamWBR.com
2 Jarrod Graves
3 Kamakazi

AA Men Results Day 2
1 Jamie Gray
2 Jarrod Graves
3 Wade Bootes – TeamWBR.com

TeamWBR is proudly supported by : www.Ozcrank.com, Percentage Designs, One Ring, Volkswagen Australia, Hogs Breath Cafe, Velocity Wheels, Hayes Brakes, Investco Merchant Bankers, JBL Audio, Strathfield car radio, ATI, Fox Shox, IRC, Cane Creek, BSC, QuikShade, Bell Helmets, Truvativ chain guide, Funn, Nike Cycling, Shimano, Sockguy, Asterisk and www.TeamWBR.com

21/03 Toowoomba 2 day results

by Kent Elliott
It was a very windy weekend, but not as bad as the Queensland state titles back in September 2005.
There was a quality field across the ranks, and a great weekend of racing was had by all.

The BMX Mum competition winners were - runner up Sue Vockenson& Winner Jenny Maher.

Stand out performers: (and there were many, however we'll mention just a few)

Boyd Hilder 10 boys clean sweep all events - very classy young rider.
Ross Domigan - clean sweep - all cruiser events - incl Bruiser (30 & Over cruiser money class).
Neil Brunjes A-Pro - Doubled.. Sat & Sun.
Caroline Buchanan - young speed queen... a shear pleasure to watch. BMX poetry in motion.

Hope to have extended report and happy snaps on the Toowoomba website soon.
You can also view and purchase online the professional shots of event from www.gavind.com.au.

Results:

Saturday	Sunday
AA Pro 1 WADE BOOTES 2 JARED GRAVES 3 KAMAKAZI 4 STEVEN JANSSEN 5 MICHAEL VOCKENSON 6 DANIEL JOHNSTONE 7 GLEN CODEGA 8 JAMIE GRAY	AA Pro 1 JAMIE GRAY 2 JARED GRAVES 3 WADE BOOTES 4 DANIEL JOHNSTONE 5 MICHAEL VOCKENSON 6 DAMIEN ROSENTHAL 7 STEVEN JANSSEN 8 GLEN CODEGA
A Pro 1 NEIL BRUNJES 2 PHIL BREZIGER 3 CHRIS COURTENAY 4 GRAEME RIGGS 5 JASPER GAFFNEY 6 JASON FISCHMANN 7 PETER KAHLER 8 ROSS DOMIGAN	A Pro 1 NEIL BRUNJES 2 PHIL BREZIGER 3 CHRIS COURTENAY 4 GRAEME RIGGS 5 JASPER GAFFNEY 6 JASON FISCHMANN 7 PETER KAHLER 8 ROSS DOMIGAN
Pro Women 1 MELISSA MANKOWSKI 2 CAROLINE BUCHANAN 3 RENEE JUNGA 4 KRYSTAL CRANFIELD 5 CELIDH O'SULLIVAN 6 GRACE IRELAND 7 HANNAH HOYSTED	Pro Women 1 CAROLINE BUCHANAN 2 MELISSA MANKOWSKI 3 RENEE JUNGA 4 KRYSTAL CRANFIELD 5 CELIDH O'SULLIVAN 6 GRACE IRELAND 7 ASHLEIGH WEIER
Bruiser Cruiser 1 ROSS DOMIGAN 2 SCOTT PETIE 3 JACK WEITENBERG 4 GREG VALLIS 5 ROB FLINT 6 DARREN ECKHOLD 7 MAURICE MONCKTON 8 DAMON DANELON	Bruiser Cruiser 1 ROSS DOMIGAN 2 JACK WEITENBERG 3 ROB FLINT 4 GREG VALLIS 5 MAURICE MONCKTON
Telstra 10's 1 BOYD HILDER 2 MARK LOCKWOOD 3 LUKE DAVIS	Telstra 10's 1 BOYD HILDER 2 SHAUN MARSTELLA 3 MAX DEMPSEY 4 LUKE DAVIS 5 JORDAN BROWN

21/03 Northern Rivers Regional series - Round 1 - Border (Wodonga)

by Border BMX Club
The Northern Rivers Regional Championships kicked off a little sluggish at the Border BMX Club at Wodonga, due to many factors but it didn't help that the Aussie titles are just around the corner and Commonwealth Games are currently on in Melbourne. There weren't many riders in the Am classes and only seven in the 14 & Over money class. A couple of young, up and comers, stepped up to the plate like Dan Kouzulins and Aaron Geedis. The usual riders were the likes of Grant Carra, Ultraboy Adam Carey and the "big boy" Brian Slatter, we also had the quick lil Ben Ross and local boy Andrew Toth. The first moto Carey (on the inside) and Toth (right beside) were out in front, first corner Adam went down after a diabetic hiccup, washing out and hitting the deck hard. Unfortunaly Ben Ross and Dan Kouzulins were right behind him. This left Toth with the first moto win. Carey decided that after 5 days of working on the track and just getting over an illness would sit things out. This left it down to Ben Ross and Andrew Toth followed by Grant and Dan, Brian and Aaron

Ben went on to take the next couple of moto's showing that he had some awesome speed and massive skills to get around the new track. But lane 8 in the last moto and the first moto carnage stopped him from taking the win and left Toth to take it out. It was great racing and showed that the Border track was brilliant.

The young kids loved it and we can't wait to see them all back next time, Border would like thank all the little kids and riders who made the effort to come and have some great racing. Border would also like to thank all the volunteers/officials and Grant Carra for spicing things up a little bit at the cometary tower and Bodi Turner who gave Grant a hand.

21/03 Double A Marketing @ ABA Great North West Nationals Pasco, WA

Double A Marketing press release
The ABA held round #4 of the 2006 Pro season this past weekend at the Trac Arena in Pasco, WA. A short and simple track made for some super horse power type racing from the Pros, with some of the fastest lap times in ABA National history. With just over 200 moto's the weather outside was just a bit nippy over the weekend, but the enclosed arena made for some perfect racing conditions. 13 AA Pros made the trip to Pasco, for a light Pro turnout, but the riders who were there were some of today's fastest riders. Randy Stumpfhauser was the lone Double A Marketing rider in attendance, but he sure had a stand out weekend. Here is how Randy finished up.

Randy was coming off a strong result from the last ABA National, where he placed 1st and 2nd in AA Pro. Randy had missed the first two rounds of the ABA Pro series, due to a hand injury, but to watch him race in Pasco, you would never know he missed a beat of his training or riding. On Saturday, Stumpy was one of the standout pros in attendance, and once the main events started, he really shinned. After a close race with Donny Robinson all day, Stumpy edged him out for the overall win, Randy's 2nd ABA AA win of the season. On Sunday, Randy had a bad crash in the first main event, giving him 8 points right off the back. Randy fought back with 2 great results, netting him 3rd overall for the day. Randy, who is also know as the king of the 24's, had a rough weekend, as he crashed in the main event both days, scoring a 7th and 8th overall. Randy looks forward to the next round of Pro racing, which will be this upcoming weekend in Nellis, NV at the NBL / UCI event. Randy's sponsors include GT Bicycles, Kenda, AC, Tangent, Sun Rims, Bombshell, Fly Racing, Powerbar, CTI Knee Braces, OGIO, X Balm, ODI, Tool Shed, SDG, SRAM, Easton, S & M Bars, Cyto Max, and BMXpros.com.

Double A Marketing proudly represents Cristian Becerine, Kyle Bennett, Dale Holmes, Brandon Meadows, and Randy Stumpfhauser. For more information on any of the riders, or on Double A Marketing, please visit www.BMXpros.com

20/03 Pre-Order BSX2006 DVD

by bmxultra.com
When we ran the BSX one on one pro challenge in January to raise money for the Royal Children's Hospital Foundation we had 3 video cameras in operation to capture the whole thing for a DVD. When we finished editing everything we ended up with 52 minutes of footage which starts off showing the track being built to practice to time trials to eliminations to finals and some of the riders having a blast around the track once racing was over. There are also short interviews with the riders and more in depth ones with Luke Madill and Jamie Gray, and a nice little crash sequence.
We are putting the finishing touches on the art work at the moment and the DVDs should be ready to ship later this week.
If you would like to get your hands on a copy they will be $AUS20 each + postage. The money raised from DVD sales will go towards bringing in more dirt, making the track bigger and more fun for BSX2007.
If you would like to check out some of the action from BSX2006, there are some preview clips at www.bmxultra.com/bsx.
Email webmaster@bmxultra.com for details.

17/03 Review: Undecided jersey

by bmxultra.com
With the BSX over, the website look updated, and a few other things out of the way we have found some time to work through some product reviews and there will be more interviews on the way too.
The Undecided jersey was the next one to complete, so click here to find out more about the Undecided jersey. Other reviews on the way include the soon to be released Bullets and Octane CD and the 2006 One Bicycles frame.

16/03 What's new?

by bmxultra.com
We asked our new US team rider/photograper, Jason Bergstrom, to keep an eye out for new products at the stores around the US Nationals. Here's some random photo from Morristown, TN earlier this month.
1. Sun Ringle Camo rim
2. Avent frame
3. MCS frame
4. Staats frame
5. 2006 TLD helmets
6. more 2006 TLD helmets
7. Supercross Evo G6 frame

16/03 Formula riders still on top of points lead

Formula press release
El Cajon, California – Factory Formula riders Donny Robinson, Amanda Geving, and Warren McDow still lead the pack in UCI and NBL points, once again establishing Formula as a dominant force on the race scene.

After a UCI win at the NBL Boulder Dam National, dR Donny Robinson took over the lead in UCI Elite Men’s Standings. With his NBL win on Sunday, coupled with a second on Saturday, dR extended his lead in NBL Elite Men’s points as well. Consistency has paid off for Donny. “I’ve been working real hard to stay on top of my game and it feels good that it’s working,” stated Robinson. Donny is also still on top of the ABA Pro Cruiser points heap and is sitting in the #2 spot in AA Pro. Donny Robinson rocks the Formula Solution Pro for his 20” and the Solution Pro Cruiser, for, uh, his cruiser.

Amanda Geving also sits atop the UCI standings in the Jr Women’s division. With a victory in Saturday’s UCI main, Geving extended her points lead giving her a nice cushion, especially since she will be missing the NBL’s Nellis national. In NBL standings, Geving also retains the lead in Elite Women’s points and 14-17 Girls Cruiser points. Geving hit up the NBL Spring National in Morristown last weekend and picked up a double in 14-17 Girls Cruiser and a double in the Elite Women’s class for yet another double-double to add to her trophy case. Amanda Geving dominates on her Formula Solution Pro Minus 20” and Cruiser.

Atlanta’s Warren McDow was killing all day in UCI Jr Men’s racing in Boulder City but, in the main, got into a tangle with Euro powerhouse Martijn Scherpen down the first straight, letting Joey Bradford take the win. McDow settled for third. The podium finish was enough however to keep McDow on top of the UCI Jr Men’s points standings. In 17 Expert, “McDominator’s” double in Boulder City was enough to plant him at the top of the leader board in NBL National points. Warren McDow McPulls everyone on his Formula Solution Pro XL.

Look for the Formula Factory team at the NBL Nellis national later this month and at the ABA’s Winter Nationals in Phoenix in April.

For more info email info@formulabicycles.com or call 619-590-0530. Also make sure to check out www.formulabicyles.com.

16/03 Toowoomba entries still open

by Kent Elliott
NOMINATIONS ARE STILL OPEN FOR BOTH DAYS OF TOOWOOMBA 2 DAY EVENT THIS WEEKEND, Until FRI. 17th 8pm (when Gate practice finishes)
Two Separate Events - A new event Each Day - This will be the LAST "A/AA" Race in Queensland for 2006, as a result of new trial period for "Pro-Open".
For more info call - Kent 0419744758 or twmbabmx@bigpond.net.au or Club Sec. Mandy 0427576721

15/03 Aussie High Performance Team criteria

by bmxultra.com
In digging around for the Australian High Performance Team criteria we found a couple of things.
1. Cycling Australia (who Sean Dwight works for) is in charge of the High Performance Team. Not BMXA.
2. There is a documented selection criteria but it's not easy to find (see link below).
3. BMXA are in charge of the Junior development program (for 14-16 year olds) which all information is posted on the BMXA Website (see "What's New" section of the front page).

Both Tony Hancox and the lovely Tanya Bailey had a copy of the selection criteria and emailed it to us. There's no guarantee that it's the lastest, most up to date, version of the document. But it should at least give you an idea of how the criteria has been set.
Click here to download the Australian High Performance Team selection criteria document (MS Word).

15/03 Sirius Bicycles @ UCI Round 5, Waitakere, New Zealand

By Melissa Mankowski & Adam Campbell - Sirius Bicycles
UCI Round 5, Waitakere, New Zealand - Ok so the day started off quite nicely, the nicest day we’ve had in a while in fact, as the rain held off which was a good thing. The track wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be… but not as great as it could have been either!

There weren’t enough Junior Women riders to form a class which meant we were going to have ride with the Elite Women. There were three world plate holders in this class & many of the other riders had either national or state rankings so this was going to make for some good racing.

The race format would consist of three motos & a Deadman-final for all the marbles. The qualifying motos went off without a hitch & the riders in the final were; Renee Junga (W2 AUS), Sarah Walker (W02 NZ), Tayna Bailey (AUS), Krystal Cranfield (AUS), Vanessa Quinn (NZ), Lisa Horlor (NZ), Serena Kastermans (NZ), & me.

In the final the gate dropped and Junga got out extremely fast, with Bailey and Walker going with her. I had Lane 1, which although narrow meant a nice inside line into the first turn. Junga’s first out of the turn followed by Walker. I managed to go under Bailey for the three spot. Junga and Walker collide as they head up the second straight, which allowed me to move up on them however Junga has the race pretty much in control. Heading into the second-to-last turn, Walker takes a questionable line riding the middle of the track to take the turn & I went for the inside swoop and it paid off! Walker is pushed high in the turn & loses a pedal, rides over the exit of the turn & she slips back to 8th position. This allows me to take 2nd for the race & over-all. Junga takes the win, & Bailey takes the 3rd podium spot.

NB: This race win puts Melissa atop of the UCI ranking ahead of Sarah Walker – Ed.

In the Elite Men’s final the line-up is: Marc Willers (W6 NZ), Tony Wilcock (NZ), Luke Madill (AUS), Jamie Grey (W8 AUS), Wade Bootes (AUS), Kamakazi (AUS), Billy Jollifee (AUS), & our international guest Kyle Bennett (USA).

Kama gets the best snap followed by KB then Bootes. KB holeshots & is followed by the rest of the field as they bottleneck into turn one. Bootes rides high & looks likely to get passed by a few riders but somehow still manages to exit the turn in the top three. Kama spots a gap & passes KB down the second straight for the lead. Bootes & Willers are contesting 3rd & 4th & the battle is heating up! Bootes moves ahead of Willers & slips by KB into 2nd & he is left to fend off Willers who is now charging hard. Willers would take KB for 3rd & this is how they looked to go to the line however Bootes just manages to squeeze past Kama on the final straight for the win followed by Willers in 3rd, KB, Madill, Jollifee, Wilcock, & Grey, who had hit the gate at the start & was forced to play catch-up the entire lap.

Melissa's would like to acknowledge the support of her sponsors; Staats Bicycles, Ciari, SINZ, THE, Fox, Spy Optic, & Undecided Clothing.

14/03 Windham Warriors gates on Wednesdays

by Gary Morgan
For the riders on the Western side of Melbourne, there is gate practice at the Windham Warriors track (aka Werribee) every Wednesday night from 6pm

14/03 Aussie High Performance Team letter

by John Steel
Can you please enlighten me on what is happening with the high performance team. I've called BMXA with no result and then followed up with an email which still is unanswered and even spoke briefly to the alledged coach of this whole farce who quite rudely brushed me off. The general opinion is in Australian BMX that this is a sacred squad and unless you are in the know you don't have a snowflakes chance in hell of even getting a look in. I would dearly love to know what is the current selection criteria for this squad, I'm as yet to see anything official posted and assume it is all based on past results as the current results of the majority of this team leaves a lot to be desired. A lot of emphasis is being placed on the UCI races being conducted but seeing our major leaders in the elite mens series aren't in this squad I'm left quite puzzled. Also how many riders can actually afford to chase this series and obtain promising results and still be overlooked? All I want is someone to confirm the selection criteria and how the results from those races will be analysed. BMXA needs to come clean and let everyone know what is going on, it is our membership which helps fund this squad.

[Editor: I must admit I don't remember seeing a selection criteria, but I could have posted something here on bmxultra and I wouldn't remember because I am a lot less passionate about what BMXA does and how it runs the High Performance Team. I am sure you will find that the High Performance Team are training for longer term goals with the World Championships and the Olympics in mind. I don't think you can expect the riders to win everything, but since they regularly make mains and podium finishes I would have thought they were on target, time will tell. Is there anyone out there that could shed some light on the selection criteria?]

14/03 Tech talk: breaking spokes response

by bmxultra.com
Just when we thought we had the answer we needed old school BMXer, Glenn Ballinger, with a whole lot of experience in the cycling industry sent this in:

Glenn Ballinger
Here’s an insight to strong wheels & the reason you’re breaking spokes.

First Check that the wheel is correctly laced – Look at the first spoke forward of the valve hole, the head (hub end) should be facing in towards the opposite hub flange (head in). Next look at the second spoke forward of the valve hole, this should follow the path of the first spoke and most importantly the head of the spoke should also be in the “head in” position. Often this isn’t the case as most wheel builders learn to lace a wheel by copying off an existing or pre built wheel. Often the shop built wheels are machine built and the configuration of the machine wont allow for a correct lace up. The best load bearing or stronger wheel sets are always laced with spoke pairs in head in or head out but never a combination.

If your wheel is correctly laced than the next likely reason is that the hub flange & spoke head bend or elbow are not compatible. Either the hub flange is too wide for the spoke elbow causing excess stress on the spoke head – check this by looking at the hub end of the ‘head in’ spokes, they should come out the flange and go straight to the rim without any extra inwards bends, a slight bend indicates a spoke that has a elbow that is to short for the hub. Alternatively you may have a spoke elbow that is to long; a spoke like this will move slightly in the flange and eventually fail. – You can check this by once again looking at the ‘head in’ spokes. There will be a noticeable gap the entire circumference of the head of the spoke. Spokes that are to short in the elbow typically fail at the head joint while the spokes that are to long typically fail somewhere on the bend in the spoke

Also check that the holes in the hub flange are slightly countersunk, for some reason many USA made hubs don’t have this critical feature

Now here’s the reason for multiple & simultaneous spoke breakages. Typically when a spoke breaks the shift in tension on the remaining spokes cause the wheel to buckle or twist, so when a broken spoke is replaced there is a need to adjust the tension of a number of spokes. Most often this adjustment will be in the form of tightening the spokes and this is where major problems occur with wheels. You are most likely breaking multiple spokes because the spoke tension is now way to tight after having replaced spokes on a number of occasions. When 1 spoke breaks the change in tension on the remaining spokes is so great that other spokes will also let go. A sign of high spoke tension is that multiple spokes break on the same flange

Here’s how to fix it – rebuild the wheel. A word of warning, when you unlace the wheel start at the valve hole & loosen each spoke ½ a turn at a time, continue around until you can remove the nipples by finger. Otherwise the rim will distort & it will be impossible to reuse it to build a strong wheel again. Also check the spoke holes on the hub and clean up the holes using a small drill bit twisted on the countersink by hand.

Spoke brand is not really important, I’ve successfully used Chinese, Tai, Wheelsmith, DT & Sapin – Spoke choice with respect to correct length & bend is crucial.

What is the correct lace pattern – Front Wheel 3 Cross or Radial, Back Wheel you have a number of choices 3 cross both sides OR 3 cross drive side with radial on the off side. Never lace with a 2 cross or 4 cross or tie & Solder

Hope this gives you an insight

14/03 Are you 13-16 yrs in '06 and licenced in QLD?

by Frankie Winter
Are you 13 - 16 yrs in 2006 and licenced in QLD. Then you need to read this so you know what classes to enter at key events in QLD during 2006 to make the Zone, State and/or National ID Talent Squads

The following information was sent to all QLD Licenced Riders aged 13 – 16 in 2006. It relates to the selection process for determining Zone/State/National Squads

A new selection process targeting riders aged 13 – 16 years has been determined for 2006 that will be fairer to all parties. This will also replace the process of applying for positions on the State Squad.

4 Events (Open Days) have been chosen within each Zone, riders compete at a minimum of 3 of these and are awarded points for placing’s in motos and finals. They also compete at the Zone Championships for further points. Should they elect to compete at all 4 events, they can use the best of 3 events for their point score. Highest point holders form the Zone Squad. The amount of riders per Zone Squad is determined by the Zone.

Far North Zone
Townsville – 2 day 4/5 March
Burdekin – 2 day 18/19 March
Cairns – 2 day 1 & 2 April
Atherton – 12/13 August

North Zone
Mackay Pioneer – 2 day 15/16 April
Moranbah – 2 day 8/9 April
Walkerston – 2 day 20/21 May
Sarina – 12/13 August

Central Zone
Harbour City – March Madness 04 March
Rockhampton – 25 & 26 March
Maryborough – 22 & 23 April
Bundaberg – Cane Toad 15 & 16 July

Southern Zone
Toowoomba – Saturday event only 18 March
Nerang – 15 April
Hinterland – 20 May
Centenary Plains – 18 June

Zone Championships
Southern – Nerang 1 & 2 July
Central – Harbour City 3 & 4 June
North – Proserpine 18th June (Extra points as this event is a one day event in place of the Zone Championships)
Far North – Cairns 10 & 11 June

Club Registrars are responsible for sending collated results for each event selected to the BMX QLD office. BMX QLD Office is responsible for the collation of tallied points for each rider. Rider are requested to keep a record of placing’s in the event points are questioned.

Points are not calculated for Pro Open or 14+ Classes. Riders who wish to be in squads will have to race age but may race Pro at the same event if they choose to.

The Toowoomba 2 Day Event is 2 separate events. Only Day one is scored for the Squad Selection Process. Riders are asked to compete as Year of Birth on Day 1 (18th March) and are permitted to compete as Age on Day for Day 2.

In the outcome the event if Age on Day, riders who will be 13 – 16 yrs in 2006 are requested to race as Year of Birth. Event Registrars have been made aware of this.

In the event there is not an available age group and a rider has to race up a class they will gain points as indicated below:
For example if there are 3 girls racing in the same age group but they are aged 13, 14 & 15 and they place in the following positions for motos or finals they are awarded the points as shown:
13 yr girl - 3rd place 1st place points for 13 yr girls
14 yr girl - 2nd place 1st place points for 14 yr girls
15 yr girl - 1st place 1st place points for 15 yr girls
If a rider chooses to race up an age group, when there is an age group available for them, they will not be awarded the points for that age group. Should they be looking for competition, they are eligible to compete in both Pro Open and their age providing they are over 14 years of age.

A rider may compete at an event not in their Zone but they will not be awarded those points. The points will be invalid.

Riders who are injured or unable to attend the events selected are instructed to apply for a Wild Card. To be eligible for a Wild Card a rider must have achieved one of the following within 12 months prior
- Zone #1
- State #1
- National Plate Finalist
- World Plate Finalist

Should you have any further questions regarding any of the above please call Frankie Winter on 0423 931 715.

13/03 Bootes Wins UCI Oceania Round 5

TeamWBR.com press release
Auckland, New Zealand March 11th
Waitakere BMX Club was the host of round 5 of the UCI BMX World Ranking series this past weekend in Auckland, New Zealand. With a great track with a fast long first straight seen the Elite class hit over 50kph. The weather was perfect once again on race day and the race action was as best as you can get. Here is how round 5 of the UCI series unfolded.

Bootes looked to be back in charge after last weeks misfortunate crash with Kyle Bennett by qualifying out of the moto’s and into a stacked semi which seen some heavy hitters missing out on the final. In the main Bennett once again got the holeshot and had the lead going into the first corner. Kamakazi saw a gap and took over the lead down the second straight. Bootes and Willers were battling it out for 3rd and 4th. Bootes carried a lot of speed into the 2nd corner and passed 2 time World Champion Kyle Bennett into 2nd place. Bennett was then passed by Willers in the 3rd corner which saw the rest of the riders bunching up into the last corner. Bootes proved that there is still plenty of steam in his legs by passing kamakazi in the last straight to take his first win of the 2006 UCI BMX series.

The next UCI rounds will be back in New Zealand April 9th and 15th, but in the mean time Bootes will compete back in his home town of Toowoomba at their $5000 Open Day this coming weekend.

UCI ELITE Men Results
1 Wade Bootes – TeamWBR.com
2 Kamakazi
3 Marc Willers

UCI Current Points Overall Ranking
1 Wade Bootes AUS 47
2 Marc Willers NZ 44
3 Jamie Gray AUS 36

13/03 Metro Plate regional round 1 results

by Greg Siinmaa
Round 1 of the 2006 Metro Plate series was run and won on Sunday the 12th March. Numbers were down a little for a Knox Metro round but maybe it was the fact it was a long weekend and with people going away and things. 192 entries wasn't too bad. The track hasn't had any more upgrades since Track Attack but it was in it's usual great condition. The officials did a great job in running the moto's through fast and trouble free. Bruiser Cruiser only had 4 entries which is a bit poor as there was great interest in getting this class up and running but little support from the main players. Colin Gruar took the win in straight motos from Red Hunter. The largest class was 30 plus men's Cruiser with 20 entries. They had semi's and a final. Glen Surridge took out 1st in the final followed by Jason Delaney and Chris Beales.The 14 plus Women was won by Caroline Sabotka followed by Joanne Kelly and Erin Anderson.
14 plus men had 16 entries, just one off semi's. The motos were full of action with Tyrone Walsh stepping up to the 14 plus ranks only to crash while leading the 1st moto and injuring his arm which kept him out of the rest of the days action. Nathan Evens didn't drop a moto thus qualified through in 1st. The final line up was Nathan Evens, Michael Chateauneuf (WBR) Connor Hunter (Rapido) Trevor Stamford (Speed Skills), David Page (Felt) Tom Siinmaa (BMX MAD), Adam Carey (bmxultra.com/One Bicycles) and Leigh Mc Namara.
Evens and Stamford got the jump out of the gate followed a group of five with Chasty being ejected out the back. Siinmaa moved up from 6th to third with a massive jump over the first straight doubles but was just as quickly pushed back to 5th by Carey and Page in the first corner. Evens was in control all the way followed by Stamford with a hungry pack on his back. Carey and Siinmaa took the high line into the last turn while Page made tight line under both of them. It was Carey then Page followed by Siinmaa blasting into last straight. Siinmaa put his smooth style into action passed Page who was passing Carey and by the finish line Siinmaa had passed both to cross the line on Stamford's heels, followed by Page who had got past Carey. Great racing by all.
Let's hope the Eastern Region run the whole series as well as round 1.

Click here for full results

13/03 ULTIMATE Pro Cup will have to be cancelled

ULTIMATE Pro Cup Press Release
It is with deepest regret to have to make this announcement, but after numerous attempts to try and secure a new sponsor, the ULTIMATE Pro Cup will have to be cancelled. The unique event was scheduled to take place on April 12th of this year at Okeeheelee BMX Track in West Palm Beach, Florida. The last ULTIMATE race that was held there attracted an estimated 2800 people to the facility. This year with the radio support it was going to receive, that number could have easily doubled. All is not lost though, with the amount of planning, preparation and work that has been done for this event, all it is
going to take to make it happen is a title sponsor, which is only a matter of time. This event will happen.

Ultimate Marketing would like to thank the people who were giving their support to this event: Okeeheelee Parents Council, Palm Beach Sports Coalition, 103.1 The BUZZ Radio, Cory Nastazio, Angel Nastazio, Trend Multimedia and the National Bicycle League.

13/03 Tech talk: breaking spokes responses

by bmxultra.com
It seems that the tech heads have made a unanimous decision to the solution to spokes that keep breaking. I'm not surprised. If you are looking at having some wheels built, make sure you pay the extra few dollars for some reputable spokes. Here are some of the responses:

Daniel Abraham
This is a phenomenon with stainless steel spokes. Once you break one, they keep breaking. The only solution is to rebuild the wheel. I can't definitively explain why, but I believe it has to do with twisting strength with stainless steel. If you want to eliminate this problem switch to standard chrome plate spokes. They look ugly, but they don't have the same problems as stainless.
Between me and my old man we build a few hundred wheels a week. You'd think we'd know some real science of wheelbuilding by now, but unfortunately not.

Mark Dobson
RE: spokes. They have reached their fatigue life. It's time to completely relace them. Try DT spokes this time, they cost $1 each not 50 cents each like the chinese made stainless steel no-name spokes.

11/03 ACT Titles/UCI Oceania Round 4 report

by Shane Jenkins/bmxultra.com
I have been meaning to write this report all week, but since I got my ass kicked so hard in the A Pro class on the weekend, I have been spending all my spare time on my bike to make sure it doesn't happen again.
One of the best parts of going to the races, especially meetings like the ACT Titles is the road trip. Shannon "Rudy" Rademaker, Scott "The Oracle" Bradley and myself headed up to Canberra early-ish on Friday, meeting up with Jamie and Boxhead Bullows along the way. I enjoyed the event so much last year I was really looking forward to getting to Canberra and start racing, but there was the extra buzz about the event after the announcement that 2 times elite world champion, USA's Kyle Bennett (FreeAgent), would be there to try to pick up some UCI points.
When we finally got to Canberra about 7 hours of talking a lot of rubbish about life, BMX and the universe. The weekend forcast was pretty much 30 degrees (Celsius) a little warm, but not unbearable. The Melba track looked fast on the 1/4 of it that was cemented, the rest looked a little loose and boggy, apparently the top surface was thrown on the track so close to the event it hadn't had time to bond. The trickiest sections were the first 3 cement corners. The first corner was fast but a little small for the speed that riders were hitting it. The next 2 corners were an "S" bend that pretty much ensured that the field would sort themselves into single file. The track layout was a little weird. You couldn't see the who track from any one spot. Friday's practice session went pretty much without a hitch. We hit the town for dinner, it was full of life, which was a little different to my past experiences at Canberra.
Day 1 (Saturday)
We arrived at the track in time to watch the 4th round of the UCI Oceania ranking series/3rd round of the Champ Bikes (14, 15 and 16 class national series). The track looked to have hardened a little, there were a couple of 16 year old guys really ripping it up. I saw some dude on a Mongoose that was looking very impressive, I later discovered that it was Dirk Winter, no longer on his Staats/Sirius ride. Also Victorian Ashley McCutcheon looked like he's stepped it up after his nasty fall that lead to an elbow operation and a broken wrist that was in a cast for most of the summer.
It was also the first time I had seen the Japanese guys racing since the 2003 Worlds. Damn those guys are quick. The Kiwi's blitzed it last year, but seemed to struggle a little more on the unusual layout of the Melba track. In the Senior Elite men, all eyes were on Kyle Bennett. It would be interesting to see how the Aussies would ride against him. Also Michael Fenwick has been hanging with the world's best AA Pros in both the NBL and ABA during the Aussie summer, would he come back a different rider? The motos were tough, but you could see Bennett, Fenwick and others doing only what they needed to to make it through to the finals, nothing more (one of the downsides of the UCI transfer system).
In the main Bennett got the snap from lane 5 with Bootes in tow from lane 4 and the rest of the field (Kirkham, Willers, Gray, Robinson, Madill and Fenwick) close behind. In the first corner Bennett got the clear lead and switched on the turbo. Bootes was using his experience to keep the other riders under control. It looked like Bennett had hit the "S" bends way too fast, but he pulled through it until he lost traction on the exit dropping the bike. Bootes was right on his tail with nowhere to go than into him, Robinson did the same and Madill was the first to avoid the pile up, he went on to take the win. Jamie Gray finished second and Fenwick third.
The Senior Elite women only had 6 riders. When it came down to the final round of motos Renee Junga had a handy 4 point lead over 3 riders tied for second, but when the gate dropped Junga hit the deck. That allowed USA rider Jill Kitner to take the overall win. Junga had to settle for second and Tanya Bailey finished third.
Day 2 (Sunday)
The AA women's class was dominated all day by Caroline Buchanan, including the final. Mankowski finished second and Tanya Bailey, who made it into the final after a run off for the final spot, finished third.
56 riders In the A pro men's field. There were a bunch of riders doing well, but the standout was McCutcheon, he'd won the final from start to finish and didn't drop a race leading up to it. The way that rider is going, he'll be AA Pro in no time. Japan's Yuichi Fujisawa made the main, but got all tangled up in the first corner fighting to get into a top 3 spot and hit the concrete.
AA Men had over 50 entries too, Bennett decided to sit it out after his crash in the UCI round. In the semis Kamakazi had a nice lead and seemed to stop pedalling halfway up the first straight, Madill was right on his tail and looking to make up some ground until he hit Kama from behind, the shunt caused them both to go down and elminated them from the main. Ben Price was looking the goods in his semi too, sitting in fourth but dropped the bike in the last straight. The main was all Robinson, he won it from start to finish with Gray and Bootes following him in for second and third. Then the rest of the field. Johnstone, Kirkham, Willers, Darrell and Fenwick.
The introductions for every single class before each final was a bit of an overkill, and the presentation dragged out a little, but all in all it was a great weekend of racing. I look forward to Tuggeranong next year.

10/03 BSX in BMXPress

by bmxultra.com
I was checking out the March/April issue of BMXPress at the local newsagency today and found a (nearly) 4 page spread on the BSX event we ran back in January. You might be sick of hearing us going on about it so check out BMXPress and see what Flex and the 2006 event winner, Luke Madill, had to say about it.

10/03 UCI March News

UCI press release
2006 UCI BMX RANKING
The UCI is pleased to introduce the UCI BMX ranking and results in a new format directly linked to the UCI website calendar. With the UCI Continental Ranking already in full swing almost on all continents, please view; http://www.uci.ch/ucinet/uci.asp?page=rankings&discipline=bmx&ryear=2005&ridercategory=me&l=eng

3D BMX TRACK MAP
Wondering how the track is going to look like at the 2006 UCI BMX World Championships or the next round of the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup? Look no further, the UCI is pleased to announce the introduction of 3D graphic designs of all upcoming (and yet to be build) UCI tracks at World Championships and UCI BMX Supercross World Cup

The 3D design is created by computer graphic genius Daniel Ahlgren, based on track design drawings from master UCI track builder Tom Ritzenthaler. For your pleasure, all 3D BMX track map comes in 3 different sizes to match your desktop size. Visit; http://www.uci.ch/modello2.asp?1stlevelid=C&level1=5&level2=0&idnews=4028

2006 UCI BMX WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, SAO PAOLO BRAZIL
In preparation for the upcoming UCI BMX World Championships in Sao Paolo, to be held 28-30 July 2006, a site visit to Sao Paolo was carried out by the UCI staff in early February. The UCI is pleased to see the progress of the upcoming event and the good corporation between CBC (Confederaçao Brasieira De Cicliscmo), CBBX (Confederçao Brasileira de Bicicross) and the sports event company Gayotto. In addition, the support from the Sao Paolo Government was impressive with their intention to construct several new infrastructures at the Mario Covas Olympic Park.

For general information regarding the event, lodging and travel, please visit the UCI website; http://www.uci.ch/modello.asp?1stLevelID=LB&level1=1&level2=0&idnews=3976

The World Championships will be held at the Mario Covas Olympic Park, where a new permanent track will be constructed by UCI track builder Tom Ritzenthaler in June 2006. To view the 3D track map, please visit; http://www.uci.ch/modello2.asp?1stlevelid=C&level1=5&level2=0&idnews=4028

2008 UCI BMX WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS AWARDED TO TAIYUAN CHINA
As previously announced, the 2008 UCI BMX World Championships was awarded to Taiyuan City, China. With the intention of growing the sport of BMX worldwide, the UCI has been given an excellent opportunity to showcase and develop BMX in the largest country in the world.

Taiyuan City is the capital of the Shanxi province, and is located app. 1 hour flight southeast of Beijing. Taiyuan has a great and rich history stretching over 2500 years and is the initiating place for many dynasties in the Chinese history. Nowadays, Taiyuan is a modern city with an international airport, serves a a major railway hub and a fast growing city structure with many luxury hotels and restaurants, to accommodate for the growing tourism market.

The 2008 UCI BMX World Championships, 30 May to 1 June 2008, will be held at the newly constructed Chinese BMX high-level training centre located 15 minutes outside the city centre, at the 210 hectare Forest Garden recreational park. In the years leading up to the 2008 UCI BMX World Championships, Taiyuan are planning to host several international BMX event to further promote the sport of BMX.

2006 UCI BMX SUPERCROSS WORLD CUP
With some delay, the UCI is pleased to announce the 2006 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup schedule stretching over two rounds. With the success of including one round of the 2005 UCI BMX Supercross in the Dew Action Sports Tour last year, which was seen on prime time NBC by 40 million viewers, the UCI is excited to continue their collaboration with NBC and the Dew Action Sports Tour in 2006. The first round of the UCI BMX Supercross will be held 9-10 September 2006 in San Jose, CA (USA) at the “Toyota Challenge” stop of Dew Action Sport Tour.

The second and final round of the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup, will be held 7-8 October 2006 in France, with the venue yet to be confirmed. More information will be published soon on the UCI website; http://www.uci.ch/modello.asp?1stLevelID=EE&level1=0&level2=0&idnews=3473

2006 INTERNATIONAL BMX RACE NUMBERS
Wondering what number plate number you need to run in 2006? Please view the 2006 international BMX race numbers on the UCI website: http://www.uci.ch/modello2.asp?1stlevelid=C&level1=5&level2=2&idnews=3921

NEW UCI BMX COMMISSION
A new UCI BMX Commission, for the upcoming 4-year period, was appointed at the UCI Management Committee meeting in October 2005. The following members were elected; Abe Schneider (Australia) President, Bob Tedesco (USA) member, Pedro Frias (Cuba) member, Marian Stetina (Czech Republic) member and Gary Ream (USA) member BMX Freestyle.

10/03 Avent Vs Intense teaser

by bmxultra.com
Don't you just hate teasers? That's what Avent's Tony Harvey has sent us, and it looks like Kamakazi is involved. This is all we will get for a week. Hopefully Tony will live up to his promise and have some more information for us all.

10/03 Tech talk: breaking spokes

by Shane Jenkins
Ok all you tech heads/bike mechanics out there I have a question for you. I had a sweet set of wheels made up for my race bike about 12-15 months ago with Sun Ringle Rhino lite rims, Supercross cassette hubs and unbranded stainless steel spokes.
The problem is I have been breaking spokes regularly in the back wheel for the last 6-9 months, usually not just 1 either, normally in 2's, but not always next to each other. They have always broken on the hub end and until this week it has always been on the drive side. This week I found that I had broken 1 on the drive side and 2 on the non-drive side.
Can anyone explain what it could be that's causing it, and maybe provide a solution?
Email webmaster@bmxutra.com if you have any thoughts.

10/03 FreeAgent at ACT/UCI Oceania

FreeAgent Australia press release
Free Agent Takes On The Australian Oceania UCI series and ACT titles
On the weekend myself (Bayswater Cycles', Shannon Rademaker) and a few riders road tripped to Canberra for the 4th round of the Oceania UCI series and ACT titles, unfortunately I was unable to ride due to an Achilles injury, but was their for Free Agent and to watch the biggest race in Australia. Over 50 AA & A pro’s and over 600 entries in total. Free Agent US rider Kyle Bennett was the big interest at the race every one was on their feet to watch the 2 time world champ race against the Aussie’s best riders. Perfect race conditions track was fast and the sun was shining.

Day 1
Daniel Stocks battling with glandular fever was not at full strength. Racing in the Junior Elite Men UCI round Daniel made it through to the final after tough racing in the moto’s and semi’s, in the final Daniel got tangled in the first turn resutling in a crash and managed 8th.

Caroline Buchanan not quite Junior Elite race the 16 girls champ bike series and took a clean sweep in the moto’s and 1st place in the Final.

Kyle Bennett Elite Men was awesome to watch cruising through the moto’s with 1st’s and making it through to the semi’s. Kyle is an amazing rider to watch! Kyle won his semi and put him into the final. The Elite men was the strongest field ever seen in Australia names like Bootes, Gray, Luke Madill, Kamakazi, Willers, Joliffe, Robinson, Fenwick. In the Final Bennett got the Hole shot and had a lead into the second turn by 4 bike lengths it was like he was on a level of his own. But in the 3rd turn he over did it on the concrete berms and his front wheel washed out and Bootes and Robinson crashed in to him letting past Luke Madill for the win.

Bad luck to Kyle but certainly left an impression in the BMX community in Australia.

Day 2
Daniel was feeling weak and tired from day 1 as his fever had taken its toll. But raced in the AA pro class and was competitive but missed out on the semi’s.

Caroline now nicknamed ‘The Rocket’ was on fire taking a clean sweep again in the moto’s but in AA pro women class this time, against riders like Junga, Mankowski, Cranfield and Walker. Giving her a berth in the final, Caroline got the snap and got to the first turn in the lead with Mankowski hot on her tail she held her line through out the track and took the win. No.1 ACT.....Congratulations.

I used Kyle to F.A. Australia’s advantage and had a signing session. Signing posters, jersey, hats for the kids parents everyone it was overwhelming the response he got. Thanks Kyle.

10/03 More about the Aussies

by bmxultra.com
First some comments left by some readers then a final word from us about this.
John Seiler
I was just reading in disbelief about the Aussie cruisers and other classes. I think it might be time for another association
PS Got that name of your insurer from BSX?

No name was left for this one.
I was reading the letter on your website about the national class of the 17-24 age group. we also have a son turning 17 this year who has raced the nationals for the last 10 years and was hoping for that chance to race riders his own age. As he is in his final year of high school we have found he doesn't have the time to put in the hours of training you need to be at the top level, and racing someone who is an adult (24 year) up to 7 years older than is a bit much to expect.
As the nationals are not during school holidays he would not be able to afford to have the time off school during the week to do practice etc. so at this stage I very much doubt if he will enter the nationals.

Shane Jenkins/bmxultra.com
I have to be honest with you guys, I remember reading about the class changes before the last nationals. I agree with you, the dates don't work for a lot of people, and neither do the classes or the costs involved.
I have been racing BMX since 1981, through that time I have competed at 18 Australian Championships all at the Easter weekend. Which is great because it's usually during the school holidays and since it's a 4 day weekend it's easier to find time off from work. BMX Australia has been following the UCI rule changes and the UCI classes, which would make sense if we had the 2,500 riders at our nationals that the UCI get to the worlds. I don't think we have the number of riders who are at a level to support those classes. It's not like the NBL have changed their classes and they get even more riders to their larger race meetings than we get to our one national per year.
A rival association worked well in the sport when I started back in the 80's, the two would compete to a point where no matter where you looked you would find information about how to race. But then you would get 600-800 riders to an open meeting and 1,400 to a national. To start a rival association may lead to smaller numbers of riders again at race meetings. I hate to say it, but it's probably best to go through the right channels and make sure that you have your say when rule changes are made. (While you are there, can you get them to drop the tuck the jersey rule in, it's just plain stupid.) I mean come on it is the nationals, where the best in Australia race each other, it seems that people think of it as just another race meeting. If that's true, simply don't go. Vote with your wallet. I find that the ACT's offer better value for money and the racing is every bit as good as the nationals with only a few less riders.
Me, well 2 years ago I decided that I race Vet/A Pro all year long, if they aren't going to offer one of those classes at the Nationals I will stay home, rather than drop back into my age class and take a trophy (which is damn expensive let me tell you) from a rider who competes in the age class all the time.
I was considering running an Australian Backyard BMX Championships for easter, which could be a lot of fun, but that wouldn't have the classes you guys are looking for either, and the insurance fees for 4 days is $1,400, so it's not going to be cheap either.

09/03 Changes

by bmxultra.com
As you have probably noticed things have been changing around bmxultra.com lately, and we have more changes on the way. We have found that with the rise of eBay our classifieds have become less useful, so it's time to get rid of it. The problem is do we replace it? What do we replace it with? The obvious thought was a forum, so we can move the discussions out of the news section of the site and allow people to have their own say about pretty much anything. Saying that though there are a lot of forums out there already, but we will leave the decision up to you. If you would like to see a forum on bmxultra.com, or have another suggestion, drop us an email at webmaster@bmxultra.com and let us know.

09/03 BMX Nazis

by Shane Jenkins
Personaly I don't believe there is a place in BMX for the BMX Nazi, yeah you know who I am talking about, they take rules to a new level and throw logic right out the door. I don't understand why people get involved as volunteers if they just simply don't what to be there. Since we race week-in-week-out, basically because we love it, wouldn't it be much easier to put on a happy face, come on guys turn that frown upside down let's make BMX fun for everyone. Simple marketing would provide a great example, when you go to your favourite fast food resturant they smile, ask you if you want anything else, and are generally quite pleasant, if they didn't do it you probably wouldn't go back right?
Our sport is for everyone, so it may as well be fun for all, especially since we all have to sit around the track until it's all done. For a few 30-40 second laps we could be sitting around the track for nearly a whole day, I am sure that we can all think of better things to do. For the future of the sport, if it's getting too much, take a chill pill, take a break, hug another volunteer, kiss your president or whatever it is that floats your boat, just don't take it out on the riders.

08/03 Photos: ACT Titles/UCI Oceania Round 4

by Shane Jenkins/bmxultra.com
The Melba track at Canberra wasn't the greatest track to get exciting racing photos, but with 630 riders and a bunch of internationals we gave it a bash.
Click here to check out the photos of the ACT Titles and UCI Oceania round 4.
Here's some additional pics that Gavin D (www.GavinD.com.au) sent through.

08/03 Photos: Morristown Spring Nationals

by Jason Bergstrom/bmxultra.com
Well I had a little trouble with lighting at the Morristown indoor and the track was real tight so it was hard to get a good position for photos, but I think I got some good ones.
Click here to check out the photos of the NBL Morristown Spring BMX Nationals.

08/03 Frankston club looking for a coach

by John Durso/Frankston BMX Club
The Frankston BMX Club (Vic, AUS) need a coach for one night per week for private and group coaching. So far we can't find anyone.
If you are interested please call John Durso 0409 407 343 or email dursos@optusnet.com.au

07/03 Bergstrom at NBL Spring Nationals

by Jason Bergstrom/bmxultra.com
For my first assignment with bmxultra.com I headed to Morristown Tennessee for the NBL Spring Nationals which was an indoor. My 2006 bmxultra.com/One jersey arrived just in time and it was surprising the number of people who recognised it and were asking me about reporting for bmxultra.com, which was cool.
Ok, on with the racing. Morristown host two nationals a year, Spring and Thanksgiving. The track layout was very interesting, keeping the riders on their toes, oh and it had a pro jump on the last straight way. During Friday's practice it was pretty bumpy so out came the roller packer to pack out the track, which turned out really smoooooth for racing.

Day one there about 165 motos. Four, nearly full, racks of Pro open with seven riders each. Three racks of pro women, five riders each. There was a good mix of the usual pros and a bunch of new names that I hadn't noticed before. That's pretty impressive numbers for day one.
Results

Elite Open		Elite Women
1. Barry Nobles		1. Amanda Geving
2. Kelley Harley		2. Kayla Gaddis
3. Jason Sherrill		3. Kelly Hutto
4. Lance McGuire		4. Madison Pitts
5. Tim Sooner		5. Ashley Stamper
6. Will Murray Jr		6. Melissa Gremal
7. John Crossen		7. Samantha Allen
8. Josh Smith		8. Kristin Siebenlist

Day two, a little smaller with 152 motos. This time three groups of Elite open, seven riders each and the same three groups of pro women.
Results

Elite Open		Elite Women
1. Lance McGuire		1. Amanda Geving
2. Barry Nobles		2. Madison Pitts
3. Jason Sherrill		3. Ashley Stamper
4. Bryan Edwards		4. Amanda Gremal
5. Kelley Harley		5. Melissa Gremal
6. John Andrews		6. Samantha Allen
7. Jason Larev		7. Kayla Gaddis
8. Joey Albright		8. Kelly Hutto

There were lots of crashes all weekend long on the tight track. The worst crashes of the weekend were in the first corner, right after table/stepup mix. It made it real tricky because riders were merging together from the wide straight into the tight narrow corner.
The biggest highlight of the weekend was watching Jeffery Upshaw killing it on the track, flying the Redline factory colors. He was on fire, winning all weekend long in 20, cruiser and both opens. He has talent to spare and is amazing to watch.
As for myself, I did pretty good all weekend but didn't make into the finals. I was so close to making it in to finals, but hey, I was having good time.
Here's some rumors that I heard over the weekend.

Nashville is redsigning their track and it will be ready for upcoming nationals in May.
Tanglewood North Carolina (Tarheel Nationals) is redesigning their track also and it sounds like it's going to be awesome with a long pro section straight and berm (corner) jumps. The berm jump should be similar to NBL Christmas Classic in Ohio. Tarheel will be having nationals in May right after Nashville.

These nationals should be awesome, you've gotta check 'em out!

More photos to come soon.

07/03 TeamWBR.com 3 gold medals

TeamWBR.com press release
UCI Round 4 and ACT Championships March 4th- 5th
Melba BMX Club was the host of round 4 of the UCI World Ranking series and also the ACT Championships this past weekend in Canberra. With over 650 riders from Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the US, it was for sure going to give us some exciting racing. The weather was perfect on race day and the track was in great condition which featured 3 concrete corners. Here is how the championship unfolded for TeamWBR.

Bootes was looking strong all day against the UCI Elite Men field on Saturday and found himself lined up in the final beside 2 times World Champion Kyle Bennett from the USA. Bootes and Bennett had a great start which seen Bennett just taking the lead into the first corner. Going into the third corner Bennet was still leading Bootes and the rest of the field were close behind but then Bennett washed out in a very tricky/high-speed concrete "S" bend taking down most of the field. Madill avoided the carnage and took line honours with Gray and Fenwick in toe.

Coverage of this race will be seen on Cycling Central on SBS, so make sure you check out your TV guide.

UCI ELITE Men Results
1 Luke Madill
2 Jamie Gray
3 Michael Fenwick
4 Brian KIRKHAM
5 Marc Willers
6 Wade Bootes – TeamWBR
7 Tiger Robinson
8 Kyle Bennett

UCI Current Points Overall Ranking
1 Wade Bootes AUS 35
2 Marc Willers NZ 34
3 Jamie Gray AUS 29

Bootes had a slow start to the day of the ACT Championship but still manage to make it to the main event. Robinson had the hole shot and lead from Start to finish while Bootes had to come from mid pack and chase down the leaders and just missing out on taking 2nd place from Jamie Gray on the line.

AA Men ACT Championship Results
1 Tiger Robinson
2 Jamie Gray
3 Wade Bootes – TeamWBR

TeamWBR made a huge impact this weekend as most of the team riders made it to the ACT Championships. All TeamWBR riders rode exceptionally well which seen 3 1st place medals going home from the ACT Championship.

Team rider results
Declan Hepburn - 7 boys (sprocket for fun)
Sam Parkes - 7th 10 boys
Madison Denholm – 1st 11-12 cr, 2nd 12 boys
Lacey Oliver – 1st 8-13 Cr, 2nd 13 girls
Brandon Bullows – 16th 13 boys
Ryan Henderson - 5th 13 -14 cr, 16th 14 boys
Michael Chasteanuef - 1st 15 boys, 3rd 15 boy champ bikx
Jeffrey Lawrence - 6th 15 boys
Jye Danielson – 3rd 16 boys
Alex Cossell – 9th Junior Elite

TeamWBR riders will be preparing for the next UCI World Ranking series in Auckland, NZ March 11th.

TeamWBR is proudly supported by : Ozcrank.com, Percentage Designs, One Ring, Volkswagen Australia, Hogs Breath Cafe, Velocity Wheels, Hayes Brakes, Investco Merchant Bankers, JBL Audio, Strathfield car radio, ATI, Fox Shox, IRC, Cane Creek, BSC, QuikShade, Bell Helmets, Truvativ chain guide, Funn, Nike Cycling, Shimano, Sockguy, Asterisk and www.TeamWBR.com

07/03 Psykopath PRO/AM State Series

Psykopath Industries press release
In conjunction with the NBL and being ran along the NBL state series. Psykopath Industries proudly presents the first annual PRO/AM State Series! All fast amateurs 16&over and pro’s in the area should make plans and get out to these races to test themselves against some of the best competition in the country. A $3,000.00 pro purse has already been secured and with 100% payback the event will definitely be a good chance at cashing out for your hard work. The eventual winners will be given top honors as California’s fastest riders and both top Pro, top Am and top Masters 30 and over class will be awarded at the conclusion of the series.#1 plates will be handed out for the 3 lucky winners! Dates are chosen so plan to make it out and see where you rank among the best in the state.

April 1st, 2nd @ Santa Barbara BMX
May 6th ,7th @ Airtime BMX-Reedley
July 15th,16th @ Manzanita Park BMX-Prunedale
FINALS @ Atascadero BMX October 7th

For the veteran riders we will also feature a 30&over Open wheels Pro/Am. So cruiser riders this is your chance at mixing it up with the 20”guys. Cash and prizes will be awarded throughout the series so make plans today! Each riders best 2 finishes and finals finish will determine their overall points total and give us a California Pro/Am state champ. Will it be you?

Also we always welcome more support in the form of cash or prizes so if you or your company would like to get involved and help this be the best it can be, please do so via email psykopath_industries@yahoo.com.

The following sponsors have stepped it up and we look forward to seeing more companies getting involved. Hot Shoppe, NBL, Psykopath Industries, Tri County Painting, Top Secret designs, Sun Dance Cabinets, TB Trophies, And JT2 Integrated Resources.

07/03 Aussies letter

by Tony Schneider (Ashmore BMX President/Club Coach/Concerned Parent)
[Editor: Tony sent a letter to BMXAustralia expressing his concerns about the Australian championships and is still waiting for a response. He asked us if we would post this to the site.]

The President BMXA
28th February 2006

Our Family has been involved in BMX for around Seven years. We have a 17 year old male rider (by year of birth) and a 7 year old sprocket.
BMXA are robbing my 17 year old son of a chance to win an Australian plate in his age group. His choices are 17 -18 junior elite or 17-24 Men’s in the 20” challenge class. The 17 years age division is very competitive but realistically would you expect a 17 year old to beat 18 years old in the elite class or a 20 year old in the challenge class.
In the Cruiser division its junior elite or 17-29 years in the challenge, not much chance in this one either. If he is nominated in the junior elite 20”, he must nominate in junior elite cruiser or race the older riders in both classes.
Champbix is a great innovation for 14 15 and 16 year old but if you're 17 you're up against it which ever way you go.
As for my 7 year old ,he wasn’t going to the Australian titles any way and if any classes should be omitted from the program it should be the sprockets because they are non competitive, they race for fun………….
Please revert to normal classes that are offered at state events and if classes are not filled then move riders to the next class as we have always done.
Many people are not happy with the elimination of classes and I think this years Australian titles will have a very poor attendance by the average BMX rider, who always competes to the best of their ability and live with the hope of one day making it to the finals. The elite cannot pull the pack along; the pack pushes the elite to find that bit extra.
By the way has BMXA completely forgotten about duty of care when combining some of the other classes? Example 18 and under female cruiser a major point in our coaching manuals!
We will be attending this year’s title, which division we don’t know yet, only because we have booked and paid for airfares and accommodation.
We attended the Australian titles in Cairns last year; we didn’t hear anything about changes to the class divisions and as President and previously Vice President, have not seen any correspondence regarding the elimination of many classes at the Australian titles. In your memo dated 20/02/06 you stated that advance notice was given and widely publicized through all levels of the sport. If this is so, why is it I have only found out about the changes when I received the nomination forms for the titles?

In anticipation of a fair go for all………..

Regards
Tony Schneider.

06/03 ACT Titles/UCI update

by bmxultra.com
630 riders from Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the US were entered at the ACT Open State Titles, one of Australia's biggest race meetings for the year. The names included US riders, Kyle Bennett and Jill Kitner, who were there chasing up UCI points on day 1. In the Elite men Kyle Bennett was leading the with Wade Bootes and the rest of the field close behind but Kyle washed out in a very tricky/high-speed concrete "S" bend. Luke Madill avoided the carnage and took line honours. The senior women's class was determined by points...which was so tight we wouldn't like to guess who won.

Day 2 winners:
A Women
Rachel Bracken
A Men
Ashley McCutcheon
AA Women
Caroline Buchanan
AA Men
Michael Robinson

We'll have more detail and photos soon.

03/03 Bullets and Octane iPod giveaway

by bmxultra.com
We have an iPod giveaway to promote the release of the new Bullets and Octane album In The Mouth Of The Young.
The Ipod Nano is preloaded with both the new album and the old album from Bullets And Octane you have until April 1 to enter.
It looks as though it's restricted to the US only but I was told that the country shouldn't matter.
Click on the link below for the full details.
http://www.totalassault.com/contests/?contest=00373

02/03 BSX2006 crashes video

by Shane Jenkins/bmxultra.com
I was hoping to have the BSX2006 DVD all finished for this weekend to sell at the ACT Titles in Canberra. However, due to a momentary lapse, I had lost some of the work that was done and had to do it again. The DVD should be available next week.
In the meantime check out the crashes video at www.bmxultra.com/bsx.

02/03 2006 bmxultra.com/One Bicycles jersey

by bmxultra.com
Here's a sneak peek at the 2006 bmxultra.com/One Bicycles race jersey, hopefully we will get some more photos soon.

The jersey will be worn by Shane Jenkins in the A Pro class at the ACT Titles in Aus this weekend. And, if all goes well with the US postal service, 30-34 Expert rider Jason Bergstrom will be wearing his at the Morristown, TN indoor national this weekend.

As per usual the customisable jersey will be available for purchase through the online shop at www.onebicycles.com.

02/03 Promoting the sport of BMX racing

by Nikolas Vacan
Just a quick note about promoting the sport. I noticed in an article about the recent Bicycle Industry show in Sydney, that there was a stand set up by the Southern Sydney District. The stand was there to promote BMX racing in NSW. The article was in BMX Press and showed a practice gate and someone showing a junior rider how to balance. Surely an event like this is a "no brainer" to promote the sport to people who are already attracted to the sport of cycling. This would be a perfect opportunity to highlight to the wider cycling community the sport is alive and kicking. This show is on in Melbourne this year (September I think). Why wouldn't BMXA and BMXV look to use this opportunity to raise the profile, and perhaps use it promote upcoming racing on the calendar and even "come and try days"????

If BMXA & BMXV would provide the funding and the promotional material, I am sure that the local clubs could arrange a healthy representation of riders and club members to man the stand and be the mouth pieces for interested patrons. Bring in some pro's, a big screen TV showing some local race DVD's to attract some attention and you have the makings of a promotion. Perhaps even a bike give away???

Promotion of the sport must not be left solely up to the clubs and overworked committee members. As it stands at the moment, if it were not for the clubs, and these dedicated people, the sport would be in a lot worse condition that it is now. We need some concerted & sustained efforts by the governing bodies to complement what the clubs are doing on their own. The governing bodies need to do more than just settings rules and guidelines It must be part of their charter to help promote and grow the sport along with the clubs. I believe that an event like this trade show would be an ideal opportunity for this to happen.

Anyway, I'll get off my soap box now.

01/03 Fast French ONE girls

One Bicycles press release
Magalie Pottier (Junior Women) and Blandine Cottereau (Elite Women) from France, were fast this past weekend at the Indoor in Tours (France).

Magalie got 4th in the Open Race on saturday night and 3rd in Elite Women on sunday.

New addition to the team, Blandine Cottereau took a great 2nd place in sundays Elite Women race.

Roy van den Berg made his trip to the US along with the Dutch National team. Roy took 5th in Junior Men and 3rd in A Pro.

In South America our riders did very well.

Gabriela Diaz from Argentina is leading the Latin American Championship in Elite Women.

Emilio Falla from Ecuador and Manuel Lopez from Argentina are in the top 6 in Elite Men.

Emilio is leading the Ecuadorian Championship in Elite Men.

01/03 Why is there an “INTER” in our nationals?

by Mark Gore
Hi my name is Mark, I am a rider, coach, accredited official, club vice-president, track lackey and most importantly a part of a family that all ride; yep that also includes my missus.

The 4 of us travel the state and country racing at various meetings through out the year. This is what we do as a family and we love it. We are only one family of many that do exactly the same, year in year out.

The key to BMX is families, without the family support, effort and passion the sport would not be where it is today. Name another sport where the whole family can share the action and actually compete, officiate and travel as much as BMX.

So why is our own governing body, BMXA trying to destroy our Nationals by making them INTERNATIONALS? Whilst I agree that we need an international program to distinguish and reward our present and future champions for the UCI world ranking system. Why touch the majority of riders who for personal or other reasons will never compete at international levels. Look at the facts BMXA, in percentage how many riders attend the world’s championships out of the licensed riders in our country.

The larger percentage of riders compete for the enjoyment, thrills and friendship that our sport has to offer, if riders only competed to be the best and win, who’s going to come last in a race?, somebody does and usually it’s the same faces race in race out. Without these riders the sport will dwindle down to a couple of hot favourites per moto and you would be better off just having a four man gate. Most of us riders who come home mid pack or below love the sport just as much as the ones who win.

The memo that BMXA released on the 20/2/06, states that our sport has been traditionally an egalitarian sport which is true. And I agree that we need a qualifying system that that doesn’t discriminate against our family members, who all love to compete in the Nationals. By that I mean how hard would it be if you’re loved one missed out at qualifying for the Aussies and had to travel with and watch the rest of the family race all because they just missed out on points to qualify. I believe that competing at the State champs should be enough to qualify, certainly not a system where placing’s and points are the system to be able to qualify. In this point I am glad you have decided to leave the points system alone.

Now to the part which has compelled me to write this letter, BMXA, what are you doing to us CRUISER riders? Last year at the Aussies in Cairns, there were 311 nominated cruiser riders compared to 728 in the 20” ranks, that’s 42% of the total of 20” riders rode cruiser. In the current Queensland Southern Zone shootout alone there are 66 cruiser riders competing out of approximately 250 riders. Again this shows good support for the cruiser classes.

So why would you drop certain challenge cruiser classes for this years Nationals? The brochure for this years Nationals states on page 5;

24" Classes
(international ranking points do not apply to cruisers)

So why are the UCI dictating classes that we can race if the outcome has no bearing on international ranking? This was the answer when I phoned the 0448 846 537 number yesterday and got this answer from a very nice lady; “BMXA lobbied the UCI for additional cruiser challenge classes but was unsuccessful”. And “riders shouldn’t be just given a plate just because they competed!” My question is why have a rule which states on page 6 on the brochure;

Classes will be conducted if 5 pre paid entries are received by the closing date 22 March 2006

BMXA has obviously worked out that if there are less than 5 riders then that class isn’t monitorial or effort feasible. Which is totally understandable but what if there were classes that could reach that benchmark as I and many others believe, at least give the riders the opportunity to make the numbers.

I am now faced with a dilemma in regards to 2 of my family members as they are both FEMALE. My daughter who is 10 and a current National 3rd plate holder in the 12yr and under girl’s cruisers, she now only has the opportunity to race in the 18yr and under girl’s cruisers, which means that the other competitors could be almost 8 years older than her, why bother and if she did decide to race what about duty of care?

Duty of care is also stated in the 20/2/06 memo;

Contrary to comments about BMXA catering to a select group of Elite riders, it should be noted that the BMXA Board has a Duty of Care to ensure that all riders are suitably equipped to compete at all levels.

How can you ensure duty of care when you are forcing young riders to ride with older ones?

My partner is 38 and is an 8th National plate holder in the 35+ ladies cruisers, and now she has to race against ladies who could be 19 years younger and that’s certainly not the worst scenario of the possible age gap.

My feelings as well as others towards the decision by BMXA to only hold 2 challenge classes for the female cruiser riders as apposed to 8 male classes is one of unfairness and sex discrimination. BMXA rule book states;

17
B. GENDER EQUITY

Bicycle Motocross Australia Inc. has an endorsed gender equity policy, which is applicable to all levels of competition, officiating, coaching, and administration. Failure to comply with this policy will result in sanctions applied by the National organisation & may also result in legal action from the offended party.

Does anyone know including BMXA what the above actually means because I see it all the time on flyers for race meetings?

If you want to race in this country you must hold a current BMXA licence which entitles you to race anywhere you wish and compete in the classes that are available allowed by your age stated on your licence. So again why are we being dictated to by an international body, my and your licence clearly states Bicycle Motocross AUSTRALIA. The Nationals are our sports pinnacle that all riders should have an opportunity to compete in and riders shouldn’t be discriminated against because of age and sex, in essence all classes should be offered and if you wish to compete internationally that’s your choice as I know that you will have all the support and blessings of our BMX community.

The last paragraph in the 20/2/06 memo released by BMXA states;

It is unfortunately a fact of life that people focus their attention on what affects them most. This can sometimes be to the exclusion of others around them. That luxury does not exist for the National Councillors and the BMXA Board as they must govern for the sport for the future. This involves understanding the many factors that apply at all levels and make decisions that will be based upon what is considered the best for the sport as a whole.

We all must be a pack of whinges because we focus our attention on what affects us most. Come on, do will still live in a democratic society? And doesn’t that mean that decisions should be made with the majority in concern whilst still trying to cater for the minority this is contrary in how BMXA has made it decisions.

In closing I would like to urge all that are still going to the Aussies to nominate in your usual cruiser class, so that way BMXA can see that possibility there could have been enough noms for extra classes. And don’t forget that BMX Australia is still supposed to be run by Australians for Australians and that also includes us cruiser riders

PS, thanks BMXA also for dropping the Pre-titles for the cruisers just another blow to the die hard cruiser riders.

Yours Disillusioned

Mark Gore

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