2014 USA BMX Las Vegas Nationals Race Report

Filed under General on July 12, 2014 | Comment(s)

AUDIO AND VISUALS BY: JASON "SHOOTER" MCGUIRE

Since the introduction of the annual national series stop in Sin City, Las Vegas has claimed the title for being the second largest event over the course of the year. Now obviously the number one race is the greatest race on earth, of which is the Grand Nationals. For racers and teams alike, Vegas is much more than just another weekend at the racetrack, it is an experience unlike any other. Where short track racing is showcased on a grandioso scale and pack riding abilities are tested more than ever before. One big thing about tracks of this size, the inside lanes usually hold an advantage. This year, with hopes of evening up the inside vs. outside lanes, the USA BMX track crew threw in a roller at the bottom of the starting hill, which is higher on the inside than the outside. In turn the inside lanes have to think about their move just a bit more and hope they have they pull to make up for the slight obstacle disadvantage before both the inside and outside come together heading into turn one.

If you ask any racing family that frequents national events, they can attest that most pre races fluctuate anywhere between 60 and 100 motos, but Vegas is the exception. This year, we broke another Friday night pre race record with a whopping 192 motos and one class putting up enough riders to force eighths. When it comes to BMX, it doesn’t get much better than that.

FRIDAY:

Kicking off the night was the normal one-two punch of the A pro class. Throughout the three qualifying rounds, Yess BMX’s Nick Fox and Tangent’s Daiki Ikeda were showed early on that they were there to take home the money and the win. The pressure built when the main events rolled around and the crowd went wild. Nick Fox shot out like a cannon and had no intentions of looking back to see how far away he had already managed to build his lead. With Fox having the win on lock, Ikeda was still in the thick of the woods, desperately searching for a way around Road House BMX’s Keith Grine, but quickly ran out of real estate which left him settling for a solid third place finish.

In the 8 year old cruiser class, BOX~Auburn~ASV rider Dane Morales was ready to contend for the win in the main event after taking some time off for an arm injury. We have been following his progress on Facebook quite a bit and after a solid weekend in South Park, it was time to roll the dice in Vegas. Dane was looking strong from the gate drop, but Snap On Tools rider Drake Velador was lurking in the shadows waiting for an opening. That opening came upon quickly as Dane left a bit too much room open on the inside of the third straight, which allowed Velador to sneak in the underneath side for the win. With such a tight racetrack, the passing opportunities will mostly come in the corners and this was one prime example of that.

Competing at a national in your hometown can be a fairly interesting situation. There is definitely something to be said about getting to sleep in your own bed, but at the same time, for those who travel a lot, you get into a routine that is pretty set. Redman’s Jordy Scott, who is a Las Vegas local, not only gets to sleep in her own bed tonight, but also picked up the win in the 13 girls class. However, that win did not come as easy as some may thing. Phoenix~BOX Factory rider Molly Hunter made it a game of cat and mouse as she tried it all to make it past Scott. A lot of which can be accredited to the short track racing that keeps everyone much tighter than the average track.

Earlier in this longer than usual Friday night race report, I mentioned that the 5&under novice class fielded 49 riders which made for one entertaining night. Rider counts like that are rarely seen on a national weekend, besides the Grands, but for this hot Vegas night, one of these little dudes was going to be on top of the world. The gate dropped and it looked as if Redman Junior Devo’s Ryan Clark was going to pull from the outside and lead the crew, but Jaxon Fitzpatrick had other plans and ran Clark up the inside and came out with the lead. With landmines going off behind him, Fitzpatrick made sure him and his Fitz Army~Bellflower BMX powered 20” made it to the line in front of his other competitors. After watching this race and all of these young riders compete on such a grand scale, it really made me think that these young riders are the future of our sport and to see them in numbers so strong was a true sign of the sports growth.

The Friday night pre race not only turned out to be one of the biggest in the history of the sport, but it also laid the foundation to what is already shaping up to be a weekend full of mind-blowing competition and short track racing that is bound to shake up the national points on all levels. Stay tuned all weekend long as we bring you live updates throughout the day on the USA BMX Facebook page and as always, check back tomorrow night for the complete race report from day one of the USA BMX Las Vegas Nationals! 

SATURDAY:

Once again, the Las Vegas Nationals have blown the minds of all in attendance as riders made up over 380 motos for day one of this year’s event. The air inside the South Point Events Center was electric and both teams and riders were ready to prove their dominance in front of all the spectators surrounding the track.

Qualifying rounds came and went over the course of about six hours and the racing was already heating up with the close combat style of riding. It was only a couple of hours after that until we wrapped up the eighths, quarters and semi mains – setting the stage for the big show where the best of the day would take one final lap searching for a home run victory. 

With the A pro class locked and loaded in the gate, we were ready to rumble in Vegas! Loaded with a lot of extremely talented riders, it was a wide-open playing field for who would take the money. When you have a lot of tough competition loaded in the gate with you, there is nothing more satisfying than being able to finish 1-1-1 in all three rounds to declare yourself the undisputed victor for the day. Motive Power Racing's Austin Hiatt was that guy today and went untouched wire-to-wire style all night long. The rest of the field was jumbled up and left for some interesting point scenarios heading into the final round, but it was Haro~Promax's Bryce Hocking who was able to pull the second place finish over Ssquared~Answer's Brandon Elmore.  

Also on tap this weekend was the always-entertaining Vet Pro class. Enter one Derek Betcher who made his Vet Pro debut after just turning 33 a couple of weeks ago. DB has tons of talent and style that is not outclassed by many. Was he up for the challenge? Well my vote goes with yes as his debut netted him a third place victory and a spot on the podium next to SE's Javier Colombo and DHR's Cristian Becerine. So who won you ask? It is no secret that it is a crap shoot (pun intended) when these two line up next to each other, and they swap wins like twin sisters swap jeans. For today, Javier was able to pull off the overall by picking up the first two rounds and Cristian taking the win in the final round for the overall second. There is word that Javier may not be in attendance tomorrow as his homeland is playing in the World Cup finals against Germany. If that happens, will Cristian pick up the win or will Derek Betcher make his presence known and hold off the rest of the pack for his first Vet Pro win?

Before the main amateur show kicked off, the USAC Junior Devo boys had one final lap of the night to grab some precious points for the next camp at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA. The tight racing quarters made it interesting right out of the gate, but Phoenix Factory Racing's Brian Ensey was able to pull Ssquared~Answer's Nick Deters for the lead in and out of turn one. Time was running short for Deters, and he, nor the rest of the group, could take the lead from Ensey. He would pick up the win, Deters for the deuce and Free Agent~Tangent's Jacob Haley just edging out Crupi's Colin Whittington for third. 

The 11-12 girls cruiser class was one of the toughest all day long. While 10 riders is not huge, it was much more about the quality of competition rather than the size. The two hotshots on point were Haro~Promax's Madelynn Desantis and Phoenix~Factory Racing's Leyna Jones – who also happen to be extremely good friends off the track. This is BMX and there ALWAYS has to be a winner. It was close all the way around the track, but in the end Desantis had just enough left in the tank to hold off Leyna Jones for the win. These two will be right back at it tomorrow and who knows, the tables may turn this time. 

You never know what Jim Buchanan and his Ssquared~Answer team has in the works. For this race, it was new to me that Dylan Wood out of Houston, TX is now sporting the team colors. Not only that, but he made a big showing by picking up a dominating win in the 10 cruiser class over some very stiff competition in Redline~Challenge's Nate Romero and Answer~Rennen's Brandon Crain, who also finished 2nd and 3rd in that order. Watch out for this kid the remainder of the year, as he is truly one of the best younger riders in the country. 

One young lady who has been all over my radar of up and coming riders is Jesse Gregory. While I do not consider someone who has secured a top 10 NAG plate the last three years runner, a up and comer, I do wonder why she remains to not have a sponsor. She lit up the 12 girls class all day long and also threw out style during one of her many jumping bugs. During the main I even heard her shout out, "keep your wheels on the ground and worry about the race." While I found it hilarious, it didn't matter, as Gregory remained victorious in the 12 girls class. She has the potential to be an amazing rider and the rumor is she even landed a spot in the upcoming all girls issue of PULL Magazine. She could win again tomorrow, but has to make it past Natalee Daugherty, Jayden Wenck and Leinani Peralta who were all riding on the top level. 

There are a few riders that have given themselves quite a name for their turning abilities. Two of those riders are Bubba Harris and Robby Patterson. Well after tonight, we should be able to add Nick Deters to that list of ninja turn carvers. In the 15 expert main event, MH Factory rider Caleb Wall was riding flawless and looked as if he had the win in the bag, but Deters had other plans during his entrance into turn two. With surgeon like precision, Nick cut the turn harder than I have ever seen him cut a turn before, swoop under Caleb and not shut, but flat out SLAM the door in his face. "He usually falls when he tries to turn like that," said Ssquared~Answer TM Jim Buchanan after the race. Wall did nothing wrong, but Deters made the perfect move to take the overall win and the move of the night award. Tomorrow will bring a real interesting round two and hopefully of a rematch between these two outstanding riders. 

While there is always more to talk about, especially at an event of this size, we sadly must close the chapter after day one of the 2014 USA BMX Las Vegas Nationals. With more amazing race action on the books for tomorrow, we hope to see you there! Also remember to check in throughout the day on the USA BMX Facebook page and right back here tomorrow night for the complete weekend recap. See you tomorrow race fans! 

SUNDAY: 

Sunday at any national in Vegas makes you realize how big the event actually is. Your body is starting to ache from all of the hard work and long hours put in over the previous two days, but to be on top of your class you have to dig deep and find that extra little bit to make it through the day with a victory. 

The final day of competition is also one of the most exciting of the year. The racing is already bar-to-bar given the short track, but it gets amplified on Sunday since it is the final chance to pull off a win – and with such big rider counts, everyone craved it.

This Sunday also marked the morning of the World Cup Finals in Brazil between Germany and Argentina. That may have explained why Vet Pro Cristian Becerine pulled out for the day. His fellow countryman Javier Colombo took advantage and cruised to a 1-1-1 victory in dominating fashion. On top of another win over Chad Street and Paul Brown who finished 2^nd and 3^rd, their three mains wrapped up in enough time for Javier to still catch the majority of the game. Unfortunately for those two, Argentina was on the losing end of the match-up, but Javier still grabbed a pair of wins for the weekend to compensate for the countries loss.

For the second day in a row the A pro class was full of excitement and mix-ups, which left for quite a final lap for the cash. Yesterday’s winner Austin Hiatt could not seem to find his rhythm and was having a hard time fighting through the pack. He came up short of the podium in fourth, but is still one of the top A pros that can compete with the best. Ssqaured~Answer’s Brandon Elmore threw down some Texas sized power in order to pull off the overall win over Pete Pascual and Bryce Hocking who rounded out the rest of the podium for day two.

Can anyone stop Brian Ensey? He has been piloting his Factory Phoenix Racing ride to top spots in Junior Devo and class all year long. Once again he was about to do that in Junior Devo for the second day in a row. With Ssquared~Answer’s Nick Deters hot on his tail, it was no easy task, but Ensey was able to overcome the pressure and pick up another win. This kid is definitely going to be a contender for the National NO.1 Amateur title in the coming years and I cannot wait to see what else he can do.

Your National NO.1 Girl Cruiser Jordan Scott is one seriously fast chica. After a recent birthday, Scott was facing some tough older competition this weekend and she proved why she took home the title in girls cruiser last year after picking up a convincing win over Black Box Industries rider Olivia Armstrong who fell just short of the title last year. Something tells me that this title will once again come down to the 13-14 year old class and it will surely not be one you want to miss! 

Yesterday, Eric Sweets had his 510 Bay Area BMXer colors flying bright out front in the 46-50 cruiser class and was on point to have a repeat win on day two. It is no mystery to any racer in Vegas that gate 8 was one of the toughest all weekend considering the short distance to the first turn. That didn’t faze Sweets as he got the pop and holeshot, but the second turn was looming and Barry Nilson came in from the outside to rail the turn and move right on by down the third straight. The third turn brought more bad luck for Sweets as Gorgeous George Goodall put on the high-low and overtook second place – leaving Sweets to settle for third. While not the finish he had hoped for, it was one of the best races of the weekend and he will definitely be out for the win on the next go round.

When was the last time you saw the entire 17-20 girls expert class tumble to the ground? Personally, I can’t think of it, but day two brought on the traffic jam in turn one. Haro~Promax’s Carlie Ferree tried to make a tight inside pass on Supercross’ Rachel Mydock, but once the two got together it sent them both to the ground. The kicker is when Mydock’s bike went up the turn to block the escape path and the rest of the class all fell like a pair of pawns between two bishops. Luckily for the kiwi, Abigail Fox, she had the worst gate of the weekend and that luckily turned out to work in her favor, as she was able to have the easiest escape from the pile of ladies. She went on to take the win back to New Zealand followed by Kendal Perez of Big Tool~Tangent and Savannah Davis of Staats Bicycles.

For many young racers and even some older teens, the name Trae Proctor probably wouldn’t ring a bell. Well Trae used to be one of the baddest dudes on the east coast riding for the Redman tribe and after a long term hiatus, Trae has reappeared and is ready to start right where he left of – winning! Trae picked up the win on day two in fine fashion after escaping a inside swoop attempt by Tyler Whitfield. That win marked his third in the last four attempts and if he can continue, we could very well see him in contention for both NAG and National titles at the Grands in November. It would definitely be one for the record books if he could pull those titles off, but it would not surprise me as he is riding faster than a lot of riders in the class. Watch out for this guy!

The 2014 USA BMX Las Vegas Nationals was one of the best in recent years and we cannot wait to continue writing the history books with this event that would easily make a miniature Grands. For the staff, it is almost like Grands training – and for the riders and team, it is one of the largest scores you can get all year long.

We want to thank everyone who came out this weekend to help make it one of the biggest races to date and we hope to see you all in two weeks when the USA BMX National Series makes a stop at the famous Waterford Oaks BMX in Waterford. MI for the 2014 USA BMX Great Lakes Nationals!