FACTORY HYPER / NO FEAR / TANGENT WINS BOTH DAYS AT US NATIONALS

“San Bernardino, California – Rolling into San Bernardino with an ultra-small crew, Hyper team manager TJ Johnson was a little tentative about the teams chances of taking home wins in the Factory Team competition, the most competitive team division in BMX. Hyper ace 18 Expert Mike Lundy was absent due to family business and 14 Expert Ben Kubalak was out thanks to breaking his foot the day before he was to fly out. To make matters worse, Hypers newest pick up, Bobby Edson, was not eligible to be utilized on team sheets due to ABA rules regarding switching teams. With seven eligible riders making the trip, including Jacob Abbe, Chad Kerley, Lahsaan Kobza, Doug Hayes, Alise Post, Warren McDow, and Mike McGonigle, Johnson still had a pretty stout crew to count on.”"The group came through in spades taking home the Factory team top spot both Saturday and Sunday. Weve got a talented team, stated Johnson. Even with limited choices on the sheets, when they all do their job, theres no reason we shouldnt win. Saturdays mains proved to be stressful for Johnson. 11 Expert standout Chad Kerley got things started with an amazing come from behind victory in 11-12 Open. The Tiger was in fourth the entire race behind three Phantom / On Trac riders. Not to be outdone, Kerley turned on the afterburners, pedaled the entire last straight and passed all three riders to take the win at the line. Chad followed it up with a commanding victory in 11 Expert. Jacob Abbe fell behind in 7 Expert and was in fifth coming out of the last turn. Abbe took a cue from his teammate, pedaling the last straight picking off two riders in the process to take a third. 13 Expert Lahsaan Kobza decided to make it a theme for the day and came out of the gate in dead last. Kobza picked off most of the pack into the first turn, coming out in second place. With some great skill and tenacity, Kobza made a diving inside move after landing the double into turn two to pimp On Trac rider Elliott McGrath and take the lead to the finish line. Not to be outdone, Mike Total Recall McGonigle, after getting the snap out of the gate, front flipped off the top of the step up on the first straight and pile-drived his shoulder into the dirt. Luckily, Hyper has the most dominant girl in BMX on its roster, Alise The Beast Post. With yet another triple to add to her collection, Miss Automatic came through to put the team on top for its first ABA A Schedule team victory. With McGonigle out for Sunday, Johnson had to go to Hypers ultra-fast 16 Expert Warren McDow for the anchor spot on the teams number one sheet. Its no secret that McDow had been struggling in ABA competition, so this was no gimme. McDow had been consistent all weekend however and Johnson was counting on him. Alise Post had a scare down the second straight. After leading to the first turn, Post got caught up in soft dirt at the top of turn one and was passed by two riders. Coming over the second double down the second straight, Post was bumped at the top and flew off the side of the double head first into the ground six feet below. With just a couple of scrapes and bruises, The Beast came back and dominated 14 Girls and 14-16 Girls Cruiser with a double for the day, which would prove valuable. Chad Kerley once again dominated 11 Expert and Lahsaan Kobza rocked 13 Expert. Johnsons team sheet was still on shaky ground however when Jacob Abbe crashed in the last turn of the 7 Expert main. This put all the teams hopes on Warren Mcdow. With wins from Alise Post, Chad Kerley, and Lahsaan Kobza, it was up to McDow to pull out all the stops. With the likes of David Herman, Josh Oie, Kris Fox, and Joe Sowers on the gate, McDow did just that, pulling a stacked main to the first turn and proceeded to lead it from start to finish. With a grin from ear to ear, McDow couldnt wait to give his ISTV interview. Just like that, Hyper grabbed two wins for the weekend and was the first Factory team to double this year. Im stoked on the way our riders came through, stated Johnson. I put it to them and they delivered. The Hyper crew is now looking forward to the ABAs Spring Nationals in Roseville, California later this month to once again put up some top scores, this time with its whole team in attendance. Check out Hypers new frame line and be on the lookout for Hypers new complete bikes at www.hyperbicycles.com. Get a look at all the top notch No Fear racing gear at www.nofearcycling.com. See the best BMX components on the market at www.tangentproducts.com. Factory Hyper is proudly supported by: ESPN’s X-Games (www.expn.com); Shimano (www.shimano.com); 661 shoes (www.sixsixone.com); ACS (www.acsbmx.com); Answer Products (www.answerproducts.com); FSA (www.fullspeedahead.com); Thomson Seat Posts (www.lhthomson.com)”