NBL War Of The Stars Pro Series heats up

Starting with the Gator Nationals in West Palm Beach, Florida, pros will have the cance to race three big NBL weekends over the next two months. That means six big races with big cash payouts and points, plus all the 2008 NBL Pro races feature Pennant pre-races, UGP Opens, BAWLS bunny-hop contests, and much more.

NBL is famous for hosting Nationals on the best tracks in America and a busy spring will kick off with the Gator Nationals at Okeeheelee BMX, March 14-16. The Gator National features two NBL Pro events plus the last two UCI Continental races and promises to showcase yet another clash of Olympic hopefuls, International stars, and plenty of blazing amateur action.

 

With a hectic travel schedule for many of the top Pros, a race practically in their backyard will be a welcome addition to the NBL Pro Series. The newly revamped Whittier Narrows BMX Track, locatedin South El Monte, California, will host the Pacific Nationals, April 4-6, and for many of the pros, an easy drive to one of SoCal’s finest tracks. The track is located in the Whittier Narrows Park and easily accessible from every county in the Los Angeles area. This marks the first time since 2002that an NBL Pro national has been held near the ‘City of Angels’ and it’s destined to make history.

The NBL Pro series then heads east for the Freedom Nationals held at the popular NOVA BMX track in Woodbridge, VA, April 25-27. Paul and Angela Kitcheloe have been busy preparing their track and the weekend will offer even more activities for everyone. Riders can take a clinic with the Intense/Bizzarro team at noon on Friday and then race the Pennant pre-race that same evening. Saturday and Sunday will serve up back-to-back days of national racing and lots of entertainment for the whole family.

NBL’s long-standing tradition of hosting the best Pro BMX series in America continues and the top pros from the US and around the world will be competing for the highly-coveted NBL Championship title. And speaking of Champions, Free Agent’s Kyle Bennett, the current NBL and UCI World Champion, picked up another two big NBL Pro wins in Arizona and sits atop the NBL Men’s standings ahead of GT’s Randy Stumpfhauser and HP/AT&T’s Donny Robinson.

Formula’s Alise Post did the same in Elite Women and is looking to put a stop to Kim Hayashi’s amazing string of Championship titles which currently stands at five. Intense’s Stephanie Barragan, who has become well-known for her holeshots, is eyeing her first pro title and VBS-Kenda/BAWLS’ Rachel Smith will be looking to jump herself into the mix.

Haro’s Logan Collins leads the Super-Ex standings but Redline’s Denzel Stein and RacePlace.com’s Warren McDow have come on strong and both have their sights set on the title. Formula’s Tim Dinger is looking for his first Masters title and has a good lead over Tommy Opincar and Philip Potosnak. Hey, don’t count out Supercross’s Kenth Fallen – with back-to-back wins in Arizona, he’ll be gunning for the wins in Florida.

Hey, if you can’t make to one of these great races, you can still watch it through a ‘Live’ webcast on GO211.com and be a part of the action. This year’s format will feature pre-race shows, athlete interviews, industry news, and tons of great racing action. Tune into www.go211.com for the pre-race shows and watch as the NBL season unfolds in front of your eyes.

For more information and to view the full NBL National Schedule, visit our website www.nbl.org .
The 2008 NBL National Series is proudly sponsored by BAWLS Guarana (www.bawls.com), Intense BMX (www.intensebmx.com), Kenda Tires (www.kendausa.com), Standard Byke Company (www.standardbyke.com), UGP (www.undergroundproducts.com) Sinz Racing (www.sinz-racing.com), THE Industries (www.bmxthe.com), in association with Camp Woodward (www.campwoodward.com).

The Top 5 after Arizona (Click here for full standings)

Elite Men
Kyle Bennett 50-2
Randy Stumpfhauser 44-2
Donny Robinson 36-2
Tyler Brown 32-2
Daniel Caluag 30-2

Elite Women
Alise Post 50-2
Stephanie Barragan 44-2
Rachel Smith 40-2
Danielle Brisson 36-2
Toni Rude 32-2

Super-Ex
Logan Collins 64-3
Warren McDow 61-4
Denzel Stein 50-2
Matthew Kelty 43-2
Derek Sipkoi 40-2

Masters
Tim Dinger 80-4
Tommy Opincar 66-4
Philip Potosnak 52-4
Kenth Fallen 50-2
Jason Carnes 45-4