ABA Brings Beautiful Music To Nashville

May 20, 2011 by BMXNEWS.COM Editors

After an historic week in BMX Racing history, Friday finally came, ushering in the start of the ABA Music City Nationals. Last year’s national at the long-celebrated Music City track (and that of every year prior since 1981 or so) has been NBL.

At this, the first national after the track switched over to ABA late last year, many were holding their breath, hoping the Music City “Magic” would carry over to a new crowd.

It did. And it wasn’t a “new” crowd necessarily, though there were more than a few new-to-the-ABA faces in the sign up line. Sure, the banners on the track had different letters on them, and even the practice had that “intangible” professionalism that people have come to know and expect at ABA’s races, but we gonna have a BMX race this weekend…and it looks like it’ll be a big ‘un.

The over-arching question on the fenceline, in the pits, in the parking lot, in the registration line, and poolside at almost every Nashville-area hotel was pretty much the same: “so…what you think about all the changes this week?” News did more eavesdropping than talking, to hear what was being said in answer to that question.

By and large, people were saying “it’s about time.” Of course, it’s an ABA crowd, so what would you expect to hear? Some were sore about the ABA “bailing out” the NBL. Some were talking about all the post-NBL sanction threads popping up on Vintage (with the needle moving between humor and hatred, with not many “likes” to be heard), and others, if you want to believe this, had not heard at all, and got a pretty enriching earful, longer than we had patience to listen.

But the other thing we heard, more than a few times, was ABA crew members literally welcoming first-time ABA riders into the fold. “We’re glad you’re here…keep an open mind, and I think we’re all going to have a great time.” said one ABA-shirted starter, chatting with a mom while her 7-under practiced.

The Nashville track, with it’s world-famous first straight– intimidating and as long as a runway as nearby BNA, had some of the most respected riders in the joint grabbing a handful of brake before hitting the lippy, 30-foot table midway down. One teenage class heavy hitter said, while chillin in the stands before his practice that the first straight looked “a little scary,” and Chad Powers was doing a brisk business in up-sized gears nearby.

Lots of solid comp here tearin up the track in today’s practice and pre-race. A strong Rennen/Intense contingent, including Shawn DiPrete, Austin Loebe, Devon Yeager, Cameron Moore, and “The G-Man” Gavin Freewalt, all looking fierce and ready for a couple team wins. The other side of the Intense family, the Speed team has some jerseys in the crowd, with local hero Logan Collins suited up, Cole Tesar, the Kortman sisters, and maybe a couple more.

Renato and the AllTow Wrecking Crew made it in from parts East. News had a chat with him yesterday, asking how his mohawk was doing after “winning” the teamsheet and losing his locks in Atlanta. “I went to my barber and said ‘what can you do with this?’…and a long while later, they had something that just didn’t work…so I just said ‘buzz it all off,’ and…(pulls off hat).” We thinks it actually looks pretty good.

The full Snap Factory Team is also in the house, with Whitfield, Struna, Ceslok, Richmond, and mates making the trip to TN to turn up the heat on the team sheet sharks.

The first thing we saw when rolling up on the Thursday Danny C/Weston Pope clinic was the Redline trailer. Carne$ was doing his classic setup, keepin things as dialed as a bootcamp barricks before a four-star visit. Sam and Alise are wingin on over to Holland on Sunday for next week’s Papendal SX race, so runnin’ the red, while & black this weekend, it’ll be Denzel26, Gorgeous George and Crankin’ Carly Dyar (17 in a week!).

Some of the Supercross squad is on the loose in NashVegas. We saw Bubba Harris hittin the first turn at warp in Pro Practice, and Courtney Tomei y Afton Schrimpf are here flying colors for smilin’ Bill Ryan.

Lots more to report from Nashville, but can’t speak on it all tonight.

The official BMX News Moto Count Consensus puts Saturday’s race at 175 motos (+/- 17). Camera and flash batteries charging…a tennessee pizza pounded down (no cheese, veggie-only and woefully inadequate)…time for the human batteries to get a full charge for what is sure to be a megawatt day of racing (with “orders” for any rain to hold off til after 7, or avoid us altogether. Heck, the Goodguys Car Show is in town too).

Vintage Moment: Above you see a rad view of the first straight, show from the first turn. Below, you’ll see a similar view, looking down the first straight, shot in 1981 by ViintageBMX.com friend Joey Sears (via Jonathan Hoag’s Facebook page). You can clearly see that the 30-foot line is in place, and people are crashing over the first jump. See, not much has changed at all in 30 years.