Rider count this year was 125, sorted into five classes: 7-Under Boys, 8-10 Boys, 11-13 Boys, 10-Under Girls and 11-13 Girls

Justin Richmond has been the most consistent and successful rider in the history of the Young Guns series, having never lost a lap in the four years of racing the event. He closed out his Young Guns career with absolute dominance in the 11-13 class, and was joined on the podium by two of his Snap Factory Teammates, Nick Deters and Tyshawn Carr. Nick just joined the Snap squad after the Grands, and is looking good in the new threads. The Snap guys have some new things afoot for 2012, showing some early signs via the corral of Ssquared frames in their pit, replacing the Redman rides. More to come on that.

In the 11-13 Girls Class, Rennen-Intense Michigander, Elida Beeman was up front in all the rounds and put the punctuation on a good season.

DK’s Ohio Express, Spencer Cole, brought the fight to the 8-10 boys class in a big way, winning the main by a beefy margin. Coletrain was rockin the new DK Magnesium frame, which we know lots of people are anxious to get their hands on in the new season.

We don’t have the official results yet, and will update this post when we do, but before we head back to Steel Wheels for today’s Future Pro Challenge, we wanted to get the photo gallery up for y’all.

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For BMXers from East of the Mississippi and north of the Mason-Dixon line, it used to be a December 1 tradition to strip off the knobbies of outdoor season in favor of “stadium tires.” This was because, in all but one or two places in the country, indoor BMX in the 70s and 80s was exclusively run on concrete floors, with wooden jumps and flat turns. In fact, the first World Championship of BMX was decided on such an unorthodox course (Jag World Championships, Indianapolis 1978).

But, evolution and innovation marched forward, and the concrete indoor tracks were replaced by permanent indoor-on-dirt facilities, in Wisconsin (Walworth BMX in Elkhorn, which was started as wood jumps on Dirt), Northern Indiana (Steel Wheels in Hobart) and, yes, in Indianapolis.

Some races those of us of that era remember fondly are the aforementioned Jag Worlds in Indy (1978-1981), and the “Rondo Classic” in Minneapolis (which was not officially a national, but had every pro and factory amateur of the time in attendance). There were also various homespun regional and local races like a few at the old International Amphitheater in Chicago; later at the Odeum in suburban Villa Park, and a series at the Rock Island Armory in the Quad Cities, on the Mississippi River.

The last indoor-on-concrete with wooden jumps race was said to be about 1985, 26 years ago. It’s interesting how, in the modern era, indoor wheel parks have picked up where this style of racing has left off, with similar obstacles, albeit not run at speed.

No doubt that this format of BMX Racing could cause some to scratch their heads and say “Why would you want to do that?” Well, aside from the “necessity being the mother of invention” component, we’d have to say “don’t knock it til you tried it.” It’s kind of like saying “why would you drive from Chicago to Los Angeles when you could fly? We humans are creatures of variety, and sometimes just do stuff because we can.

Every couple years, we’d hear rumblings that so-and-so is putting together an indoor-on-cement race or series, but it never seemed to go anywhere– owing in large part, we’re sure, to the fact that both sanctions had a strict “No way” position on sanctioning that format of BMX racing in modern times. And so, those events were relegated to “wouldn’t it be cool if…” status.

That is, until one day in the twilight of 2010, when long-time BMXer, track operator, bike shop owner and vintage collector, Paul Depauw (pronounced “de-pow”) from the Rock Island, IL area decided to make it happen for a 2011 series. Rock Island had a perfect building, the QCCA (Quad City Conservation Alliance) Expo Center, and with the “New NBL,” seems to have also come a new attitude toward trying new (old?) things, so Paul got the approval to run a series of NBL-sanctioned races.

Paul runs the East Moline outdoor track, which hosted an NBL national for many years (most recently in 2008), and has a fairly hearty local program, with a dedicated base of riders and volunteers who seemed ready to race, despite any wintery weather outside.

Pierce Barker from ProGate stepped up to help the group into an awesome “Straight-8″ rig that made a big impression on all, and would have any outdoor track salivating.

An early storm cloud on the whole parade was the availability of the building on weekends to run the races–seems the QCCA is a fairly in-demand venue, booked solid on weekends for most of early 2011. Many would have said “next year” at that point, and shelved the plan until the 2011 calendar got a lot thinner. But Paul and his posse said “no…we’re doing this…now!,” and decided on a series of weeknight slots, the first one being Monday, January 10 (there is one Sunday race in the series, on March 13). If you’re running an unconventional race series anyway, you may as well blaze your own trail on the “when” of it all as well.

Only BMXers would be dedicated crazy enough to drive three hours, be at the race for two hours, and get back in the car and drive back three hours. But, as we all know, the journey IS the reward, and rolling up on the QCCA and getting the first glimpse of practice underway melted away 30 years, and brought the same excited butterflies back that we felt when we first walked into the Indianapolis Convention Center in 1979, or the Odeum in the winter of 1983–and that was just the feeling from the parking lot.

Walking in, the sounds were of a bygone era as well. The “ba-boo-da-doo…ba-boo-da-doo” of the bikes hitting the wooden jumps, tires screeching as they struggled to maintain their hold on the second turn, and the tell-tale foot-down-in-the-turns was an amazing site to behold.

It’s a different style of riding, to be sure, and you could identify the riders who ride the skateparks, or make the occasional trip to Ray’s, as they easily handled the box-jump-style tables in the second straight. But the older cruiser class was where the talent sat for this track, with a particular foot-out pizzaz into the first turn, and scoop-and-square lines into the hair-pin second and third turns.

This track had more pedaling than most outdoor tracks, and clipless pedals seemed to have posed an unfamiliar disadvantage (though some rode them…and still others ran their clip pedals with flat shoes).

The riders overwhelmingly thought the indoor-on-concrete format was “pretty cool,” something we would have hesitated to put money on at first, given how unusual the format is. But across generations, riders were on board.

We also liked the fact that newbies and dads who have not gated up this century could easily ride the track, where a big & gnarly outdoor may present more of an intimidation factor.

The evening featured two races, run back-to-back. Motos were posted by 6:45, with 65 entries in 19 motos for the first race. The second race had a few less at 17 motos. We were actually quite impressed with the turnout for this first date, given that it was run on a work/school night, using a format that is totally alien to most riders, and was hatched from concept to completion in one month flat.

Andy Wright of the Standard Army was probably the hottest hotshoe on premises, walking away with 19-over class, but teammate Ron Anderson was also way up in the mix, as a bearded Rick Moliterno looked on from the sidelines (Standard’s HQ is only a few minutes over the bridge, so come early next time and stop over at Goodtimes Superstore).

Ted Weiscope made the 186-mile trek from Decatur (the longest of anyone in the building, us included) to handily dispense with 35-39 cruiser, and look like he had not missed a beat since the last Odeum race.

The race also brought out some stars of yesteryear to watch the action, with Jag Worlds main maker Bobby (now Bob) Nash standing near staging with an ear-to-ear grin on his mug. Will we see Bob in the gate again soon??? Afterall, you’re never a “former” BMXer…once in, always in!!

The race ran smooth, with no apparent snags in the program, and surprisingly few crashes. Paul said they got the track set up in about two hours, and torn down and into storage in a bit more than that, rolling into the driveway just before 1AM.

The next race is Wednesday, January 26, also a double race (see below for the rest of the dates). We look forward to seeing you there!

Check out the Photo Gallery From Rock Island Indoor BMX – Race 1

—Mike Carruth

There are certain points in ones life where you remember precisely where you were when you are given profound news. For some, it may be a terrible event like 9/11. For others, it may be the incredible news that your going to be a father. And sometimes, it is the tragic news that a friend has been critically injured. Such was my experience at this year’s Silver Dollar Nationals, when I received the news that Ken Nork had crashed during the second round, and was likely paralyzed. Standing in the lobby of the Grand Sierra, a pair of panini under my arm, en route to go edit the photos of the day. There, Jackie Altizer, who traveled to Reno with Ken and a contingent from our local track, Steel Wheels BMX, told me what happened. I felt the color drain from my face, and it felt, for that moment, like I was standing on two bags of marshmallows. Hearing those words “They think he might be paralyzed from the chest down” brings a quick “film” in your head of what life is going to be like, thereafter, for your friend, who you just saw race the first round, a few hours earlier.

In the weeks and months that followed, BMXers from around the world (through a Facebook group, and messages on VintageBMX.com) adopted a rallying call made famous by another fallen BMXer, Stephen Murray, and the “Stay Strong Ken Nork” movement was born. Murray, as you recall, is a BMX dirt jumper who was paralyzed from the neck down after a critical injury at the final stop of the 2007 Dew Tour.

Through fundraisers at local tracks across the US and Canada, Ken and his family were helped to offset the financial burden this kind of event inevitably has when one of the bread-winners is unable to contribute. As of today, The Ken Nork Facebook page has 1323 fans, and the thread on Vintage talking about his injury has received 206 replies and over 16,000 views.

Fast-forward a mere five months, and Ken has gone from receiving the devastating news that his case was hopeless, and he would never move his arms and legs again, to being back at the track to watch his two kids participate in last week’s Answer Supercamp—on his own two feet, assisted only by a cane.

I felt that the thousands of supporters and well-wishers who chimed in to give Ken strength would really like to hear from him, in his own words, in his own voice, for the 4-1-1 on how he’s doing.

Seeing Ken walk into Steel Wheels back in April brought the whole thing full circle. The hair stood up on the back of my neck, the color drained from my face, and there I was, standing on those marshmallows again. I couldn’t have been happier.

—MIke Carruth, June 14, 2010

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ALS is a disorder of the motor neurons, nerve cells in the brain and spine that control voluntary muscles. For people with ALS these nerve cells gradually die and the muscles they control can no longer function, leading to total paralysis and eventually death. There is no known cure for ALS at this time and life expectancy is 2-5 years. 

The Gronowskis are a great BMX family and have always been willing to help Music City and any BMX family with whom they have come into contact. As we all know, BMX is a true family sport, who always stands together as a community.

The goal of Neva’s friends is to try and get everyone at Morristown to donate 1 dollar, 4 quarters, 10 dimes, 20 nickels or even 100 pennies. As we all know a dollar doesn’t buy much these days, but I promise if you are willing to give a dollar for this cause we will show you how far it will go to help a great family in their time of need.  100% of all monies raised will be donated to the Gronowski family.

These funds will be used to help retrofit the Gronowski home to make it more accessible and comfortable for Neva as she battles this illness. For example, a downstairs bedroom and bathroom are needed, because Neva is no longer able to climb stairs. We are also hoping to help the family in having their van equipped with a wheelchair lift and ramps into the house. it is our own version of “Extreme Makeover, BMX Edition” and your help is greatly needed and appreciated.

If you aren’t planning on attending Morristown this weekend, but would still like to help, donations will still be accepted and appreciated. Please contact Bobby at (615) 267-0742 or email him at bobbyg629@aol.com
 
 

Burlin Harris and his star instructors are coming to Steel Wheels Indoor in Hobart Indiana on January 16 & 17. Time is running out on enrollments, so call the track directly (219-406-9833) to find out if there is still room. Then, on the evenings of Jan 18 & 19, there will be an advanced rider camp (25 riders Max). No doubt that the Supercamps are highly effective for riders of all ages and proficiencies. A portion of the proceeds of the Steel Wheels camp will be donated to a fund established for Ken Nork, a Steel Wheels local who suffered a spinal injury at the recent ABA Silver Dollar Nationals in Reno, NV.

As of January 13, there is still room in the Sat/SUn camp, as well as the Mon/Tue Evening Advance Riders’ camp.

With 19 racks of riders ranging from six to 13 years in age, the second installment of the Answer BMX Young Guns Shootout went off with a bang today in Hobart, Indiana. Cars, cold cuts and coolers were loaded up from as far away as Dallas to make the trip to Steel Wheels Indoor BMX on a “warm” winter day (36 degrees at race time outside, about 60 inside—so similar to San Diego, trackside).

“The Juice” Justin Richmond and “Dirt Diva” Mikenna Koth took the top spots in the 11-13 “Elite” Boys and Girls classes, respectively. Justin won the 10 and under class at last years inaugural Young Guns Shootout, and ran the table today. Mikenna has her own unique story on her route to the top of the podium. That route, in this case, involved over a thousand miles of Interstates, US Highways and State Routes, as well as the Steel Wheels straightaways. Mikenna’s dad, Tim, rallied as only a BMX dad could after a full Friday of business, and set out for Hobart from Dallas, TX last night at 6PM. They arrived in the parking lot just in time for the opening of registration at 11AM. As we said, only in BMX Racing! The 100+ mile journey earned Tim and Mikenna the “longedst trip” honors, and a $25 gift card.

Full results are forthcoming, but BMXNEWS wanted to get the winners, and the photo gallery from today’s race posted (includes both the Young Guns Shootout racks, as well as the single pointer that ran as well).

2009 Answer BMX Young Guns Shootout Winners
7-Under Boys winner…..”The G-Man” Gavin Freewalt
10-Under Girls winner…..Mattie Pusateri
10-Under Boys winner…..John Jilbert
11-13 Girls winner…..Mikenna Koth
11-13 Boys winner….. “The Juice” Justin Richmond (11x)

Check out the photo gallery on PhotosArePosted.com