Loebe Slips Past the ConMan and Maris Edges out Cristian

Story and Photos via BMXNOW.COM

The 2010 ABA Gator Nationals got into gear Saturday with 138 motos (said to be a few ticks higher than last year). The full four Elite classes were active, and USAC/ABA’s blossoming Junior Development Program was chock-full of superstars-in-waiting (Saturday’s honors going to Tyler Whitfield and Shelby Stacy in Jr. Devo Boys and Girls, respectively).

One bit of new process that was announced today was that Elite classes would get to pick lane assignments for the semis and main based on riders’ finishes in the previous rounds. BMXNOW did not completely understand how it all worked, as the goldenrod sheet that was handed out at the riders meeting looked a lot like “build your own computer out of everyday parts” instructions, but we will find out more about the inner working of how this will work at future races, and report back.

Elite Men was a suspense-filled race with classic reversals of fortune applied, as if at the command of a Hollywood director who had not received his shiatsu that day. In the race, Cristian Becerine lead it pretty much from the crest of the first jump to the deepest part of the last straight. Stumpy was there in second for most of it, but Maris was stalking the lead in a big way and mounted a awe-inspiring charge in the last straight to get the win from his FA teammate by half a wheel at the line. It looked a lot closer from half a track away, but Bill Morris, ABA head official zipped it up on the instant replay and there it was…Maris had his win! Tough break for Donny Robinson today. dR was sitting in second or third in the semi, when he went down double-H-hard in turn two. BMXNOW talked to him after the race, and he is OK, but had a nasty-looking scuff on his shoulder blade.

Elite Women was as stacked as it could get with Dom stuck on the undercard. Current UCI World Champ, Mariana Pajon, was up from Columbia to size up the American girls she will likely meet in Madrid in a month. Aside from Mariana, the main had most of the other “Who’s Who” names in the class, with Post, Geving, Barragan, Verhagen, Pitts and Carr in the gate. Props to Kim Hayashi for grabbing her own spot in the big lap. Into the first turn, it was Pajon, Post and Verhagen, then the balance. The omelette got scrambled in a way only the marvel of a GO211 replay will be able to confirm, but ended up with a sizable portion of the field on the pavement of the first turn. Amanda Geving got around the shards of her fallen comrades and made a successful drive for the stripe. Stephanie Barragan and Madison Pitts were 2-3.

Have you ever seen one of those Atomic bomb films from the 50s, where trees bend in half, and houses are blown into matchsticks on the test range? OK, well, that sums up pretty well how Dom Daniels dispensed with Junior Women. Nothing against the other seven ladies, as they were the only Elite class main of the day in which nobody pulled the eject cord.

Which leaves Junior Men. Connor Fields pretty well owned the class throught the day, with impressive showings at key times by Tory Nyhaug, Corben Sharrah and Austin Loebe. The stage was set for a contentious main, and we sure got one. Through the second straight, it was Connor and Austin in Siamese-lockstep. Through the Pro Section some unfortunate circumstance befell Connor (though we did not see what it was because our view was blocked), and Austin came out on top, with Tommy Zula and Corben Sharrah with the two and three. The crowd was definitely

If you are a recurring BMXNOW visitor, you probably know that, on Saturday Night, we usually are pressed between the unstoppable force of the Earth rotating on its axis, and the immovable object of the 8AM first gate. Thus, after the evening’s primary activity is complete (editing, correcting and posting the day’s photos), the time for writing is short, before the witching hour is nye.

Translation: Check out Saturdays photo gallery and we’ll have more from Oldsmar after Sunday’s race.