NBL Southern Charm Nats Set McDonough Ablaze

After hitting town Friday Night, there was talk about whether or not this one would actually happen. Some people turned around and left, upon seeing several inches of snow on the track Friday night (it was a fairly daunting sight which, upon seeing it, made people wonder aloud: “HOW, on Earth is this going to be possible?”).

Saturday, practice was delayed till 12 Noon, which was smart move by the NBL, as there were still some icy spots on the roads leading to the track. Upon arrival at Sandy Ridge BMX, we saw the now-uncovered-and-snow-free track being worked by a battalion of volunteers with rakes, brooms, shovels and, yes, gas cans.

The valleys between most of the jumps were wet, and in an effort to dry them out, they decided to pour diesel fuel in those spots and light it up. Add some hay to the mix, and the heat from the fire dries the racing surface. While the net result was far from butter-smooth, the process did an adequate job of prepping the track.

The first gate of practice dropped at 2:05PM, to what many riders called “soft” conditions, but considering what could have been, I believe that all were happy to be out riding, and the track crew and volunteers did a very impressive job and should be applauded.

After one practice session each for 15 & over and 14 & under, it was time to go racing—68 motos of NBL racing action.

Elite open featured nine riders, with a couple of Masters Class riders joining in the fun. But the day belonged to John Miller of Addison Bikes, with Fred Lintz pulling the 2nd, after recently turning pro in December.

Those with Expert perfects from day one included, Tony Lehman, Chris Meaker, Petey Peters, Bakari Hassan, Seth Utz, Geoffrey Banser, Damien Cherepko, Antonio Bonessi, Coleman Habib, Warren Large, and Dylan Shipley.

The ladies perfects were Aryanna Wilfork, Kendra Stoddard (coming off a big injury and sporting her new HRPdesigns Factory jersey for the first time), Carly Jacobs, and Melody Large.

The big bikes were fast and furious, and dominated by the perfect rides of Jim Rempkowski, Anthony Robinson, Shayne Robinson, Tony Lehman, Samantha Brungart, Tony Spencer, Nathan Grant, Tyler Heinrich, and Ryan Ellefsen.

Sunday had the same moto count— at 68 racks, run two-moto-transfer, as on Saturday. Hats off to the NBL for trying to give the most bang for the buck, given the conditions. The time of day, the temperature and the safety of those driving to and from the track had to be considered, and two-moto was the most logical choice.

Day Two saw many of the same names on the top step with the expert perfects belonging to Leham, Meaker, Peters, Dimitrie Dyke, Menardo Simon II, Banser, Cherepko, Kavin Bradner, Bonessi, Richey Dey, Grant Green, Shipley, and Ezra Poole.

Sunday perfects for the ladies included Taylor Thomison, Christina Harvey, Emily Grice, Jacobs, and Large.

On cruiser it was more of the same with Rempkowski, Jeff Tapscott, Robinson, Lehman, Melissa Woodruff, Mike Powers, Grant, Brungart, and Gabriel Barwick.

The Elite open had nine riders on Saturday and 10 on Sunday, as Jason Larev jumped into the mix. As noted above, the top money went to John Miller of Addison Bikes, with twin wins. Day one saw newcomer, Fred Lintz pull the 2nd and Masters rider Jason Sherrill pick up the three spot, followed by Jason Carne$, Matt Lindley, Josh Smith, Tremain Johnson, and Chris Norberg.

On day two, Josh Smith crossed the line behind Miller, followed by Lintz slipping a spot into third. The rest of the field went: Carne$, Jason LaRev, Justin Travis, Sherrill, and Lindley.

Overall, Mother Nature threw a big, icy curve ball at this race. It is amazing that a race even occurred, after 6” of snow, the freezing temps, and the abundance of mud and water runoff that flowed around and through the pits all weekend. A lot of people missed this race because of travel fears and honestly, I cannot blame them, but that did not dampen the racing of those who did attend. The conditions were the same for all that chose to race, and any trophies won were well-deserved. Had this race been held under good conditions I believe it would have been hailed as one of the best races of the year, but now it will be hailed as the “snow race”.

Stuart Harrison
BMXNews Cub Reporter