Slammin Sooner Sunday

With six weeks off between the Grands and the first races of the year, it’s easy to forget how long a workday can be, when a 12-hour commute is tacked on to the end of it. The final gate dropped at 1:54PM today, and here it is 3:33AM, and we’re already home (after sampling the truck stop board of fare in three states).

Tales from the road notwithstanding, News used the time wisely–to edit and prep the photos from Sunday’s ABA Sooner Nationals. A total of 94 shots from today, adding to the 214 we posted yesterday, makes for a well-rounded weekend of gettin around.

KJ Romero (above) was the BMOC this weekend, acing all six A Pro motos, and both main event laps with carefree care (if that makes any sense at 3:40AM). OK, enough writing tonight…before we are tempted to go “all the way” and write the story in a language which tomorrow will reveal itself as a cross between Aramaic and Hood Latin.

Check Out the Saturday Photos

Check Out the Sunday Photos

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USA BMX Sooner Nats Day One Gallery

A great day of racing in Guthrie, Oklahoma today, as Day One of the USA BMX Sooner Nationals took the focus. An even 200 motos, run with high precision, and a track layout that was given the thumbs-up by top stars and novies alike.

Though this year’s installment is not a Pro Series race, we have some names in the house this weekend that will make an awesome AA main in a year or two.

A full race report will be coming your way on Monday, with the Sunday Photo Gallery. But before lights out tonight, we wanted to get you the Saturday photo gallery, which has some awesome shots inside, if we do say so ourselves.

Check Out the Saturday Gallery Now

Don’t forget to check back Monday afternoon for the weekend’s report, and our Sunday Gallery.

Megawatt GT Factory Team Emerges

Nothing official from the company yet, but over the weekend, the ABA posted the coming roster for GT’s 2012 Factory Team on their Facebook Page. Here’s how it breaks down:

(Ages at the 2012 Grands)

Jack Kelly – 9X
Sophia Foresta – 13G
Sean Gaian – 16X
Felicia Stancil – 17G
Jordan Miranda – 18X
Jonas Harmon – 31X
Steve Spencer – 45X
Eric Rupe – 47X
Mike Day – Elite Men
Corben Sharrah – Elite Men

Quite a roster for the first USA BMX season. Watch for early photos of the new Am crew from the USA BMX Silver Dollar Nationals next weekend!

Upcoming Story: USAC Adds Collegiate BMX Category

Last week, Dave Grigsby from Lindsey Wilson College shared a link on our Facebook page with news that USA Cycling has added a Collegiate BMX category for the first time at the 2012 National Championships in Chula Vista. BMX Racing will be the fifth collegiate cycling discipline, and it seems obvious that this fact may open up a new universe of possibilities for the sport.

A lot of the finer points are still being ironed out, but News thought this was cool enough news to give you a little teaser. We reached out to USA Cycling earlier this week, and are planning a more complete story on how this will work, and what it might mean to Joe College BMXer, later in the week.

Stay tuned to BMXNEWS.COM for more info on this topic.

President’s Cup ROC Photo Gallery

The 2011 ABA President’s Cup Race of Champions was the perfect kickoff to ABA Grands Weekend. As we get the words in order for the three-day mega race, we thought you’d enjoy an appetizer in photo form.

Over 200 images of Novices, Inters, Experts and Pros to feast your eyes on.

Check out the Gallery Now

Check back Wednesday for story and photos from the 2011 ABA Grands.

NOTE: If you see a photo you like, logo-free, hi-res downloads are available for $15 on the photosareposted.com website. Perfect for prints!

Tulsa Time!

In Air Traffic Control lingo, we often hear planes designated as “heavy” (“United-828-Heavy…blah, blah, blah”). Packing up for the drive to Tulsa, it seemed like such a call might come booming from the sky, as we packed the third redundant tripod to the backup tripod, and enough AA batteries to power the space shuttle. (Sigh) OK…the four-wheeled rig is loaded to its maximum takeoff weight, and ready to hit the Interstate at an hour too early to admit. Destination: Tulsa, OK for the 2011 ABA Grands.

Four days of mega coverage awaits you, with news from every square inch of the block-long QuickTrip Center, gossip from the best lobby lounges and eager ears listening non-stop for the latest scoop. Whether you’re going or not, this is the place you’ll want to refresh early and often, come Turkeyday, and +3.

BMX News, and our sister site BMXNOW.COM wants your 2012 team info, pit gossip and prescient Grands predictions. Those who know, don’t talk…and those who talk, don’t know…except when they’re talking to BMX News. Email us at news@bmxnews.com or flag us over from the fenceline if you have a scoop burning a hole in your leathers.

Use #11ABAGrands on Twitter to get your Tweets heard by the broader audience!

—Mike Carruth

Podcast: Arielle Martin on Chula Vista Win

A World Cup win has been a long time coming for Arielle Martin–and, indeed, the USA Women’s BMX effort, as a whole. In fact, one thing you’ll learn in listening to this interview is that the United States has never won a World Cup event on the women’s side. Until this month.

We spend some time chatting with Arielle Martin about her historic win, about her next 10 months leading up to the London Olympics (and qualifying for same), as well as life after August 2012.

Listen Now

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Click here if you missed yesterday’s interview with Chula Vista Mens winner, Connor Fields

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This episode sponsored by BMXEDITS.COM

ABA/NBL —> USA BMX / BMX Canada

USA BMX is a great name for a BMX sanction. As long as you’re in the “Free 52.” Since the moment news of the merger between the ABA and NBL, under the USA BMX Umbrella, was first announced, there were questions asking “What about Canada?” What about Canada, indeed.

News was just talking about this subject at the recent Interbike trade show with some folks from up that way, and the sentiment was that they really didn’t mind the USA BMX moniker, as applied to their brand of BMX Racing up North. “I mean, it doesn’t exactly fit, but whatever” said one racer.

Well, no need to shoehorn the Canucks into the program, because Gilbert’s got ya’ covered. Little did we know that plans were underway to give Canada a league of their own, via BMX Canada. We spied the above shot on ABA’s Facebook page earlier in the week, and gOrk confirmed that this was the BMX brand for the Northland.

The above rig will roll on Canadian soil this weekend, just in time for the 2011 ABA Canadian Grand Nationals, held at Chilliwack Heritage Park in Chilliwack, BC.

Keep it right here on BMX News for more developments from the Arctic Circle to

Oh, and we’re reasonably sure that yellow “boot” is a security device so the trailer won’t get stolen. Looks too new to have five parking tickets already

#SingItWithMeNow – O Canada

On The Ground at Interbike 2011 – Part II

Continuing on from the first installment of things seen at Interbike 2011. But first, let’s take a brief pause to say Wazzup to Bill Allen, “Cru Jones” from the movie “RAD” who ambled up to the Hyper booth, just as we were finishing up our media tour. A perfect mix of show-biz and go-biz in this shot: Bill can say “I play a fast guy in the movies” and Jud Ciancio can say “I play a fast guy on the track.” Great to see both of youze guys.

FREE AGENT

Headlining an island booth chock full of new hardware from parent company, KHS, Free Agent BMX had their new Team Limo completes on display. In observance of the London Olympic Games, and in support of their resident Olympic Gold Medalist, FA’s paint scheme for 2012 goes for the gold…black & gold. Available in Team Limo 20″ and Team Limo 24, this is the ride that Maris, Kyle and Cristian use to make it happen in main events.

Free Agent Team Manager and world-champ-in-his-own-right, Dale Holmes said this of the 2012 Limo line:

“We are very excited about our line of bikes for 2012 — we’ve really switched it up, with a move to gold with an influence from Maris and the Olympic Games on the horizon. The specs are even more impressive and the frame is race-proven. After the overwhelmingly positive response here at the show, we’re just getting started on all that’s to come in 2012″

The line makes use of U6 Alloy with ovalized seat and chainstays, an integrated headset and CNC’d dropouts. The Limo has lots of name-brand parts on board too, such as the Sinz Carbon forks, Sun Envy rims and Kenda Konversion tires. A carbon seatpost and Free Agent housebrand Crankset are also legit for a complete. Take your pick of the 20 or the 24″ Team Limo for a suggested retail of $899.

DK BICYCLES

Yesterday, we told you a little about the forthcoming Strength Magnesium frame. Well, there was one other BMX race frame made from old number 12. DK Bicycles was showing their Magnesium “team replica” frame, which will hit the streets in seven sizes, when it’s all said and done. The Mini, Junior and Expert will be shipping in time for you to stage one up at the ABA Grands, and the Pro, Pro XL, Pro XXL and Cruiser will follow soon after. On magnesium, as a material for race bikes, Jason Jewell, who was doing the honors vis a vis our questions, said “it has the stiffness of aluminum and the forgiving properties of chromoly…kind of all mixed into one. First straights feel great on it…lots of power to the wheels… and in the turns, even if it’s a little bumpy like at one of our local tracks, the mag frame forgives a lot of that chop.” Price point for this baby will be around $500, and while the exact weights of all the models were not available at the show, our BMXNEWS best guess is that it will be in-line with the Strength frame, at around 2lbs for the largest pro size. You can see the DK magnesium Team Replica under 9x terror, Spencer Cole at a national near you, and likely Tommy Zula as well, but no confirmation if he’ll be piloting it in Chula Vista next week. We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that green, black and white paint scheme!

FLY RACING

Ray Hudson and his posse were in the house with the 2012 Fly Racing lineup. Too much to list here in the way of colorways and variations, but suffice it to say you’ll soon be seeing the 2012 factory uniforms that make use of the pants, helmets and gloves nicely accenting a factory-fresh custom jersey.

One product we did want to highlight with a photo is their new “Default” BMX helmet. Available in youth sizes (SM, Med, Large) and Adult (Sm, Md, Lg, XL), the Default is incredibly approachable as the first lid after you graduate up from a loaner helmet at the track, or the hockey helmet with goalie mask bolted to it. With an MSRP of $99.99, a factory look, and well-preserved brains are yours “by Default” (har, har, har). Four color combos match it up with practically any jersey you can pair with it (blue and red, black and red, black and white and “voodoo” purple/yellow/black). The Default has got TLD-esque (our words) fin-shaping out back and air vents where they need to be. Definitely a solid offering as a starter skid lid.

Also in the above photo, not included with the helmet, but a great pairing, nonetheless is the new “Zone Pro” goggle. Sick-slick graphics on the band and the frame make the Zone Pro just the ticket for looking the part, as well as keeping out that which you want to keep out. The Zone Pro is also mindful of the “factory look” by coming stock with a chrome lens to put just as much mental distance between you and your comp as you plan to put once the gate drops. And get this…the Zone Pro Retails at $29.95. At that price, you can have a Friday, Saturday and Sunday set to match your mood.

INTENSE BMX

The design and geometry of the Intense Podium line is rockin solid and steady for 2012. Why try a mohawk on the Mona Lisa, afterall? Still, there will be some freshening up of paint and badging to separate those with the shiny new from those with the…shiny old. Also look for more news coming down the pike on the “Flying Circus” models they have been doing up for sponsored pros. No immediate glimmer as to what that’s all about, but we’re going to keep our inbox open and our ear to the rails.

T.H.E.

A fair amount of new helmet paint on the THE side of things for 2012. We focused in on the sexy carbon sizzle, bringing four new looks: Impression II (a black, grey and white), Monday (a sort of “Mondrian ala moto” motif), Koi (which will put you swimmingly into a deep blue sea, see and be seen scene), and finally the red orange and black “Tiki Torch” (ooga-booga…pass the mai-tai-flavored Monster). We always love the THE stuff, and guys like Maris and Willers solidly back up the brand’s bad-assness. Truth be told, we forgot to ask on the MSRP on these, but a quick check of J&R and Dan’s Comp has the 2011 designs at $296-and-change, so our chips would be on the new model being in that ‘hood, monetarily speaking.

SPEED

Speed’s first year blazed by pretty quick, didn’t it? Seems like just yesterday that we told tale of a twinkle of a new idea coming from the drawing boards over at VSI. Well, that was March 1, 2010. Since then, they have made major moves on the team front, with hotshots like Willers and Mariana Pajon winning world cups and world championships, respectively on them…and Felicia Stancil winning twin W1 titles on the Am side. For 2012, the “limited edition” frame we saw this year, which sported slightly different tubing, making the frame much lighter than the stock mamma, will be the new, improved in-stock-and-shipping-to-your-zip-code model. The black and red “Ferrari” paint will be retired in favor of a livery that riders went ga-ga over when they saw something similar painted up as Marc’s “New Zealand” team ride for the worlds. VSI riffed off the UCI Rainbow with some commemorative touches of color to celebrate Mariana’s worlds win on the brand.

MCS

Modernized metal is making its way to market from MCS as well in 2012. The “Tracer” frame will be the platform for a new line of complete bikes that will retail for about $429. Available around April 2012, the Tracer will be available in sizes ranging from mini to cruiser, all at the same price point. Down-range, they’ll be offering the Tracer as a frame-only, with some up-market upgrades like integrated headset and like that. Talk around the campfire is that the new-fangled frame is 3/4 of a pound lighter than the stuff currently in service.

BEYOND TODAY

Since there is so much more to the BMX Racing industry than the companies who attended the show, BMXNEWS.COM will be hosting a “virtual BMX Racing trade show,” here on our site, the week of November 14. From the comfort of your own home, office or starting hill, you’ll get the latest info on all the new stuff debuting at the ABA Grands and for the holidays. Watch for more info on this the last week of October.

If you missed part one of this article, check it out now

ABA Black Jack Nationals – Reno

While the NBL Grands were underway back in Louisville, the classic ABA Black Jack Nationals were rolling strong in Reno. Both cities will play a solid role in the go-forward national schedule under USA BMX, with the Reno Race being the “ABA” Divisional Championships, and Louisville being the “NBL” Divisional Championships. News will have more on this, and other emerging details of the 2012 season later in the week.

Meanwhile, BMX News contributor Cole Proctor was in Reno, and filed the following story and photos package. Good stuff!

—Mike Carruth

Re-Cap and Photos by Cole Proctor

The talk around the arena was that the track seemed long-ish, “Bro this track is super long, has Reno always been like this?” Yeah it has…I mean, was only 950ft. With the last two indoor nationals being Vegas and Tucson this track seemed like forever. The first straight was technical and fast, with long jumps and steep transitions. The second straight had more flow then the past Reno tracks Lots of mellow rollers in between the doubles. As for the third straight, there was a “Decision maker” Same length as the amateur side, but on the outside and with steeper lips. The question was, Should I go wide and jump the section for the inside? Or should I stay low and close to earth hoping to pull whoever took the gamble of jumping through the section? The last straight was more like dirt jumps, with close, fast transitions and tall lips. This track fit every style of racer.

SATURDAY
Saturday started of with a bang– 207 motos strong–the Black Jack nationals have begun! As racing went on through out the day, the “decision maker” seemed pretty popular with riders 13x – 19-27x.
After a couple dozen semis, it was time for the mains. The A Pro main was one for the books. Napa Valley Crush rider Blake Paulson with his first Pro win and Factory Tangent rider Josh Oie wins enough money to put him over the top, and bump him up to AA. Sean Gaian and Carlie Ferree both locked up wins in the USAC Junior development. And SE Factory flyer, Javier Colombo, won Vet Pro.

As Day One of the Black Jack nationals ended, the night had just begun. Living here in Reno, there was little need for us to go to the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in years past. But this year I did, and had a blast! It was full of rowdy BMXers, Burning Man “Burners,” Rib Cook-off enthusiasts, and AVID girl Volleyball players. The place was packed! After the race, “Down time” was in effect, but it wasn’t so mellow. With kids and adults alike smashing golf balls at the driving range, racing the go-karts, shooting each other in laser tag. You know there was a lot going on. The night eventually softened and it was time to focus on Sunday’s race.

SUNDAY
Racing ran quick, with an “out-of-the-parking-lot” time of about 2:00PM. But don’t think the action was any less intense–Sunday was jammed with great racing, gate-after-gate. As mains came around, A Pro had everyone on their feet. Jacob Peebles came up on underneath side of Blake Paulson to take over the lead then lost in it the “Decision maker” to Lee Lewis. The ‘Flea’ taking the win in A Pro. Lain Van Ogle blasted Factory Crupi’s Justin Anderson in turn two of 16x to take the win, and in 19-27x KJ Romero tried taking the lead away from reigning number one Am, Josh Klatman, but fell short in the first corner.

The net impression on Sunday’s racing was that everyone was putting in 110%, and it was all-out war to the finish line. Words were exchanged, some tears shed, and hands shaken in sportsmanship. BMX At its finest.

A great Weekend in Reno! A nice, fast track, that had something for everyone, solid comp, and lots of after-race fun. What more could you ask for? The Black Jack Nationals were a success!

Check out the Black Jack Nationals Photo Gallery

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