Quick Change: Speed is Now Speedco

Got an email from the guys at VSI today with some breaking news on their Speed Bicycles brand. Seems there will be a slight change to the name, effective immediately, due to some potential trademark conflicts with the name. Here’s what the email said:

The Speed Bicycles brand has been rebadged to Speedco Bicycles to work around a possible trademark issue. The brand name change is effective immediately, though there will be a transitional period until all the products are updated with the new branding. The general look of the brand remains unchanged and the company will continue to produce the winning frames that brought Marc Willers and Dominique Daniels their 2011 ABA #1 Pro Titles. There is no need to discontinue the use of the original Speed Bicycles brand by teams, vendors, or consumers, as this change is being made only as a preventative measure.

BMX News will keep you posted on further news out of the VSI camp, as it develops.

Willers Moving to Team Toby in ’12

In listening to the latest episode of the Dale Holmes Podcast, the guys outed a bit of news that put the shading into a picture we started seeing the past few weeks. They reported that, following the ABA Grands, Marc Willers was going to be off Speed, and would be riding for Toby Henderson’s new company. Nice scoop guys!

News called around to try and verify what the podcast was layin down, and the jist of it is that yes, Marc will be riding for Toby’s new company (which does not have a public-facing name yet).

The second part to the story is that Marc will still be riding a Speed 20-mil frame and fork, and that was confirmed by Michael Gamstetter at VSI this afternoon. This makes it fairly clear that Toby’s company will not be making a frame. See, more detail being filled in all the time.

What’s Toby have to say about all this? We’re glad you asked, because we have an interview scheduled with him tomorrow, and will post the Podcast later in the day.

So, who is coming in to be the new “Speed racer?” Well, looks like Kory Cook (above, via Facebook) is going to get the Black & Yellow jersey (see what we did just then?).

On the Intense side of the hizzie, VSI’s lips are sealed… though outside the walls, there are winks and nods, and fortune cookie hints being dispensed, so who knows. When weighing what to chase down and what to leave on the side of the road, we often think of this clip from “Johnny Dangerously” in terms of the BMX “grapevine:”

So, props to Dale and Tony for getting it right, less the “Marc’s riding a Speed frame” part.

The VSI “Flying Circus” team will be a selection of A-Pro types, with Lee Lewis as the sole Elite, and they’ll be geared up in Nema’s pants (Speed and Intense teams will still be rockin Fly gear). The twin IPOT Speed/Intense teams will be back for another year.

There have been some stories floated about some of the East Coast Intense teams changing the channel, but we’re not reporting that as fact, because nobody has showed us contracts inked in blood, or the holy grail at this time of year, a jersey design straight from Hot Shoppe or Nema’s Custom Shop (news@bmxnews.com, by the way, if anyone has their ears on).

VSI has also just launched a T.H.E. company story, of sorts, which is run in conjunction with an e-commerce platform called Shopatron. Kind of an interesting concept, in that when the consumer places an order, the Shopatron platform puts the order out to local T.H.E. dealers who can “claim” it if they have the item in stock and ready to ship. If nobody claims it, the company will fill it direct. That is a cool hybrid that gives consumers what they want (product), dealers what they want (orders), and the company what they want (happy customer, and dealers moving product).

Check out the T.H.E. Shopatron Store

More from the rumor mines very soon–hopefully with some news from GT, Hyper, Supercross, and other marquee players (not necessarily all pro-related)– and of course, tomorrow’s Toby Henderson Interview, so keep it ri’chere.

Top: Marc always has time for the younger riders and has a strong fan base. At the Disney Cup with one of his peeps (via Marc Willers Facebook page).

VintageBMX.com discussion on this topic

Dale Holmes Puerto Rico Re-Cap Podcast
(Some adult language)

VSI Products (Intense/Speed/THE)

Felicia Stancil: “I think about BMX 24-Hours a Day”

It’s been a while since we last posted an episode of our wildly-popular “Announcers Tower” Podcast. Well, this week, we’re back in gear with five new episodes to keep your iPod happy.

This week, we’ll bring some final focus on the Chula Vista SX, with interviews of both Elite Winners, Connor Fields (Tuesday) and Arielle Martin (Wednesday). But first, we wanted to bring you some perspective from a newcomer to the Supercross scene, and we found it via Fly’n Felicia Stancil.

Lots of changes between traditional BMX Racing and BMX Supercross, and in a fairly-quick 14 minutes, Felicia give us an inside look on the whole magilla.

Listen Now

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iPhone users: http://www.bmxnews.com/podcasts/at_042_felicia_stancil.mp3

Editor’s Note: We thought it was pure coincidence that the Gatorade bottle ended up facing camera in big-media-interview fashion? Later, it occurred to us that Felicia may be wising-up early to the ways of doing right by her sponsors.

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

Marc Willers: Secret Agent of the Speed State?

“This is the thing that’s going to change the game and put it over the top,” says Marc Willers in a minute-and-a-half video by Trent Jones that hit the net today. Tough to tell what “this thing” is, but there are some flashes of Carbon Fiber in the beginning, so that may be a clue as to what Marc and Speed Bicycles have under the curtain. Or are they just poking Redline with a stick, in the latest volley in their years-long propaganda wars?

Willers is a heavy favourite of Las Vegas odds makers, and “Gear Chart Dads” the world-over, to be high-atop the UCI BMX Elite Men’s World Title this weekend in Copenhagen, so a win there could give any announcement (even if it IS simply “Gotcha!”), a nice PR pump.

Some photos of Marc’s worlds whip surfaced on Facebook, and we have been studying them like the CIA studies U2 spy photos for any clues. We have no Earthly idea if this secret project is a new bike part, or maybe Marc got a tattoo on his face, Mike Tyson style (MAYBE just like the painted-on one on the cover of Pull Magazine a few months back???). Whatever the case, it’s a tasty scoot, done up in the Kiwi-Team-Livery.

Here’s the Video:

More info on Project 777, and Marc’s trip to the 2011 UCI BMX World Championships, as it becomes available.

Lee Lewis Goes for the Steak Knives at VSI

We are always stoked when riders make the jump from the track to the “front office” of an industry stalwart. Lee Lewis has been on the road with Burlin Harris and the Supercamp posse for the past year or two, replacing Karl Clark (who’s back and making A Pro mains again, by the way).

Lee is a great instructor, very patient with the kids, and knowledgeable enough to talk turkey with the “gear chart dads” (like me) who are on his jock from the moment he sets foot out of the van, asking about optimizing gear inches, which frame has the shortest back end, and “should my bars be this wide?” (Note: in Gear Chart Dad parlance, when you say “my bars,” or “my” anything, related to the bike, it is universally understood that you are referring to your seven year old’s bike).

Back to Lee…it takes a certain kind of guy to coach kids, handhold BMX parents, and still train to make a splash in the A Pro ranks. So when VSI was looking to add some bench strength to the sales force, Lee’s talents in the above were all over their radar.

Lee joins Sales Manager Michelle Enriquez (NAG 1 Cruiser), Erik Engstrom (pro freestyler), Robert Burgos and fellow A-Pro Brian Schrimpf on the sales floor.

No word if VSI has “Glengarry Glen Ross” style sales contests…but remember the golden rules of sales, Lee:
 
1). Monster is for Closers Only
2). Second Prize is a set of steak knives…third prize is “you’re fired!”
3). Always Be Closing
4). It’s a sin to say “SINS” (esp. if Toby or Michelle are in earshot)
5). Never take out a rider who’s sponsor you have to call for an order on Monday

Speaking of Glengarry, we are reminded of this educational video clip, which Lee can use to stoke his motivation (CAUTION: Contains adult language, turn sound down if other sales reps are closing deals in the next cube, or if young ears are nearby).

Lee with be racing what he sells at the upcoming ABA US Nationals in Bakersfield. Watch for him in the lead aboard a Speed M-Series 20″ bolted up with the full catalog of Sinz Elite, Sinz, THE and ITS SKUs.

Congrats to both parties on getting together!

VSI Serves Up Some New Haul-Axle Hardware

The rubber meets the dirt on two new frame incarnations from the folks behind Intense BMX and Speed Bicycles.

The “Intense Podium LTD” (above) brings the 20mm axle craze to the Intense BMX product line for the first time, with a run of modified frames (Pro-size-and-higher, including the Pro Cruiser (21″ TT) and Pro Cruiser + (21.5″ TT) frames). The LTD will tip the scales six-ounces lighter than the current mojito, and be dressed up in a special black, red and chrome paint scheme. Yes, you read that right…”chrome” paint. Coolness…just like those Vodafone F1 rockets! The one above is a pearl white paint-up done for Arielle Martin, and was seen today in the OTC bike rack chatting with the “old-new” AMV15 ride that we saw at the Chula Vista National, nine days ago. No word on which ride gets “top bunk” privileges, but we’re betting “newer is better.”

On the Speed side of the hizzouse, Marc Willers & ‘mates will be eyeballin’ what News is callin’ the “Black Speed” limited-edition of the M520 (Pro), M533 (Pro XL) and M546 (Pro XXL) on the 20″ line, and M534 Cruiser (21″ TT) and a new, larger M547 (21.5″ TT) among the big bikes. This Speed sports the same spiffy geometry and style points of the original recipe, but with the six-ounce subtraction also found in its first cousin, above (and, of course the 20mm axle we have seen before with the traditional Speed livery).

Each nameplate will get about 225 of these limited-edition lookers, and they’ll be ready to roll off your local dealer’s showroom floor, or hit the UPS jetstream from your favorite mail order in early June (just in time for the shank of the summer season).

MSRP will hold the line at $399, but due to increased manufacturing and materials costs, a headset will no longer be included. Both the Intense and Speed versions will come with necessary adapters to run a 10mm or 20mm axle in the frame.

In addition to the frame-only option, you can open up the throttle of coolness to full, and pick up one of their “Pro-Build” kits. The kits include a full range of THE, ITS and Sinz Elite items, like the new iHub straight-pull spoke wheels (used by David Herman, among others), Sinz Elite Pro Carbon CFC forks (10- or 20-Mil) or Sinz Elite XXX cranks. You can also get the DXR (crank) option.

Check out www.intensebmx.com and www.speedbicycles.com for a dealer near you. You’ll want to get yours reserved before Mayday.

Interview: Marc Willers Talks 2011

With four wins out of a possible six in the young 2011 ABA National season, Marc Willers has never been more headline worthy. We sat down with Marc, via Skype on the day after he logged a perfect weekend at the ABA Gator Nationals in Oldsmar, FL, to talk about his plans for 2011, his new Speed Bike, his perpetual “race face” at the track, and how his Kiwi accent helps with the ladies.

Listen Now

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777 Hits the Jackpot in Florida

By Larry Hamel and Mike Carruth, Photos by Jim Paiva

The weather was perfect in the Tampa Bay area this weekend and everyone was bringing their aces to the table. The track added a competitive element beyond the gate-to-stripe variety, in that there was a “too extreme…just right” tug-o-war, right out of a mid 90s TV commercial (“Tastes Great…Less Filling,” for those who may not have been born yet).

Oldsmar Track operator John Sawyer and crew rebuilt the track from the staging lanes to the shut down area, complete with what some lovingly called a “supercross lite” starting hill. For race day, the track was big, tough, and fast.

A Pro

The A Pro class saw some great action with the new kid on the block and the comeback kid this weekend. First place swapped with “AA” Alex Anthony and Dennison “Big Daddy” Smith taking the split wins, respectively. Freshman Tommy Zula looked fast but opted for the Pro Set each lap and was not rewarded for his efforts. Warren McDow has been around for a while but he was riding fast, hard and smooth bringing his signature power along with him. Look out for all four of the afore mentioned riders to be staring at the Elite Men on the gate very soon.

Vet Pro

Vet Pro Champ Kenth Fallen dominated the class both days. He looked great handling the big track and was challenged only a handful of times by John Purse and “O-show,” Percy Owens. Fallen, Jackal and Owens seem to be going faster and looking smoother every year, and it’ll be interesting to see where the class ends up, come Grands time with Matt Pohlkamp joining the class in Guthrie. The podium was a copy-paste from day one’s results on Sunday.

Dance Factory (DFR) seems to be treating Jackal well, and word is he is training some fast cats to revive the Puerto Rican BMX scene. He definitely has his hands full of BMX goodness.

Jr. Women

The Jr Women podium was another that had a case of the “familiars,” with Brooke Crain, Dani George and Taylor Wolcott guest starring both days. News talked to Brooke, who said “(Dani) has definitely stepped up her game…her first straight is awesome.” Brooke’s air skills on the second straight had everyone talking…higher and smoother than all the ladies, even the big sistas in Elite.

Jr. Men

Rusty Nesvig was on the gas all weekend in both class and Jr Men, taking double the wins and double the money home to the 619. Most of the heavy-hitters were there trying to best Razzleberry but he was just too strong and had the smooth low line through the Pro Set. Watching all these youngins going big and fast is great to watch, putting on a great show for the fans battling it out every lap and pushing their skills to the limit.

Elite Women

On Saturday, the stage was set for a great battle in the main, with Amanda Carr having a 1-1-1 in the motos and a first in the semi, while Dominique Daniels had a 1-2-1. In the main, Amanda came out of gate 4 and Dom out of 8. At the first jump, one was not a string of spaghetti ahead of the other. Down the second and third straights, it was a classic battle of the pumper vs. the jumper, as Dom maintained a healthy lead using the ground assault strategy, and Carr boosted a few sets trying to catch her. Dom got a little squirrely down the last straight, but not enough to upset the second-and-a-half (using the official “one-one-thousand” timing system) lead she had on the flying Amanda. Ashley Verhagen joined Dom and Amanda on the Podium.

On Sunday, Amanda Carr was not on the sheets, dropping the class from 17 to 16 ladies. It was Dom’s day, with a solid 1-1-1 in the motos. Home track heavy- hitter Ashley Lynch Ssquared-off well, catching a pair of aces for herself in the first two rounds. Arielle Martin was showing some solid laps with a 2-2-2, and Amanda Geving had a pair of deuces until she got the drop on Lynch in the third round and scored the win. In the Sunday Main, Dom was way out in eight again (by choice) and Lynch was laned up in four, where Carr had been the previous day. Cools was on the inside. Lynch seemed to get out of shape on the roller leading up to the first jump, and took a pretty serious digger, taking Arielle with her over the first jump. Exiting turn one, it was Daniels, Geving, Cools. Amanda G put some pressure on 3D down the third straight, with a few defiances of gravity, but it was Dom with the win, and another pair of top-spot vouchers for the VSI contingency cash.

Post-race injury report: Ashley Lynch would later post on her Facebook page “I’m fine, I appreciate everyone being concerned – I’ll be back on the bike soon.” A twitter photo from late Sunday had her right leg wrapped-and-strapped in a big ol velcro and metal thingy. Arielle, who also got the fuzzy end of the lollipop in the Ashley wreck ended up with a “Boxers Fracture” on her hand–not too serious (no pins, no surgery), but four-to-six weeks out of the action.

Elite Men

The big boys were another nuclear-ninjas-on-NoDoz class, with 40 on Saturday, and 39 on Sunday stepping up to sample John Sawyer’s handiwork. According to the results, Arnaud Dubois of Belgium DNS’d moto one and two on Saturday, won the third and then was MIA for Sunday, not appearing on the sheets. We’re not sure what the story was behind that, but that was an interesting standout.

The motos were slammin, and when we say that, we mean it literally as well as figuratively. Liam Phillips came across the pond and had a spot of bad luck, when he and Riley Stair tangled on-or-about the first jump, first round on the first day. The wreck was extreme enough that it cracked his helmet (@liamPHILLIPS65, via twitter: KO’d after crashing in first round. Another @FoxEurope lid that did it’s job properly. http://plixi.com/p/76823050).

On Saturday, only Marc Willers and Tory Nyhaug made it through motos with trip aces in eight AA racks. Hometown hero Josh Meyers had the next lowest points out of the motos with a 2-1-1. Joris Daudet, who won Saturday in Guthrie was on hand, and looking strong, with a 1-1-3.

Sunday had 1-1-1s for Willers and Daudet and a couple 3-1-1s for Sylvain Andre and Nic Long.

Looking at the results for the weekend, one might assume the ABA’s typewriter had a sticky “1″ key, because both days have Willers as 1 1 1 1 1 1. Ol 777 did not deuce a lap all weekend (including quarters and semis), and in this company, that is as close to absolute ownership as one can get. Marc hauled away $4200 in purse money for his stellar performance.

The 2010 ABA National Number One Pro, Sam Willoughby made his appearance on the 2011 stage, and ended up with a second and a seventh for Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Sam had one too many digits on that number plate, opting to rock his “91″ UCI permanent number over his ABA #1 (we will try to get the WUWT for a followup).

In Saturday’s Main, Willers was in gate one, with Sharrah and Willoughby in four and five; Sylvain Andre was on the far outside. Willoughby got the first call from the tower after the gate dropped, but as of the backside of the first jump, Willers was edging a slight lead. Corben jumped it, and seemed to lose a bit of ground to Daudet, at least for the moment. In turn one, Nyhaug rode Daudet WAY up high, and gave Corben the daylight he needed to dive for the inside, coming out in fourth behind Willers, Willoughby and Tory. That’s how it went through turn two and down the third straight. Corben got some good momentum out of the last turn and pulled even with Tory. At the line, it was Willers, Willoughby and Sharrah by a razor over Nyhaug for the final podium spot.

Sunday’s main consisted of (from the inside to outside) Willers, Daudet, Corey Reid, Willoughby, Sylvain Andre, Jeff Upshaw, Nic Long and Josh Meyers. Start was clean and pretty much even for all. Then, the pack started to break up at the first jump, but was still basically dead even between Willoughby, Daudet and Willers. Into turn one, Daudet and Willers had a slight edge on Sam, and Marc was on the inside. At this point in the race, Sylvain was in sixth, and Reid in seventh. Josh, who was way on the outside in eighth coming into turn one set up a bold pass which brought him from eighth to fifth. But, coming into the second straight, it appeared he traded paint with Sam, and by the time the riders emerged from behind “The Wall” (the affectionate name for the jump out of turn one), Josh was doing a no-footer-one-hander into the infield. The second turn had it Willers, Andre and Daudet, with Reid two and a half bikes back. By the last turn, a few very subtle losses in momentum in the big set cost Daudet all the edge he had in turn two, and Corey caught up, taking up the way-inside, and pinching off Andre’s line coming out into the final straight (with maybe a whiff of contact). Reid’s push kept USA on both podiums for the weekend.

Maturing Amateurs

Among the Ams, Maliek Byndloss was not to be robbed of a win, making a move in the first turn that would have made a geometry teacher check the math, coming from fifth to first, and not looking back on Saturday, same way, up top, on Sunday. Brandon Elmore rockin his Redman colors for the second time out took a 1st and 2nd, looking fast and doing the Tribe proud. Speaking of Redman, Walker Finch is a “man amongst boys,” muscling two aces in 13x.

Felicia Stancil is still a phenom, even though her and her new Speed had yet to be formally introduced in battle prior to wheels-down at TPA. She racked up four firsts and two seconds in Oldsmar (Jr. Devo on Day one and 15G on day two went to her BFF, Shay Glynn).

We always look forward to Oldsmar, and already have the hots for the trip out of the cold in 2012.

Now that you’ve read the syllables, check out the sights via Jim Paiva’s Saturday and Sunday photo galleries.

LINKS

View Saturday BMXNOW Photo Gallery

View Sunday BMXNOW Photo Gallery

Oldsmar Results Page, via ABABMX.COM

GO211 Oldsmar 2011 Page

IPOT Splits and Doubles Up

The rumors of the what was to come for the storied Intense/Phantom/OnTrac team started circulating a few weeks before the recent ABA Grands. Some reports had everyone except a few choice riders going their separate ways…others told tale of a new creation taking shape to replace name of the team, with most of the players staying the same.

In a release obtained by News today, it looks like the former is going to be the new reality for a 19-member posse.

VSI Products will effectively take over the team, and create two new squads–one running an Intense BMX uniform and frames, and the other rockin the “new” Speed uniform and hardware–all supported by VSI brands Sinz and T.H.E.

The team will be managed by IPOT honcho Donavon Long, whose deep knowledge of the sport and rider development was at the center of the team’s long-standing success. IPOT team owner Chuck Colton will take on more of an “of counsel” role, and will be stepping back to concentrate more on family and his garage door business (the “OnTrac” in Intense/Phantom/OnTrac).

As you’ll read in the release, below, the vision of VSI ringmaster, Toby Henderson, is for the new teams to continue the dynastic stature that IPOT has established, but to step that up to be reminiscent of the “True” factory teams Toby and his contemporaries remember on teams like the SE Factory Boys, Hutch, GT (and related brands), and others of the time.

Here’s the release:

VSI Products is pleased to announce that it will take over the management of the Intense/Phantom/OnTrac Team (IPOT). The change will result in the team being divided into two—Factory Intense and Factory Speed—and the addition of three of the world’s top professionals.
 
Through Intense, VSI has always been the primary financial backer of the team, in addition to the number-one source of frames and components. Next season, VSI will provide even more financial and product support. OnTrac owner Chuck Colton will reduce his involvement in the team so he can spend more time with his family and focus on his business. Colton will continue to follow the racers and make the familiar IPOT rig available to the teams.
 
“I want to thank Chuck for his dedication and support of the team all these years. He’s been a great partner and a big part of the success of the team. I wish him well and look forward to seeing him at a race or two in the future,” said Toby Henderson, VSI’s founding partner.
 
Donavon Long will continue in his role as team manager of the amateur riders while VSI will take care of pros David Herman and Arielle Martin, who will represent Intense, and new Speed racer Marc Willers.
 
“I’m very excited to be working with VSI to help continue the legacy of the IPOT team. The new addition of the Speed Factory Team will bring a whole new level to the Factory Title hunt for 2011. We put together some of the fastest riders in the world and they will all be ready to help take VSI and BMX to the next level,” Long said.
 
“And, I can’t thank Chuck and Terry Colton enough for the support that they have given to the riders and family’s over the years. I know that they will keep on giving back to the kids in this sport and others as their grand kids grow and play sports themselves,” he added.
 
The team has won multiple national titles and is stacked with NAG riders. It narrowly lost the Factory Team title at this year’s ABA Grands, but with two beefed-up rosters it could reclaim the number-one spot and take number-two, as well, next November in Tulsa.
 
The Intense Factory Team will ride Podium frames with SINZ Elite forks, XXX cranks, bolt-on grips and wheels, Sinz brakes, handlebars, stems and seatposts, THE saddles and number plates and ITS MK2 and Hustler tyres. The Speed Factory riders will race in similarly spec’d Speed M-Series bikes. Look for a few of them to breakout the new 20-millimeter bikes this spring.
 
“We’re really looking forward to having a closer working relationship with the team. I think it will benefit VSI as we develop and introduce new products and it will help the riders since we’ll be more attentive to their needs. I want this program to be as professional as the factory race teams of the past—like the GT, Hutch, Diamondback and JMC teams of the 1980s,” Henderson said.
 
New members of the team include Nick Koehler, Shelby Stacy, and Brodie Spott
 
Factory Intense Team
Dane Gilbert, 7X
Brodie Spott 9X
Bryant White 11X
Madison Martinez 11 Girls
Christopher Blevins 13X
Christopher Abernathy 14X
Sean Gaian 15X
Kristen Long 15X
Rusty Nesvig 17-18X
Chad Street Vet Pro
 
Factory Intense Team Pros
David Herman
Arielle Martin
 
Speed Bicycles Factory Team Roster
Wyatt Bell 9X
Brock Heffron 14X
Cole Tesar 15X
Derik Bergh 16X
Felicia Stancil 16 Girls
Nick Koehler 17-18X
Bryce Hocking 17-18X
Shelby Stacy 17 Girls
Fernie Jaquez 19-27X
 
Speed Factory Team Pro
Marc Willers
 

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