The vert contest at the worlds could have/should have been a banger. The halfpipe was set up in a big tennis stadium with seats for over 5000 people. The contest was planned for Saturday night and with a bunch of Pivo's down the throat, the crowd could have made this event one not to forget. It turned out different though. First of all the number of Pro riders present wasn't great. The USA (-based) riders stayed home for several reasons (excuses) which is a real shame because these were the IBMXFF world championships and that title is one that would look good on any vert rider's CV. Second and main problem was the lighting. The 4 lights that were put up did not produce more than a good Maclite. This meant that the contest needed to be rushed before darkness set in. The contest was finished before the announced time it would start.
No qualifying was necessary with 11 riders entering pro vert.
Peter Geys and
Jan Valenta were injured and took over some judging duties. They saw
Pete Marselle bust his ass but having fun. If
Luke Fink could go a couple of feet higher he'll be in the mix with the vert posse. He's got plenty of lip tricks wired including fufanus on vert. Better watch out for the Aussie. With the best run counting of the three runs everyone rode, it was task to get at least one good run in.
Aze struggled a bit on the manual but showed he's got the whip, flair and 540 wired. Aze is one of the younger riders on the vert ramp so he's got a future ahead of him, Olympics or not.
Jon Taylor was going super high for 8th and
Shaun Eglington finished on 7th. It's a close field in this section of the results.
Tim Eichert 540-d to 6th and
Benny Kopp was looking good now that he has a local vert ramp to ride. Veteran
Zach Shaw let go a few flairs and a 540 for 4th. Top three was rather tight with every rider having his own style and tricks.
Koji is non-stop and although recovering from a knee injury, he rocked da house with his x-up whips, switch hander variations, lookbacks and 540-s. Koji ended up getting bronze and a check big enough to cover all his expenses. Thanks for coming over Koji. The
Spanish Fly impressed with his huge airs and was very close to a win. Eduardo even stayed on the bike most of the time and walked off the ramp injury free. He was stoked with second.
First went to the UK.
Simon Tabron loves the worlds and made sure he got there long enough to wrap up another vert title. With people finding excuses not to come over, Simon could have done the same. He was in the USA the weekend before the Worlds and took off for the so important Dew ASTour in Denver the weekend after the contest in Prague. Simon's experience lead him through a very solid first run. Bike problems had him change rides afterwards but it was already in the pocket. By the time the last guy got off the ramp it was dark in the tennis stadium. Time for some Pivo's.
BdJ
Pro vert results:
1. Simon Tabron
2. Eduardo Terreros
3. Koji Kraft
4. Zach Shaw
5. Benny Kopp
6. Tim Eichert
7. Shaun Eglington
8. Jon Taylor
9. Aze Etzold 
10. Luke Fink
11. Pete Marselle
Pictures: Sprite Gallery/Nokia BMX Freestyle Worlds
No qualifying was necessary with 11 riders entering pro vert. Peter Geys and Jan Valenta were injured and took over some judging duties. They saw Pete Marselle bust his ass but having fun. If Luke Fink could go a couple of feet higher he'll be in the mix with the vert posse. He's got plenty of lip tricks wired including fufanus on vert. Better watch out for the Aussie. With the best run counting of the three runs everyone rode, it was task to get at least one good run in. Aze struggled a bit on the manual but showed he's got the whip, flair and 540 wired. Aze is one of the younger riders on the vert ramp so he's got a future ahead of him, Olympics or not. 
Jon Taylor was going super high for 8th and Shaun Eglington finished on 7th. It's a close field in this section of the results. Tim Eichert 540-d to 6th and Benny Kopp was looking good now that he has a local vert ramp to ride. Veteran Zach Shaw let go a few flairs and a 540 for 4th. Top three was rather tight with every rider having his own style and tricks. Koji is non-stop and although recovering from a knee injury, he rocked da house with his x-up whips, switch hander variations, lookbacks and 540-s. Koji ended up getting bronze and a check big enough to cover all his expenses. Thanks for coming over Koji. The Spanish Fly impressed with his huge airs and was very close to a win. Eduardo even stayed on the bike most of the time and walked off the ramp injury free. He was stoked with second. 
First went to the UK. Simon Tabron loves the worlds and made sure he got there long enough to wrap up another vert title. With people finding excuses not to come over, Simon could have done the same. He was in the USA the weekend before the Worlds and took off for the so important Dew ASTour in Denver the weekend after the contest in Prague. Simon's experience lead him through a very solid first run. Bike problems had him change rides afterwards but it was already in the pocket. By the time the last guy got off the ramp it was dark in the tennis stadium. Time for some Pivo's.
BdJ
Pro vert results:
1. Simon Tabron
2. Eduardo Terreros
3. Koji Kraft
4. Zach Shaw
5. Benny Kopp
6. Tim Eichert
7. Shaun Eglington
8. Jon Taylor
9. Aze Etzold 
10. Luke Fink
11. Pete Marselle
Pictures: Sprite Gallery/Nokia BMX Freestyle Worlds
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.