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could ride the track. Also a women section was added on the former soccer field. A lot can be said about the track. The first straight was wide and noone seemed to have any problems with the first part being made of wood. The 10 meter high starting hill shot the riders to full speed real fast. After the first turn the track was split in the Men and Women section. The men rode the old R.Evolution track basically and the Women took to the left to ride their single lined track to the last corner.The track was super fun to ride for the riders, but it was hard to pass anywhere on the track after the first straight. The start is mega important in BMX. In Berlin is was even more important. Getting out there in front and not making any mistakes is what this race was about.

It needs to be said (again) that the Friday qualification round is so much better than in previous years. The thee-moto qualification system is way nicer to look at than all riders running a lap at full speed. The Time Trials finals with 16 Men and 8 Women is just about right. The top ranked riders are pre-qualified from the races before. Edzus Treimanis (LAT) won again (this time for real) with Caroline Buchanan (AUS) setting the fastest time in the women category. For many racers the event was over at this point because if you don't qualify for the main program, all you can do is watch.

The riders area was set up nicely with loads of connecting team tents. The middle section had a TV, music, a bar, a football table and a swimming pool. The area was used for teams to prepare for the races. Mechanics checked the bikes, nutritions set up their coolboxes, masseuses worked on their tables and riders just chilled, getting ready for the race. The area brought people together, especially when it rained.

Saturday was the big day. With the World Cup football happening the same week, not too many spectators showed up. The power of Red Bull and their media network was missing here. But the racing was exciting with the fastest riders lining up on the gate. It was good to see Maris Strombergs back on the SX circuit. The two time Olympic Champion had not raced a SX race all year but was looking good in his motos and had no problems making it to the next round.Nic Long was also looking strong in Berlin as were Twan van Gendt, Edzus Treimanis, Yoshitaku Nagasaki and Sharrah. Some contenders in the USA camp were struggling with food poisoning. Connor Fields and Barry Nobles were victim to that and it also hit Brooke Crain on race day. This was the first race counting towards Olympic Nations points so it was important to at least line up on the gate. If you don't find the last three riders in the results list, that's part of the reason.

The inside field of the track had a true VIP area with free booze and burgers. You had a view on the big screen also. It was the place to be to vatch the best of the action. A beer garden inside a BMX track, not a bad idea for races to come. After the motos were finished it started to rain. Rain had been showing up left and right but this time it came down HARD. The track started to wash away and the waterpump was used to keep the VIP's afloat at the beer carousel. Props to all the hard workers getting the track back in shape. This is where the Mellopark crew shines and in no-time the track was back in shape with the help of Elite Trax as well. The racing could go on.

Crashes happend in the semis. When only 4 riders transfer, the other riders are looking for spots to pass. With little room for that in Berlin, wheels went where they shouldn't have. Risks were taken, people went down, some went up and continued to even make their first SX main of the year. It got exciting to watch all of a sudden.

When the 8 finalists showed up on the gate for the Men and Women class the sun was back out and the cameras were rolling. Olympic Gold medalist Mariana Pajon got the holeshot in the first final of the day. She kept the lead until the last turn. Caroline Buchanan was tracing Mariana all the way and had three positions on the track where she thought she could make a pass. The last possibility was the last turn. Caroline took the inside and went wide cutting Mariana off a little as they both sprinted to the finish line. The difference on the line was less than a foot. The Australian showed that passing was possible indeed.

Maris Strombergs was the man to beat in the final. The power ofthe machine is incredible and the wide first straight helped him get out in front. Twan van Gendt had positioned himself in second place and was looking for a place to pass but then decided not to do anything stupid and take second place qualification points. With Joris Daudet behind Twan it could have gone either way as the Frenchman is known to dive in every little open space in front of him. Daudet stayed in third, followed by Sharrah and Rezende.

The riders always put on a good show and make any terrain work. With a few adjustments to the track next year's World Cup racing will be even better. And yes, they're planning to build some stands and yes, they're getting support from the city for next year's race. But be quick on getting those VIP tickets, the best spot you can get. Bring on Argentina.

BdJ

Results Berlin. Men.
1       81      STROMBERGS Maris        LAT     6       37.404
2       148     VAN GENDT Twan  NED     1       37.999
3       33      DAUDET Joris    FRA     2       38.269
4       24      SHARRAH Corben  USA     4       38.499
5       500     REZENDE Renato  BRA     7       38.744
6       211     EVANS Kyle      GBR     8       48.536
7       187     GARCIA Jared    USA     3     DNF
8       593     CAMPO Alfredo   ECU     5      DNF

Results Berlin Women
1       1       BUCHANAN Caroline       AUS     2       32.521
2       100     PAJON Mariana   COL     1       32.649
3       971     VALENTINO Manon         FRA     4       33.536
4       469     HERNANDEZ Stefany       VEN     3       33.575
5       110     SMULDERS Laura  NED     5       34.294
6       555     MCLEOD Melinda  AUS     8       34.647
7       23      STANCIL Felicia         USA     6       35.282
8       210     CHRISTENSEN Simone      DEN     7       35.565