In the end it was Michigan who proved triumphant, followed by the always intimidating Florida, and Illinois in a strong third place. President’s Cup Top 5
1. Michigan
2. Florida
3. Illinois
4. California
5. Ohio
Following the prestigious President’s Cup event, the Olympic hopefuls took to the track for the #6 UCI North American Continental race. Riders were present from all over the US and the World to gain valuable ranking points. Thursday’s event was full of awesome competition as the riders took to the track.
Taking home the points and the top prize was Free Agent’s Cristian Becerine, close behind was One Racing’s Arturs Matison, and Jason Rogers for third in the Elite Men. Supercross’s Samantha Cools had the Elite Women’s class locked in and having an amazing day of racing, behind her was Redman’s Amanda Geving, and Germany’s Regula Runge. Redline’s Denzel Stein and Formula’s Alise Post had no problems with their respective Junior classes, both had very solid wins Thursday. Friday marked Day One of the 2007 Christmas Classic. The Masters and Super-Ex joined the mix for the morning portion of racing. The Super-Ex class was packed with awesome racing and competition. Day One belonged to CJ McGuire. The Master’s class definitely had the track ‘mastered’ come main time and with no surprise Redline’s Jason Carnes showing the young folks how it’s done with a great win for the day.
With help from GO211.com, over 7,500 unique visitors were able to view all the excitement of the Christmas Classic. Featured along with the many other facets of actions sports, the Christmas Classic will be added and archived for many to view throughout the season.
The Elite Spectacular took over the Convention Center following Day One’s events. It was an evening full of fun, games, prizes, and charity as the NBL donated food and cash to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank. Spectators enjoyed #7 UCI North American Continental race action along with BocceBAWLS, Bowlin’BAWLS, Intense Build-a-Bike contest, and many other prizes and give-a-ways with help from BAWLS Guarana, Intense BMX, and the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Elite Men added to the show with some great competition. One Racing’s Maris Strombergs took off with a first place finish, followed by the World Champ, Free Agent’s Kyle Bennett, and the previous day’s winner Free Agent’s Cristian Becerine. Supercross’s Samantha Cools brought home double wins this weekend, allowing her to move into the #1 UCI ranking position overall. Coming in second again was Redmen’s Amanda Geving, and third was Redline’s Kim Hayashi. To end the week, Day Two of the Christmas Classic began bright and early Saturday. The Super-Ex were ready for action, Felt’s Matt Kelty would end on a good note with a win and it looked like Formula’s Tim Dinger wasn’t feeling a bit over 20 with a solid main event finish. He brought home a win as well.
After a fantastic weekend of racing, families were ready to head home to celebrate the New Year and gear up for the next NBL Nationals. Be sure to check out all the race action on the NBL website, nbl.org. And look for us at your next race; January 13-14 Blue Ridge Mtn. National in Lexington, VA and January 26-27 Coyote National in Goodyear, AZ!
Pics: NBL/Jerry Landrum BMX Mania
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.