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His first four cranks still need some work; as shown in his quarter main - where he found himself going in to the first turn in 7th place. And with Randy Stumpfhauser in front of him, there was no way to get by the wily veteran of AA-pro who has incredible sense to block every move Bubba had up his sleeve. His day ended there.

And that wasn’t even the craziest downhill of this wild roller coaster of a weekend.

Later that night, Bubba was hit hard with the flu. Whether it was something he ate or a bug he caught on the long plane-ride to Florida, the only thing he was going to ride on Saturday was the porcelain bus.

Lucky for him, it must’ve been a quick 24 hour bug, and incredibly on Sunday - he showed up at the races feeling a hundred times better and was ready to rock. For the 3-time ABA No.1 Pro and former UCi World Champ, Harris and his Flight Pro XXL signature bike have had a lot to prove since his dislocated foot injury last August. It’s been a long road to receovery, and only now, 6 months later, is he finally feeling close to 100%. The climb back to just making a main event has been both a physical and mental struggle.

While Friday’s motos were a good indicator that he’s close to bein’ the ol’ Bubba that the entire sport of BMX has come to love, Sunday’s semi was the biggest confidence booster. Lined up in the gate with seven other guys who could very well be in the Olympic main event, our Redline hero came from mid-pack to pass thru traffic, got up to the front and wound up with a win that should worry his competition. “Bubba’s back!” was stated by more than just a couple of spectators. Although it was just a semi, a win against these guys was all he needed to get the burst of confidence and adrenaline, to know that he actually can do it again.

In the main, it was the classic Bubba Harris comeback that has made him a BMX legend at 22 years of age. Still lacking that first-straight power, he entered the first turn in 6th place but began working and weaving his way toward the front. By turn two, he had powered back up to third place with the Intense dynamic-duo of Herman and Caluag in front. With one of those patented high-low dives that thousands of kids have been taught at a Pro Supercamp clinics, Harris took advantage of the last straightaway rhythm (his speciality) and took over the lead to nab his first Elite win in over a year!

You can only guess how much it meant to the former 3-time Champ to once again stand atop the podium; raising a big check above his head. And now that he’s got his “Kingston” - and now that he’s proved to himself that he can win again - now with renewed confidence … you’d better watch out. Our Redline hero just proved to everyone, that “it ain’t over yet!”

“THE PEOPLE’S CHAMP” KEEPS UP HIS WINNING STREAK, ENDS IT AND STARTS A NEW ONE  Redline’s rookie pro DENZEL STEIN kept up his 2008 winning-streak by scoring a Jr. Elite win on Friday, in West Palm Beach, FL.

After winning every moto and semi by large margins, the main wasn’t so easy. Denzel found himself in a rare position coming out of turn two - in second place. It was the first time in months that somebody’s been in front of him. But Stein didn’t stay there for long, and jumped back in to the lead to remain undefeated so far in the ‘08 season.

On Saturday though, his streak ended in the main, when Denzel bonked a jump and instantly blew out of his pedals. He saved it, but the bobble was just enough for him to get passed. And so it was, that his 7-race winning streak ended. Stein powered in for 2nd place. It was his first main event loss since turning Pro in January.

For Sunday, Denzel kicked off his next streak of victories by winning from start to finish. Next up for Denzel will be Orlando-NBL this next weekend; and then quickly followed by the USA Cycling national Championship on his hometrack of Metroplex Arena, in DeSoto, Texas. It is at this race, where Stein will most likely earn enough money to turn double-A and make the jump on Sunday to race the toughest, fastest racers in the sport.

…DON’T FORGET KIM
Kim Hayashi was also in Florida, and was seen out front more often than not. Lil’ Kim looked hungry and was demonstrating to all why she is the 5-consecutive-time NBL No.1 Elite Woman. Her jumping skills aboard her Shimano-equiped Flight Expert XL still stand out amongst the competition. On Sunday, Kim put herself back on the podium with a 3rd place score. With fellow racer Jill Kintner securing her spot to the Olympic team this weekend, Kim now has some catching up to do if USA earns themselves a 2nd position for the Olympic team.