National Bicycle League

BMX Racing in the USA — Bicycle Motocross

ELITE SERIES CHECKPOINT - FRESNO ROCKS, SERIES HEADS TO SOUTH PARK
5/26/2009

2009 NBL ELITE SERIES CHECKPOINT

FRESNO TRACK AN INSTANT HIT – STUMPY AND POST ON THE MOVE

At what is now considered one of America’s finest and fastest tracks, the NBL All-American Nationals in Fresno, CA may have served as a turning point for Randy Stumpfhauser and Alise Post. Riders were raving about Fresno’s downhill course and as the NBL Elite Series now heads East for two events, the chase for the coveted NBL National Title has tightened up even more.

GHP’s Randy Stumpfhauser used the energy of home track advantage to claw his way closer to the top. Stumpy, who is still ranked 2^nd in the series, took home a huge win on Saturday in front of his hometown fans and may have set the stage for the ultimate battle come Labor Day weekend. Olympic Gold Medalist, and World Champion, Maris Strombergs of Latvia (Free Agent), settled for 2^nd but then stormed back to claim the win on Sunday flanked by Hyper/AT&T’s Donny Robinson and GT’s Mike Day – An all-Olympic podium. Redline/TLD’s Robert de Wilde had a strong showing and has moved up to 3^rd overall on the year.

A small, but fast group of Elite Women delighted fans in Fresno. The FBX track featured pro sections on both the 2^nd and 3^rd straights and they are normally untouched by the women’s class. Not this time – Fresh off of the UCI Supercross in Denmark, Alise Post was the first female to jump the big 2^nd straight followed by Ashley Verhagen and Clayborn’s Brooke Crain. Formula/Fly’s Dominque Daniels powered her way to 2^nd both days and continues to lead the series but Post is closing the gap fast. Reigning Elite women’s champion, Stephanie Barragan did not compete.

Excalibur/TLD’s Josh Meyers, the only Super-Ex rider to win multiple mains this year, continued on his winning path with a big win on Saturday. Clayborn’s Logan Collins was 2^nd ahead of GEICO Powersport’s Matt Kelty in the super-stacked main event. On Sunday, it was Kelty who took the lead early and was poised for the big win when disaster struck – In the middle of the 3^rd straight pro section! Kelty abandoned ship in the middle of the big doubles, causing everyone to scatter. The mishap helped earn Collins his first win of the season and once again, turned the tables in the standings. For Kelty, an injured foot will put him on the sidelines and may jeopardize his chances for the title. One thing is for sure in Super-Ex these days – nothing is guaranteed and the Grands will be an epic showdown.

In Master’s action, Free Agent’s Dale Holmes and local, Dave Bittner (SE Racing) staged an intense see-saw battle during qualifying but it was Holmes who stole the win from Bittner on Saturday. Bittner impressed everyone by taking a run at the 3^rd straight pro section but didn’t have enough room to pass Holmes in the last turn. Sunday, like many other Sundays, was a different one and Bittner edged out Holmes after a smooth run through the big pro sets. The win moved Bittner up in the standings and kept Holmes from earning a perfect 6-for-6 record. Redline’s Shawn O’Gorman was 3^rd both days. Holmes still trails Intense/Dyna-pep’s Tommy Opincar in the standings but has two races in hand. Tim Dinger continues to cling to third in the series and will look to South Park and Nashville to move up in the rankings.

Next up – The World famous South Park, PA for the NBL Stars n’ Stripes National, June 26-28. NBL will host a Future Stars Rider Clinic on the Friday from 11am-2pm. UGP Opens races are in full effect and the winners of each class will get cool UGP gear.

Visit the NBL website www.nbl.org to see full results and standings.

The 2009 NBL National Series is brought to you by BAWLS Guarana (www.bawls.com), Intense BMX (www.intensebmx.com), Kenda Tires (www.kendausa.com), UGP (www.undergroundproducts.com) Sinz Racing (www.sinz-racing.com), THE Industries (www.bmxthe.com), in association with GO211 (www.go211.com) and Camp Woodward (www.campwoodward.com).