So I  apologize for the long abscence of new content here on FreestyleMX.com while some changes were made and other work relating to the tour kind of took over.  At least there has been lot’s going on and I hope you have been paying attention.  For my fellow slackers, I am writing a feature about the  Monster Energy AMA Supercross series as it gets ready to head east which will get you all cuaght up before they hit Dallas.  A lot more is coming too so stick around and catch up from this weekend right here!

Lots going on this weekend- FMX at two spots and Supercross too! Check the calendar for all the upcoming dates!

From the Twitter of James Stewart  @js7 ” Tmrw is the deadline 4 the 1 who has the best looking Xmas decoration with me incorporated somehow. Sign jersey waiting 4 U So post them pix”  You’d think after this year he would want nothing to do with lights, especially blinking ones.

Pro-Am FMX Demo Does Well
The Riders Above Dirt Pro-Am Freestyle Motocross Contest held at Pala Raceway this past weekend went from being a discarded event of a broken organization to what will become the sport of amateur FMX best event I have seen so far.  It’s always the people who make the event, but when your people are  among the top names in the sport then bigger sponsors make the event even better!  The RAD crew was able to put on a fantastic event that everyone seemed to enjoy.

The contest and all its proceeds were to benefit the Chris Ackerman Foundation and was set up to run with Jeremy Stenberg pulling in all the strings he could in the industry to help out.  Monster Energy was on hand with a VIP set up and cold new drinks, HPIRacing.com was there doing demo’s for the crowd with it’s bad to the bone RC’s, Famous Stars and Straps was on-hand and set up right next to Etnies  who also had a good presence at the show.  Can’t forget Pala Raceway for loaning out the space and equipment while making those huge (did I say huge-that is an understatement) landers for the kids to stay safe on.  Truly a great vibe all day-even with the rain.

Rain?!  Rain is FMX mortal enemy (so are low ceilings) but the track crew protected the course and ramps, while HPI Racing launched 40-50 foot gaps with gas powered RC’s and after a roughly two hour delay, things got underway.  The amateurs were broken up into groups of 3-4 riders and put into a jam session style format that was limited to six jumps/tricks with the top six out of all 18 Amateur qualifiers (15 in the Pro-Am) then those six would do eight jumps in the same format for the win.

(EDITORS NOTE; Thirty-two participants somehow convinced wives, girlfriends, parents and friends to spend a bunch of money traveling to a FMX contest one week before Christmas in one of the bleakest economy’s ever.  That is saying something about the sport.  That it is not dead, maybe just taking a breather like many other sports.  More showed up but left because of the rain and many more were turned away because there was not enough room. A three day event next year?  I am told it is very possible…)

The Am’s went out first with one rider from each group getting pulled into the final.  After so many years of watching mainly pro riders, I gotta say the Amateur contest was equal parts exciting, entertaining, funny, scary and WTF.  Some of the run ups to the ramps and approaches were, errrr-new to me.  They seemed to work okay, but I noticed the most successful riders used a more conventional run in.  I also noticed a ton of new variations on old tricks, new combo’s (some that looked sick, some looked like two different socks) and even a couple of tricks that many of us had never seen before.  That was cool to see all the new stuff but tough since I got roped into announcing and spent more time with my mouth wide open on the floor or my eyes shut tight than I did actually doing my job!  None the less, this was primarily a scouting op for Freestylemx.com so I was in a prime spot to catch the action.  The six riders sent to the final went all out with Derek Beckering impressing everyone and improving on his performance in the qualifying round going from sixth to finish third.  His whips were really fun to watch and he seemed more comfortable later in the day.  Second spot went to Canadian Billy Kohut who rode his clean and colorful bike smoothly and with no drama in both rounds.  The judges rewarded him for his solid bike skills and tricks which were done perfectly.  Had he had just a little more exciting style on the bike I think he could have stolen first place on the day.  Edging him out was third place qualifier Luke Dolin who used all four corners of the bike well, landed clean on all of his hits (which were tough with such a tall landing) and exhibited the style I spoke about.  His snap to extension times out nearly perfectly with trick extension time and snap back to times, which seems to emphasize the movement of the trick while not slowing it down too much and keeping it fluid.

At the end of the Amateur class I must say I was wholly impressed that no one freaked out and wadded themselves.  Conditions were a little tough physically which can make guys crumple mentally on a foreign setup and that’s when people get hurt.  All the guys held it together and that alone shows a lot! I came away with a couple names that are on my radar over the next two years.

The Pro-Am class was next and after the judges whittled it down to six finalists, the show was on!  I had seen all the riders in action at shows past except for one and that was Justin Ayres, who I was told was called “Airtime”.  Justin came up second after qualifying behind One Industries rider Bryce Hudson and in front of Brian McCarty on his Arrowhead Extreme Outfitters Kawi then blasted his Finals run to take the win in a super close battle with Bryce Hudson.  Both riders had a lot of the same tricks and each rider was doing them awesome with Bryce pulling out a Cliff Hanger to No Handed Lander or Base Jumper which I thought would put him over the top but I think Justin was able to hold the Back Flip variations just a tad longer, or maybe just a little less rushed than Bryce.  Not sure what the judge’s thought- they just said it was really close and Justin took the win.  Third went to Jeff Griffin who took his Wyvern Motorsports backed machine to a solid third spot.  All three did a fantastic job and Justin- Contact me- missed you at the end and had to drive home.

All the winners got some nice bike stands from Matrix and flow deals from Famous and Etnies (could be wrong and am forgetting one-will update!!)
The event also featured a live demo from Destin Cantrell, Gabriel Villegas, Monster Energy riders Blake Williams and Jarryd MacNeil with Metal Mulisha riders Todd Potter, Ronnie Faisst, and Derek Garland.  It lasted nearly 20 minutes and had just about everything at the entire Pala facility stopped in its tracks (literally) with DJ Top Shelf playing music all day and Miranda Haslam singing our National Anthem.

A very good time and I really look forward to next year.  Helmets off to Twitch and his entire crew, all the riders and their support teams, the sponsors for showing your support and to the fans who cheered all of them on!  See qualifying and final results below.

AMATUER RESULTS QUALIFYING

1. Davi Jonston
2. Billy Kohut
3. Luke Dolin
4. Chase Burbridge
5. Daylan Townshack

Wild Card: Derek Beckering

AMATUER FINAL

1. Luke Dolin
2. Billy Kohut
3. Derek Beckering

PRO-AM QUALIFYING

1. Bryce Hudson
2. Justin Ayres
3. Brian McCarty
4. Jeff Griffin
5. Garrett Ahlf

Wildcard: Hal Strauss

PRO-AM FINAL

1. Justin Ayres
2. Bryce Hudson
3. Jeff Griffin

THE ATHLETE RECOVERY FUND OFFERS FREE MEDJET MEMBERSHIP

The Athlete Recovery Fund (ARF) began over three years ago with the mission to assist professionals in BMX, Skate and FMX with financial support with the costs that insurance does not cover after a severe injury. 

In that time we have learned a ton of information that had to be experienced not taught.  Medjet is a membership program that arranges “hospital of choice” medical evacuation and repatriation during personal and business travel – both domestically and abroad. There are zero restrictions for professional athletes and adventure-related activities – likewise no costs to a member for Medjet services in time of need. .  As athletes travel all over the world for competition and demos ending up in a hospital that doesn’t live up to the care they expect at home can be a terrifying issue.

The support that ARF has received from the athletes who donate through their prize purse at the Dew Tour, event organizers who donate cash and offer areas for activation and awareness, the brands in action sports who have donated and the public support is pushing ARF towards our long term goals.

ARF is offering an opportunity to 100 pro’s in BMX, Skate and FMX a free one year membership to Medjet.   A basic application needs to be filled out at www.athleterecoveryfund.com and the free membership is on a first come first serve basis for those who qualify as a professional.  There are no health questions for membership. The benefits include domestic and international medical transfer, translation services, transport of a non/injured family member or business associate with member, commercial and private transport options, legal referrals and much more.

Some exciting fundraising opportunities we are working on now include Hard Rock Hotel & Casino donating $1 for every Monster Energy purchased from the Dew Tour in October up until Nov. 13^th, a collaboration effort with DC shoes set to release summer of 2012, and our third annual viral video drive to raise $100,000 thanks to Ball Park all you have to do is watch the video at www.supportARF.com.

If you are a professional (paid) athlete in BMX, FMX or Skateboarding do not hesitate.  Apply today at www.athleterecoveryfund.com and select the button for Medjet  Application.  All applications will be verified for legitimacy and you will be notified once we hit the first 100. 

Additional memberships will be available at the expense of the member under the discounted ARF group rate.

Continued support is crucial as athletes are much better off now than when we started but we have much to overcome still.

Athlete Recovery Fund Mission Statement:  To provide professional athletes in BMX, FMX and Skateboarding with financial support after a severe injury and granting funds for rehabilitation, equipment, long-term disability and educational scholarships.  

www.twitter.com/recoveryfund                                              www.facebook.com/recoveryfund

FROM THE FREESTYLEMX.COM MAILROOM…

From Sila in Oregon-Im turning 14 and since I saw your tour at Lane County Fair, I’ve gotten into freestyle mx. All I want to know is how much it costs and if its possible. Thanks.

AMA Supercross 2012 TV Package Announced. Read about it at www.supercrossonline.com and set your DVR’s!!

Jim McNeil’s funeral service will be held on Wednesday November 16th, 2011 at CCv-Christ’s Church of the Valley. The address is 7007 W. Happy Valley Rd. Peoria, AZ 85382 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. All friends and family are welcome. Please share this information with those who may find it useful. Thank You

Myles Richmond Pockets $7k for Whip Contest Win. Myles beat out Ronnie Renner, Beau Bamburg and Lance Coury in the Hart and Huntington Best Whip at the the Las Vegas Dew Tour Stop last night! Congrats Mylo!

Travis Pastrana Focusing on NASCAR Now as the end of 2011 approaches.  Travis Pastrana, the wild man on two wheels, four wheels and everything in between it seems is toning it down for 2012.  Travis was slated to drive the Boost Mobile Samsung Toyota Camry for the Pastrana-Waltrip Racing team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this year, but that cam unraveled in a hurry. 

Travis started the season in the K and N Pro Series learning the car and how to set it up, all while impressing those around him with how quickly he took to the ovals and pavement.  His NASCAR debut was to be at the Indianapolis Raceway Park in August-sandwiched in between X Games Events.  “Pastranathon” as it was dubbed, featured the dare devil performing on Thursday in Best Trick then Friday in FMX at the Los Angeles event.  The plan had him overnight on a chartered jet to Indy for car racing on Saturday, then back to L.A. for Rally X.  He made it 20 minutes into the game when he crashed twice attempting the vaunted 720 Air, breaking his Tib/Fib on the second try.  That put him out of the NASCAR race for the weekend.  A crash in a hand controlled rally car that Sunday caused much more serious damage to the previously broken right leg, sending him to bed for two months and off the bike for a year according to his physicians. 

Pastrana made an appearance at the Monster Mile in Dover, Delaware where he was previously scheduled to race and spoke with Freestylemx.com founder Marc Burnett during an interview.  Travis said he had lots of time to think about his future and that this years X Games was supposed to be his “retirement” from serious competition on the Boost Mobile Suzuki motorcycle and that it was not his plan to end it that way.  He also was surprised when Marc asked about a Triple Back Flip in the works earlier this year by exclaiming “How did you guys know about that?”  Travis says he will concentrate on NASCAR and will be practicing as soon as he is released to drive for a Nationwide Series debut in Phoenix next February.  As far as the 720 and the Triple Back flip- well I have never counted Travis out and at his age-another attempt is not out of the question in a couple years.

-Cory Stem