Background Ad

Media

MidWest Nationals race report and photos

Filed under General on July 25, 2016 | Comment(s)

Over a thousand BMX families will be pulling into Searls Park this weekend; the epicenter of BMX Racing here in Rockford, Illinois. Passing by fields of corn and lush green grass, you enter the park only to find rows and rows of motorhomes and campers, all with bikes and a killer pit set-up. Even some BMX lunatics who are immune to heat and humudity, braving the elements in a pup-tent. Of all the races to camp out at, this is high on the list. 

After rolling downhill from the tree-lined park, past the old school Vintage BMX bike show, you arrive at the track - The Rock. It's one of the smoothest and best soil-tac'ed tracks in USA BMX! The fact alone that we've held a national on this track for thirty straight years, pretty much says it all. Now, over the past thirty years, there are some things that have changed dramatically, and others that are more traditional and have remained (mostly) the same. 

Take for instance, BERMZILLA - the name for Rockford's once famous first turn. In the 90;s, this turn was monsterous. Nothing else like it. And it forced all other tracks to catch up. ...which by 2006 or so, they did. With the introduction of SX tracks and Olympic sized starting hills, Bermzilla now seemed tame and mild. Thus, in the recent year(s), the Rockford crew tore out the upper half of their turns and re-steepened them to stay with the current times. While Bermzilla might not be the big scary monster that it once was, it is still a hot spot for action and still saw plenty of elbows being thrown. 
There's also THE DROP at THE ROCK; the legendary first-obstacle drop-off that is unlike any other track. While it's evolved over the years, and even morphed into a double-jump at one time, The Drop is now back to challenge riders of all ages and skills.

 

For some time now, old school BMXers have been flooding the BMX forums and social media complaining about how today's tracks are just about pumping. "Bring back the pedaling" they've cried out! Well, for Rockford this year, Jake and the gang took out the last obstacle and made it a Crankfest to the finishline. With about 50 feet of good ol' sprint-time to the stripe, this year's MidWest Nationals seperated the sprinters from the rest of the pack. Plenty of last-straight pull - call it "MidWest Pull if you want, was displayed and many 4th-in-a-semi positions were stolen by a hard charging, surge from 5th or 6th place. 

A few prime examples of the last-straight pull was Pistol Pete Choat in 11x. This weekend, he had his arch nemesis from down unnda' - World Champion Tommy Tucker. All weekend long, Tucker was seen out front, showing why he has the big "W" in front of that No.1 on his plate. The Aussie Redline rider could very well be the next Sam Willoughby. But when it came to defending his homeland, Choat made TSA agents look lazy. (Not hard to do, right?) 
On Sunday, it was nearly a xerox copy, with the FullTilt'er goin' full tilt bozo out of the final turn. Perhaps blame it on the humidity, the heat or jet-lag - but Tucker was plum-tuckered by the end of the weekend, and Choat could gloat with two major 11x wins.  

11 EXPERT - SUNDAY

  • PISTOL PETE CHOAT, FULL TILT BIKE CO/SUPERCROSS, BAKERSFIELD, CA
  • THOMAS TUCKER, WARNER, QLD
  • GAVYN BOWERS, CL4, BRAINERD, MN
  • KAYNEN BURG, SSQUARED BICYCLES, HAMILTON, OH
  • BRYCE SHACKLETON, YOUNG GUNS BMX, ELKHORN, WI
  • LANDEN CURRIER, THUNDERBEACH, PRESCOTT, WI
  • BRANDON BREDEWEG, FACTORY THRODWN, ALLENDALE, MI
  • BLAISE PEREIRA, FACTORY FREE AGENT, MARRERO, LA

Tucker wasn't the only rider sporting a big "W" on his plate - and there were a few other W-1's spotted out front of their mains. 

With over 220 motos, every class in every age was pretty much chock full o' tough competitors, and racing was tight for qualifying and making to to your main was a HUGE accomplishment, whether you were a novice or expert. 

Saturday began with sunshine and high temps for practice but the clouds began rolling in by race-time. Things went smooth and we were able to run the races all the thru to the final girls mains when mother nature finally unleashed her fury. The Rockford crew, who is rumored to have trained with the tarp-coverers at Wrigley Field, got the track covered in record-setting fashion, and mains went on hold for just about 15 minutes or so. But when you've got a track soil-tac'd as well as Rockford is, along with near-perfect paved turns, water retention isn't a big factor.

Up until then, we'd seen some fine racing in opens, cruisers, novices and inters. Once the hair-dryers blew off any rain droplets, the final girls mains and experts were up and ready to rip. You could see a big difference between those riders who were a little skeptical of the once-wet turns. Would they hold? Would they give full traction? Or would my slick tires wash out?! All winnrs, for the most part, went for it - and raced The Rock as if it were warm and dry. Others were tappin' the brakes or backing off as they blasted in to turns one and two. 

 

Sunday saw sunny skies and killer actions throughout the day on a pristine track. Like always, when Sunday rolls around, it's your last chance to pull off a victory or just make a main, so things get a little more heated with the "last chance" mentality. 

By far the most thrilling main of the day has to go to the 19-27x's, with some insane last-turn action switching up the results.  

19-27 EXPERT - SUNDAY

  • ZACHARY BAHR, FULL TILT BIKE CO/SUPERCROSS, ST CLOUD, MN
  • ALAN STRUNA, WAUKEGAN, IL
  • RYAN ZINZOW, SSQUARED BICYCLES, ELKHORN, WI
  • AUSTIN (FREAKY FAST) MCKAN, WILLARD, MO
  • TRENTON DUVALL, FULL TILT BIKE CO/SUPERCROSS, LINWOOD, MN
  • ALEC BOB, FACTORY FREE AGENT, PLANO, TX
  • TYLER SMITH, FACTORY HARO/PROMAX, DOUGLASVILLE, GA
  • JUSTIN KNAPPER, ANSWER/RENNEN, POTTSTOWN, PA

 

Image Gallery

  • _82t2530_mxw60_mxh60_e1
  • _82t2621_mxw60_mxh60_e1
  • _82t2726_mxw60_mxh60_e1
  • _82t2786_mxw60_mxh60_e1
  • Saturday-rockford-03_mxw60_mxh60_e1
  • Saturday-rockford-14_mxw60_mxh60_e1
  • Sunday_rockford--05_mxw60_mxh60_e1
  • Sunday_rockford--07_mxw60_mxh60_e1
  • Sunday_rockford--11_mxw60_mxh60_e1
  • Sunday_rockford--13_mxw60_mxh60_e1
  • Sunday_rockford--16_mxw60_mxh60_e1
  • Sunday_rockford--22_mxw60_mxh60_e1
  • Sunday_rockford--23_mxw60_mxh60_e1
  • Sunday_rockford--27_mxw60_mxh60_e1
  • Sunday_rockford--34_mxw60_mxh60_e1

Fa-solid-arrow-left

Membership

Fa-solid-times
We're excited you want to ride with us! If you are a new rider, welcome to the family! If you are experienced, we are glad to have you back. Please select below:
Purchasing of New Memberships is temporarily disabled. Please contact us for more info.
15%

Step 1 / 6

To create or renew your membership, please sign in to your account or create a new account. If you are purchasing a membership for someone under the age of 18 please create an account for yourself first.

Eye-password-icon@2x Eye-invisible-outlined@2x

OR Forgot Your Password?
Forgot your password? Put in your email address here and we’ll email you a link to change your password.

An email from [email protected] containing instructions to reset your password has been emailed to you.

If you’re having trouble finding your email, try checking your Spam folder.
10%

Step 1 / 6

If you are purchasing this membership for someone under the age of 18, you must first create an account for yourself in order to enter payment options and sign safety wavers.

Birthdate must be a past date.
15%

Step 1 / 6

Password must be at least 8 characters.
Check all that apply.
15%

Step 1 / 6

Password must be at least 8 characters.

Check all that apply:

In order to comply with COPPA standards, and for your safety, riders under the age of 13 must have a parent or legal guardian register an account on the USA BMX site and consent to your profile creation. Please fill out your guardian’s email below.


Thanks for registering! Return to sign in below and sign in to your new account to continue to your purchase. An email has also been sent to with instructions on verifying your account. If you don’t see it, be sure to check your spam.
30%

Step 2 / 6

Who is this membership for?
Are you the rider's parent or legal guardian?

You must be the rider’s legal guardian in order to purchase a membership. Please have the rider’s legal guardian create an account and purchase the membership.

Is this your first time in BMX?
Please confirm your birthday.

Birthdate not accepted.
Is this the rider's first time in BMX?
Please confirm the rider's birthday.

Birthdate not accepted.
You must be over the age of 18 to purchase a membership. Please have your parent or legal guardian create an account and purchase your membership.
50%

Step 3 / 6

Balance Bike memberships are discounted and not considered a First Family Membership.
If your family member(s) already have a membership, enter their serial numbers for a $5 discount on your newest membership.
50%

Step 3 / 6

Balance Bike memberships are discounted and not considered a First Family Membership.
If your family member(s) already have a membership, enter their serial numbers for a $5 discount on your newest membership.
70%

Step 4 / 6

Gender
Skill Level
Please choose the track you would like to credit your membership to, as this helps your home track earn their ranking within the state or province.


Home Track State / Province
Home Track
Type of Membership
85%

Step 5 / 6


Please review the waivers below carefully and submit your electronic signature to consent to them.

In order for the membership to be processed, the Sanction must receive your digital signature. By digitally signing in the box below, you agree to the terms and conditions of the waivers referenced above.

Step 6 / 6

When adding a credit card, BMX Canada members must add their card to the CAN jurisdiction for processing.

SELECT USA BMX OR BMX CANADA

Step 6 / 6

Please confirm that all of your information is correct before completing your purchase.

If you do find a problem, click the back arrow to correct it.
Membership for
Home Track
Proficiency
Family Member
Membership Type
Date of Birth
Age
Payment Due
Make a Payment
Thank you for your purchase!
An email has been sent to your inbox with information on getting started with us:

Please download membership card below.

30%

Step 2 / 6

Please enter your Serial Number and Validation Code from your Trial Membership. Serial Number will be 8 digits and Validation Code will be 4 digits.
30%

Step 2 / 6

Renew a membership registered under your account, or by searching for existing memberships.
OR
50%

Step 3 / 6

Select one of the memberships below to renew a membership.
Search for Existing Memberships
50%

Step 3 / 6

Search for a rider by name or by serial number to renew a membership.
Please fill out both names.
OR
View Memberships on Your Account
50%

Step 2 / 6

Are you the rider and/or rider’s parent/legal guardian?
70%

Step 4 / 6

Gender
Skill Level
Skill Level
Please choose the track you would like to credit your membership to, as this helps your home track earn their ranking within the state or province.


Home Track State / Province
Home Track
Balance Bike memberships are discounted and not considered a First Family Membership.
If your family member(s) already have a membership, enter their serial numbers for a $5 discount on your newest membership.
Type of Membership
85%

Step 5 / 6


Please review the waivers below carefully and submit your electronic signature to consent to them..

In order for the membership to be processed, the Sanction must receive your digital signature. By digitally signing in the box below, you agree to the terms and conditions of the waivers referenced above.

Step 6 / 6

Please confirm that your information is correct and check out.
Membership for
Home Track
Proficiency
Family Member
Membership Type
Payment Due
Make a Payment
Thank you for renewing!
An email has been sent to your inbox with information on your renewal with us:

Please download membership card below.

Step 6 / 6

When adding a credit card, BMX Canada members must add their card to the CAN jurisdiction for processing.

SELECT USA BMX OR BMX CANADA