East Coast Nationals Race Report

Filed under General on June 06, 2014 | Comment(s)

WORDS AND IMAGES BY: JASON "SHOOTER" MCGUIRE

Living all the way out west in Arizona, it is a difficult transition anytime I travel to the east coast. Mainly it is the three-hour time change and my sleep schedule does not catch up until the day we leave. Really, it is a win-win situation. Putting that aside, I love the atmosphere of racing on the east coast. For the most part it always seems to be a bit more laid back, but still provides some of the best racing of the year. There are always riders here that I do not know much about, but by the end of the weekend they kill it on the track and their name sticks with me until the next time I see them ride and rip it up at another track. Either way, I always come back for more and love seeing who the next east coast hot shot is and this weekend I am sure I will find someone right here in Severn. 

FRIDAY:

Chesapeake BMX in Severn, MD is the host track for this weekend's East Coast Nationals and these guys are definitely doing something right. Their facility is top notch with a grass-lined track, great facilities for staging, concessions, sign-ups and much more. To top it all off, these guys have some awesome scenery around here and every way you turn has more trees and foliage that turn your glance into a stare. 

The Friday night pre-race kicked off the weekend with 79 motos and a handful of photo finishes that set the foundation for what is sure to be another great weekend of racing on the USA BMX National Series. In fact one of the great races of the evening came from the 41-45 novice class. These guys were going at it from start to finish and there was never more than a couple of bike lengths from the multiple leaders and the rest of the pack. Craig Begnoche, Hillary Taylor and Jonas Brooks all wanted the win just as bad as the other person, but eventually you are going to run out of both time and room. After the lead changes and bar bangin' it would be Craig Begnoche out of Enfield, CT taking home the win for his son Ethan. 

There were plenty more great races this evening, but for now we wait until tomorrow for day one of the East Coast Nationals. We will be posting on the USA BMX Facebook page all day long and having the audio feed running at usabmx.com/webcast so the entire USA BMX Nation can keep up with the festivities from the comfort of their homes or local BMX track. Be sure to also check back here tomorrow night for the complete recap from day one. It is time to go racing! 

SATURDAY:

Every Saturday at any national I attend throughout the year, I always try to catch up with all of the vendors, friends, families and riders – and of course still make the time to be on the track for as much racing as possible. For all of the time I spend off the track, this race was quite different as the record breaking 210 motos kept me glued to the track for the majority of the day.

After jetting through the qualifying rounds in less than five hours, my stomach was in a mean frenzy and started pulling me towards the any smell of food. That’s where the concessions at Chesapeake BMX came in and boy-oh-boy did they have some of the best trackside grub that I have had the pleasure of chowing down on. Everything from burgers and dogs to chicken and brats, there was something for everyone! I opted for a double cheesburger and a few wings with a cool blue Gatorade to wash it all down. That may seem like a lot for a small guy like myself, but that eastern humidity takes a lot out of us westerners.

Now that lunch was consumed and the batteries recharged, it was back to the track for the main events! The A pro class helped kick off the early evening festivities and Doublecross' Alan Hudson was my personal pick to take home the cash after three rounds of racing. The first two rounds brought some pretty scrambled results with more passes than one can count on a pair of human hands, but luckily the third and final round help even out the score to decide the top three finishers. The other Doublecross rider Daniel Smith pulled the entire pack into the first turn and battled back and forth with FBN~C-YAA's Kyle McRory for the lead. Hudson was fighting for position behind those two and could never seemed to find his way to the front, but his third place finish was just enough to hold off McRory for the overall win. Pulling up third was Victor Behm out of Mayslanding, NJ and riding for Chip N' Dale's Bike Shop who was had spurts of greatness in order to pull in that final spot on the box. In the end, all eight riders in the main were ready to win and luckily all of them plan on doing it again tomorrow with hopes of taking over the win for Doublecross' Alan Hudson. 

Amateur racing is the true heart beat of BMX racing and while the early rounds seemed to show a lot of single file formations, the main events brought a whole new light to the track. Each moto was bar-bangin' fun down all four straights and most races were decided on the final two straights rather than who can make it to the first turn before the others. However, one of the few riders who checked out from their competition was Alltow Wrecking Crew~YESS rider Tyler Bailey who tore up the 7-8 open and 8x classes with style. I had been told by PULL Magazine's Assistant Editor and Videographer, George Vick, to be on the lookout for this little guy and he definitely impressed with such a great performance for the day. 

For the girls, Mikaela "Lil Meeka" Yanez has been rapidly improving her skills over the last year or so. It was little surprise to me that "Lil Meeka" stepped her game up another level by joining forces with the Alltow Wrecking Crew~YESS team. She wore the colors loud and proud as Yanez rockets her way to yet ANOTHER win in the 9 girls class. If she continues her winning ways for the next foreseeable future, than not only will she secure another NAG 1 title, she may also be in contention for the National NO.1 Girls title at the end of the year when Grands rolls around. 

The last set of races I want to cover before wrapping the day one race report up was both class and cruiser between Answer~Rennen's Dave Maltezos and Hyper's John Paul Pfeiffer. In cruiser, JPP was setting Maltezos up for a move in turn two (or three depending on how you look at it) and looked to be ready to strike when the track snake bit him first. Pfeiffer unclipped over the triple leading into the turn and hit the ground with authority, thus losing 2.5 teeth in the process. Many would think that would the average rider would call it a day and come back after some time at the dental office, but JP had other plans! He would come back in 20" and give Maltezos a run for his money, and while he was unable to pick up the win, he did secure second place in the 36-40x main event. John Paul Pfeiffer showed everyone what true dedication is and there is no doubt we will see him again for day two.

Day one of the East Coast Nationals not only had awesome weather, but also showcased east coast riding at it's finest. If anything, today proved that the east coast has loads of untapped potential as many riders are prepared to break out to the main stream and make a name for themselves. Day two will surely be another great day, so be sure to check back here later this evening for the day two re-cap and final race report for this years USA BMX East Coast Nationals!

SUNDAY:

It is not very often when I get the opportunity to bang out the final segment of our race reports on the flight back home. Luckily today I am stuck on this aircraft for the next four hours so I am ready to get the entire USA BMX Nation up-to-date on all of the happenings from day two of the USA BMX East Coast Nationals in Severn, MD.

For the second day in a row, the A pro main event was more scrambled than your eggs on a Sunday morning from the local Denny's. The first round had Daniel Smith taking his Doublecross to the front of the pack, but Kyle McRory blew the doors off on the inside while Alan Hudson was stuck hunting on the outside from a lane eight start. The pack followed McRory until the last turn where Smith stuck his nose in and tried to make a last straight pull stick. After a video review, it was confirmed that McRory picked up the first round with Smith in second. Round two rolled around and Alan Hudson made sure to get the holeshot before he was shut out of the game entirely. Hudson would lead the entire round, but McRory didn't let him get far and kept the low points heading into the final round. In the third round, McRory once again led the pack from the gate to the line and nabbed his first ever A pro win since turning pro. During the podium ceremony he had thought about giving his giant check out to a lucky fan, but his family and friends quickly persuaded him otherwise once he remembered this was the first one of his pro career. Congratulations to Kyle, Alan Hudson and Victor Behm as they claimed the three podium slots for day two.

The Sunday amateur racing always has an interesting twist considering that the riders have been riding for the past two days. Not just their select race laps, but also as much practice as they could possibly get stuffed in. That being said, it adds another level of difficulty to an already tough weekend. 

One of the top amateur races from the weekend was Destiny "Hot Dog" Dominguez piloting her Vendetta to a hard earned win. Factory Cyclecraft rider Kelsey Cloutier had her number the entire lap , until the very end when it counted more than ever. Out of the final turn, "Hot Dog" railed the outside in order to get the final push to fly by Cloutier and pick up another win after an already successful weekend. 

there are only a handful of individuals racing the USA BMX National Series that are also brand owners. One of those gents is Rob McAllister of Blackcrown Products and not only is he making sure his factory team is ready to roll and has everything they need at all times, he also is out there on the track with them putting in both the work and the results. Rob picked up the win both days in 46-50 cruiser and I am sure he definitely helped out the team sheet. Putting the racing aside, it is pretty cool to see someone not only taking care of the brand and the team, but also getting out and tearing it up on the track! 

After leading every lap of the weekend, Doublecross' Elida Beeman eventually had to fall from the top. Unfortunately for her, that happened today when Powers Bike Shop rider Kristen Klein made sure she would not end up with another less than stellar finish. Beeman was all over her like white on rice, but it was too little too late and Klein redeemed herself with a win on day two over an extremely difficult 15-16 girls class.

Making the trek all the way from Scottsdale, AZ was Ethan "The Bull" Moore. Just about two-thousand miles by way of the Albatross, it is no short distance for any rider to travel for a race. When in that situation, what do the best riders do? They win, and Ethan made sure to do just that. After picking up the double in 10x, "The Bull" is going back to AZ with a pair of wins and a whole lot of points. Be on the lookout for this young gun as he will surely be a threat five months down the road when we reach the 2014 USA BMX Grand Nationals.

As day two of the East Coast Nationals wrapped up, there was no doubt that this side of the country has some heavy hitters that are ready to take the world by storm. Outstanding race action, a world-class facility and some of the nicest people you could meet, Chesapeake BMX was the place to be over the weekend. USA BMX would like to throw out a huge thank you to the entire staff at Chesapeake BMX as well as all of the racers and their families who helped make this weekend such a success. Be sure to join us next weekend in Canada at the Firestorm Nationals in Kelowna, BC, Canada, or at the next USA BMX series in Burlington, NC for the Tarheel Nationals just two short weeks from now. 

Safe travels and have a wonderful week of racing!