| AST Dew Tour- PlayStation Pro, October 16-19 at Orlando's Amway Arena. | |
| DIRT | |
| PRELIMS www.dewtour.com, july 2008: Saturday dawned on Orlando as the AST Dew Tour's Dirt competitors prepared for their final contest of the 2008 season, clashing one more time in the Prelim round. The 25-rider field would be slashed to nine, and those nine would join current Tour points leaders Cameron White, Luke Parslow, and Corey Bohan in the full-throttle Final later in the day. Would Ryan Nyquist and Dennis Enarson, who were also in contention for the year-end Dew Cup, earn a transfer spot? Nyquist won the Park competition the day before so he was coming in hot, and since he's the defending Dirt Dew Cup champ, no one expected him to be holding back. As it turned out, both Nyquist and Enarson knocked out killer runs, tying for the top spot after their first visit to the course. Ryan dropped an opposite truckdriver and a barspin 720, while Dennis hucked a flip whip over the second set and a double tailwhip 360 over the last. It was a clear message to White, Parslow, and Bohan, setting the stage for a no-holds-barred Final. Rob Darden took the third-place transfer spot with a mid-rhythm 720 and a brand-new turndown 720 over the last set. The super-smooth Chris Doyle landed just behind him with a barrage of 360 variations, a pendulum (no-footed can-cans on both sides of the bike) and his own final-set 720. Ryan Guettler was sitting outside of the top nine before his second run, but mid-rhythm 720 and a double backflip shot him up to fifth. Josh Hult picked up a well-deserved spot in the Final with tailwhips and 360s in both directions capped with a downside whip 360, and Anthony Napolitan landed the only triple tailwhip of the Prelim round to earn his ticket. Colin MacKay upped the Aussie count for the Final to five, spinning double whips, a 720, and a killer topside no-footed can-can 360. Nate Berkheimer rounded out the top nine with his nutball backflip off the Nike 6.0 drop-in, a big frontflip, and a clicked 360 turndown. Five riders in the Final have a legitimate chance at winning the Dew Cup, and the other seven are looking to end their season with a bang. Each of the four previous Dirt contests on the Dew Tour has produced a different winner, not to mention a new trick or two. This afternoon's Final is what it all comes down to, and it's going to be completely bananas. Dirt Qualifying results (Top 9 Move To Finals): 1.Ryan Nyquist 2.Dennis Enarson 3.Rob Darden 4.Chris Doyle 5.Ryan Guettler 6.Josh Hult 7.Anthony Napolitan 8.Colin Mackay 9.Nate Berkheimer FINALS www.dewtour.com, october 2008: If you were looking for an appropriate way to cap off the incredible season of BMX riding on the 2008 AST Dew Tour, you'd be hard pressed to find a better solution than the Dirt Final that went down at the PlayStation® Pro. It was the last chance to score a win this season for the 12 riders in the Final, and for five of them, it was a battle to take home the Dew Cup award. Cameron White rolled into Orlando with the lead in overall points, and he came out swinging in the Final, landing his barspin to tailwhip backflip over the first set to sit in the top spot after everyone's first runs were in the books. Dennis Enarson was close behind; his perfect run included a flip whip, a double tailwhip, and a 360 double tailwhip. Corey Bohan was equally impressive in third, throwing an opposite 360 tailwhip, an extended nothing to no-footed can-can, and a barspin to tailwhip. Defending Dew Cup champion Ryan Nyquist got some big tricks out, including double truckdrivers and a barspin 720, but he couldn't put together a full run with tricks on every set. Anthony Napolitan had similar problems; he landed a no-handed frontflip and a triple tailwhip in run one, but failed to make it through the course on his subsequent hits. Luke Parslow made it through on all three attempts, but seemed to be riding a bit conservatively, shelving his customary flip whips for some reason. Chris Doyle fared better, cranking style-soaked 360 inverts, 720s, and a truckdriver to turndown, flowing effortlessly through every run. Rob Darden was also on fire from start to finish, spinning a 720 over the first set and a brand-new barspin 720 over the last. White cut his second run short after a bad landing on the barspin to whip flip, and that dropped him low in the standings. Enarson and Bohan were both strong in run two, so they were sitting firmly in the top spots with two high-scoring runs safely in the bank. In fact, Cameron's entire season would be riding on his final run – talk about pressure. He was sitting in seventh place, and if he couldn't improve his standing, he would lose the Dew Cup title to Bohan by a heart-breaking three points. White needed a complete run, and throwing the barspin to whip flip over the first set was a major gamble. He's more consistent than most, however, and must have felt that the boost it would give his score was worth it. He nailed it to open his third run, following with solid moves throughout the rest of the course, shooting up to a podium spot in third. The year-end title hung in the balance for a bit, but White came through to claim his first Dew Cup, with Enarson earning his first Dew Tour Dirt win. The 2008 AST Dew Tour season produced five unique winners in BMX Dirt; similarly, the four Dirt Dew Cups that have been awarded since the inception of the Dew Tour have gone to four different riders, showing just how hotly-contested the Dirt competition is. Next season will bring new faces, gnarlier tricks, and even more excitement as the race to crown the next Dew Tour Dirt champion unfolds. Does Enarson's win here in Orlando foreshadow a big 2009 for the young rider? Tune in next year to find out… Dirt finals esults: 1.Dennis Enarson 2.Corey Bohan 3.Cam White 4.Rob Darden 5.Chris Doyle 6.Luke Parslow 7.Nate Berkheimer 8.Ryan Guettler 9.Anthony Napolitan 10.Ryan Nyquist 11.Josh Hult 12.Colin Mackay |
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| PARK | PRELIMS www.dewtour.com, october 2008: BMX Park is always a killer show on the AST Dew Tour, and with over 30 of the world's most incredible riders laying waste to an awesome course, it's no surprise. Thursday's Park Prelim pitted those riders against each other for the coveted nine transfer spots to tomorrow's Final. Tour points leaders Daniel Dhers, Mike Spinner, and Rob Darden are automatically qualified, so they were able to take a seat and watch the action unfold. Here's how it went down. Italy's Alessandro Barbero squeaked in at ninth, making this his second Final on the '08 Tour. Barbero's got great all-around skills and some banger moves, like a double tailwhip 360 over the bigger box and a triple tailwhip over a hip. Canadian Drew Bezanson, who was just presented with the PlayStation® Pro Moment Award for his double truck drop-in last month in Salt Lake City, finished just ahead of Barbero. Bezanson's highlights were a 360 tailtap to tailwhip in over the hitching post and a huge flair over the quarter-to-quarter gap. Ryan Guettler kept the international flavor going by cashing in his Aussie skills for seventh place. Guettler dropped loads of flair variations, including a no-footed can-can version over the box hip. Returning from a brutal crash in Dirt in Salt Lake City, Allan Cooke cruised into the Park Final with a solid run from start to finish, punctuated by a nothing over the hitching post followed closely with a flip over the spine. Ryan Nyquist cracked the top five with an unbelievable recovery from an unintentional two-and-a-half barspin over the box, bouncing back with a barspin 540 and a 720 over the spine. Austin Coleman busted out with a quick hip frontflip, a no-handed 720, and a downside tailwhip tailtap to land in fourth. Garrett Reynolds is a master of multi-stage moves, throwing barspin-catch-barspins into tricks that are hard enough on their own. He dropped them into quarterpipe 540s and spine 360s, and complemented the tech wizardry with a floaty no-handed 360 over the driveway box. Craig Mast held the lead for much of the contest, throwing back-to-back moves all over the place. His frontflip flair is unmatched, and a 720 over the driveway and multiple double whips made him a solid contender. The man to beat him was no slouch, either. Dave Mirra has had an up-and-down year on the Dew Tour in '08, juggling his new passion for rally car racing with his long-standing passion for BMX. Here in Orlando, however, he left no doubt in anyone's mind that he's still one of the greatest riders to ever hop on a bike. With a solid command of the course, Dave did everything a foot or two higher, with every variation stretched just a little bit further. A wild no-handed 540 on the big quarter, a clean flip over the hitching post and a big no-handed 360 over the box were just some of the highlights of his run. Dhers, Spinner, and Darden better take note, because it's looking like Dave's in the running for a win. However, with four out of four wins on the Tour so far, Dhers is focused on putting a perfect season in the books, so he's not going to go down easy. Spinner's tired of taking second behind Dhers, so he's gunning hard for the top of the podium as well. Regardless of who takes it, it's going to be the gnarliest Park Final of the '08 Tour. Park Qualifying Results (Top nine advance) 1. Dave Mirra 2. Craig Mast 3. Garrett Reynolds 4. Austin Coleman 5. Ryan Nyquist 6. Allan Cooke . FINALS www.dewtour.com, october 2008: Daniel Dhers has been a dominant force on the AST Dew Tour this year; with two BMX Park Dew Cup titles already under his belt, he came into the PlayStation® Pro with four straight wins for the 2008 Tour season. He held a 70-point lead over his closest challenger, Mike Spinner, so he had already wrapped up his third consecutive Dew Cup title before the contest in Orlando even started. With the title secure, he turned to another objective: achieving the perfect five-win season, something no other athlete on the AST Dew Tour has ever accomplished. That turned out to be, quite unexpectedly, the biggest challenge he'd face all year. Riders like Drew Bezanson and Austin Coleman were riding better than they had been at the previous stops, and Dave Mirra and Ryan Nyquist were tearing it up in practice. Mirra ended up in fifth after spinning his wild no-handed 360 flip, a huge no-handed 540, and a flair whip over the quarter-to-quarter gap. Bezanson nailed a difficult 360 tailtap to tailwhip over the hitching post to finish seventh, but was bested by Garrett Reynolds, who dropped barspin-to-barspin 540s and huge no-handed 360s. Rob Darden's been on fire this year, and he finished just off the podium in fourth here in Orlando. He was all over the course and rode with a clean, smooth style, cutting loose with big 720s over the box and a massive, stylish one-handed table over the big box hip. Austin Coleman always brings unique tricks and killer style to the table, and everything came together for him here with a spot on the podium in third. His second run was filled with high-energy, back-to-back moves, including a no-handed frontflip and barspin and no-handed 720s over the spine. Nyquist had put down a very solid first run, putting him comfortably in first place throughout the rest of the roster until it was time for Dhers to drop in. Nyquist looked confident with double truckdrivers over the hitching post, a barspin 540 on the big quarter, and a 720 over the box. Dhers answered with regular and invert 720s over the box, double whips over the quarter gap, and no-footed can-cans to late whips, both on a quarter and in the midst of a 360 over the spine. Daniel moved into first, and it looked like his win streak would remain uncontested. Sometimes everything falls into place with your run, and with each successful trick you take a little more risk, hang on, and enjoy the ride. That's exactly what happened to Nyquist in run two; he continually knocked down some of the hardest tricks in the business with no end in sight. His first banger was a super dangerous 720 over the hitching post, which he pulled perfectly. That set the tone, and he followed with a barspin 720 over the box and a double barspin 540 on the quarter. There was no doubt that he would move into the lead, so the ball was back in Daniel's court. Dhers dropped in for run two with a determined look on his face, spinning a 720 over the box and firing into the quarter just after the landing. Unfortunately, he landed low on the quarter and slipped a pedal on his way back to the box, so he had to nix his plans for a can-can 720. He recovered well and went on to do a crazy frontflip over the spine and his first flair whip in competition, but he just couldn't match the intensity of Nyquist's run. Nyquist earned his first Park win of the '08 Tour, and Dhers had to "settle" for second – he's the only guy who can view second place as a downgrade, but don't worry, his third Dew Cup is still headed for his trophy case. Some of the best Park riding of the '08 Tour went down at the PlayStation® Pro, making it a fitting end to an incredible season. Results: 1.Ryan Nyquist 2.Daniel Dhers 3.Austin Coleman 4.Rob Darden 5.Dave Mirra 6.Garrett Reynolds 7.Drew Bezanson 8.Allan Cooke 9.Mike Spinner 10.Craig Mast . Press release: . Park Final Results: 1. |
| VERT | |
| PRELIMS www.dewtour.com, october 2008: The BMX Vert Prelims at the PlayStation® Pro in Orlando represented the last chance for the Vert competitors to make it to the big show: a Final event on the 2008 AST Dew Tour. It was time to pull out all the stops, put the pedal to the medal, and execute every other overused cliché at their disposal. Although everyone stepped up to the challenge, only seven riders would earn the advancing spots since overall Tour points leaders Jamie Bestwick, Chad Kagy, and Simon Tabron were already pre-qualified for the 10-rider Final. Speaking of stepping up, 21-year-old Tyler Chamberlain, who won the AST Dew Tour's amateur Free Flow Tour Finals last month in Salt Lake City, dropped in with the big dogs here in Orlando. He earned a spot here in the PlayStation® Pro Prelims with his win, and he held strong with solid airs, x-ups, tire grabs, and even a tailwhip flair attempt. Watch for Tyler on the 2009 Dew Tour, for sure. Francisco Zurita took the number seven spot with single and double tailwhips, flairs, and killer style. Jay Eggleston made yet another Final with his trademark ceiling-scraping airs, old-school candybars and rocket variations and huge 540s. Speaking of 540s, Dennis McCoy keeps packing them into his runs like circus clowns in a compact car, spinning regular 540s into and out of barspin 540s, as well as barspins to barspin back and his own take on the candybar. Koji Kraft came into this contest with a foot injury, and despite a nasty crash in practice, powered through to finish in fourth with insane multi-stage barspin variations; his hands were moving back and forth so quickly it looked like he was swatting at bees. Turndown flairs over the channel and a couple of double tailwhips helped his standing, as well. Also suffering from a previous injury was Steve McCann, who dislocated his shoulder just a week ago. He waved off his first run after just a few tricks, but came back for run two determined to make the Final. His injury was definitely not apparent as he sailed through huge flairs, a no-hander to barspin, and a clean tailwhip. Second-place finisher Zack Warden went whip crazy, throwing a double whip over the channel, a couple of barspins to tailwhips, downside whips, and a superman whip. Throw in his unique bikeflip air, and Zack is continually proving to be a serious new threat in Vert riding. By contrast, Jimmy Walker is a long-time veteran, and his comprehensive assault of the entire Vert ramp always wows his fellow riders. Huge carves, opposite airs, and flowing style are his ice cream, with invert and no-handed 540s and no-handers and barspins to turndowns serving as the whipped cream and cherry on top. All ten riders will take to the ramp on Friday evening, with Kagy and Bestwick going head-to-head for the overall Vert Dew Cup award, and the rest of the field gunning for the spotlight at the final event of the season. It's serious business, but don't worry, these guys still know how to have fun – rumor has it there's a nac-nac challenge circulating among the top riders, so they'll definitely be ripping it up with a sense of humor, which should make for one heck of a contest. Vert Qualifying Results (top 7 advance): 1.Jimmy Walker 2.Zack Warden 3.Steve McCann 4.Koji Kraft 5.Dennis McCoy 6.Jay Eggleston 7.Francisco Zurita FINALS www.dewtour.com, october 2008: The final BMX Vert contest of the 2008 AST Dew Tour went down on Friday night in Orlando, the culmination of the season-long back-and-forth battle between Chad Kagy and Jamie Bestwick. The closely-matched riders sized each other up one final time at the PlayStation® Pro, with Bestwick taking a well-deserved win. The two riders came into the final stop with only 30 points separating them in the chase for the year-end Dew Cup. Bestwick already has three of the Dew Cups in his trophy case, so Kagy was looking to get his hands on his own for 2008. They weren't the only two riders on the deck, however; eight more of Vert's best were also up for the challenge. Francisco “Coco” Zurita ended up in fifth with some of his smoothest airs ever, including clean double whips and perfect flairs. His whip to x-up and whip to turndown combos are getting dialed, as well. It was looking like Dennis McCoy might end up in a podium spot for much of the night; he dropped a barspin 540 and a 900 in his first run to earn his highest score of the Tour so far. Simon Tabron wasn't going to relinquish a podium spot at the last contest of the year, though, and made up for a crashed 900 in run one by landing one of the most picture-perfect 900s in run two. Add invert and turndown 540s and a flair over the channel, and Tabron leapfrogged over DMC to land in third. Once again, it came down to Kagy and Bestwick, two of the gnarliest riders to ever grace a Vert ramp. Kagy dropped a full run with a barspin to tailwhip, a double tailwhip over the channel, and a perfect flatspin flair tailwhip. Bestwick answered with x-up to turndown and barspin to turndown combos, an alley-oop superman seatgrab, a topside no-footed can-can, and a silky smooth 540 invert. He topped it all off with a killer opposite flair to fastplant opposite flair, and he landed in the top spot for the fourth time on the '08 Tour. Kagy and Bestwick enjoyed a great rivalry on the ramp this year, and we got to witness some of the best Vert riding in history. Progression happened on all fronts; Jimmy Walker came close to his first 900 at this contest, and Zack Warden landed his first 540. That's just a small sample of what's going to go down in training sessions this winter; everyone will emerge next June with new tricks in the bag for the 2009 AST Dew Tour, and the bar will be raised once again. Results: 1.Jamie Bestwick 2.Chad Kagy 3.Simon Tabron 4.Dennis McCoy 5.Francisco Zurita 6.Zack Warden 7.Jay Eggleston 8.Jimmy Walker 9.Koji Kraft 10.Steve McCann Jay Eggleston,www.go211.com, Thu, 23 Oct 2008: The AST Dew Tour ended for the year in Orlando, FL last weekend. I placed 7th in the vert comp and 8th overall for the year. It is getting harder to stay in the top ten every year so I feel lucky to to be where I am at in the standings. My favorite part of the vert contest was Jimmy Walker's 900 attempt. He didn't pull it but he came close to riding away and I am sure he will ride out of one soon. |
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| PlayStation® Pro Moment Award | |
| Press release, november 2008: The AST Dew Tour today announced Dave Mirra as the winner of the PlayStation® Pro Moment Award from Orlando’s PlayStation® Pro. Voting began on Monday, October 20, the day after competitions ended. Fans could view the videos at AST.com or on V CAST Videos from Verizon Wireless and vote online at www.AST.com or via text on Verizon Wireless until Friday, November 7. Fans selected Mirra for his impressive no-handed 360 backflip, a trick he calls the air traffic controller. “I'm so stoked to have won the final PlayStation Pro Moment for the '08 season,” Mirra said. “It's been a great Dew Tour season and it's an honor to round out the year with the award.” Mirra faced stiff competition for the PlayStation® Pro Moment Award. Other Pro Moment nominees included: Ryan Nyquist (BMX Dirt), displayed his mastery of the technical barspin 720 when he pulled off the trick during the BMX dirt finals, Simon Tabron (BMX Vert), landed three complete revolutions to pull off a 900 on the vert ramp at the Orlando event, Wiley Fulmer (FMX), executed an awe-invoking double nac to the amazement of the fans at the PlayStation® Pro ,Paul Rodriguez (SKB Park), pulled off a switch stance, frontside bluntside shove it down the handrail and it helped earn him a second-place finish at the event and in season standings, Pierre-Luc Gagnon (SKB Vert) made the 360 flip mute to fakie look easy when he pulled it off en-route to his event victory and first place finish in the season standings. Mirra wins $5,000, a PLAYSTATION®3 and a library of games to reward his skills. | |