Bob Burnquist Wins Skate Vert at Wendy’s Invitational
August 23, 2008 – 7:42 pm PT by GregTags: AST, Bob Burnquist, Bucky Lasek, PLG, Wendy's Invitational —
Pierre-Luc Gagnon found some redemption Saturday at the Wendy’s Invitational in Portland OR, after a tough showing last month in Cleveland’s Right Guard Open but it was veteran Bob Burnquist who ended up taking the top spot. AST Dew Cup points leader Bucky Lasek had a tough day, coming in third while Sandro Dias, the top qualifier, finished fouth.
PLG won at the X Games earlier this month and also took the top prize at the Maloof Money Cup last month, but he’s been unable to secure a win at the Dew Tour. He currently ranks third in the Dew Cup standings, within reach of leader Lasek and second-place skater Burnquist. Shaun White, last month’s first-place winner at the Right Guard Open, did not participate in the contest and is out of the running for the Dew Cup championship, which he won last year. Lasek won it in 2005 and 2006.
Due to NBC’s Olympic coverage, the event was not broadcast live and instead will be shown in one week on August 30th starting at 4 p.m. ET.
Here are the final results and keep reading for an official release from today’s action.
Skate Vert Final Results - Wendy’s Invitational
August 23, 2008 - Portland, OR
1st - Burnquist, Bob - 91.25
2nd - Gagnon, Pierre-Luc - 89.75
3rd - Lasek, Bucky - 86.50
4th - Dias, Sandro - 86.25
5th - Macdonald, Andy - 86.25
6th - Halterman, Buster - 85.25
7th - Taylor, Adam - 78.25
8th - Perelson, Alex - 77.00
9th - Lorifice, Rob - 73.00
10th - Stafford, Josh - 73.00
Veteran Vert Skaters Fighting Assault Of Young Guns In Race For Dew Cup
NEW YORK – Aug. 23, 2008 – Rising stars Adam Taylor, Alex Perelson, Rob Lorifice and Josh Stafford, all under the age of 20, may be the future of Vert, but the past and present kingpins are proving in the race for the 2008 Dew Cup that they aren’t quite ready to pass the torch yet. After Saturday’s Vert Finals at Portland’s Wendy’s Invitational, experienced veterans Bucky Lasek and Bob Burnquist are still holding down the top two spots in the vert standings.
With only two stops to go in the ‘08 season, the race for the cup is tight with the top four spots dominated by seasoned skaters separated by just 50 points. With a third-place finish on Saturday, Lasek is still holding on to the top spot with 260 points. But with his first victory of the season, Burnquist is stalking Lasek and trailing but by just 15 points. Pierre-Luc Gagnon (PLG) trails Burnquist by only 22 points and perennial contender Andy Macdonald sits just 13 points behind PLG.
The 35-year-old Lasek, of Baltimore, Md., is not comfortable with his slim lead over the competition and knows he needs to skate his best in Salt Lake City and Orlando if he wants to win back the Dew Cup that he earned in ‘05 and ’06.
“I can’t believe how good I was skating in practice but how bad I skated when it counted,” Lasek said. “I guess this gives me that extra little motivation to skate better on the next two stops if I want to win this thing. I’m stoked for Bob, but it’s going to be a good race from here on out.”
The victory was what Burnquist, 31, of Brazil, needed to stay in the running with Lasek, Gangon and the rest of the field. The experienced vert legend, who had put together a string of solid runs this week during practice, finally got it to click in his third and final chance in Portland.
“I knew I had to put together a great third run,” Burnquist said. “I don’t really know what happened, but I pulled everything off and I’m stoked.
“I can’t believe I’m up on the podium with Bucky and PLG. These guys are heavy hitters. It was a great competition and I’m thrilled with the victory.”
The youngest rider in the top four spots but still a seasoned veteran, Gagnon, 28, of Montreal, Canada, came into Saturday’s finals ranked second in the race for the cup but was bumped to third with his second place finish behind Burnquist.
“I kind of played it safe in the second run and tried to break it out in the third,” Gagnon said. “Bob just came out swinging and I’m superpsyched for him.”
Gagnon captured first last year in Salt Lake City and a victory this year in Utah could possibly catapult him to first place in the standings. For that to happen, Lasek and Burnquist would have to fail to make the podium, a rare occurrence that doesn’t seem likely the way the legendary skaters are competing this season.
Macdonald, 35, of Boston, Mass., was disappointed with his showing in the finals but is still in the race sitting just 50 points behind the leader.
“I have to skate better than I did today if I want to be in the race for the Cup,” Macdonald said. “I’d like to be in the top three and I need to skate more consistently than I did in this stop.”
With only two competitions remaining in the ’08 season, the Toyota Challenge in Salt Lake and the PlayStation Pro in Orlando, the race for the cup is heating up and the veterans are proving that experience truly is a key to success in vert.
Currently in its fourth year, the AST Dew Tour is the most watched and attended action sports property in the world. Attendance for the 2007 AST Dew Tour totaled 280,000 and an average of 41 million viewers tuned in via NBC and USA each year. The top athletes in the world will take part in this year’s Tour, all competing for the highly coveted Dew Cup that will be awarded in Orlando at season’s end to champions in each of the six disciplines. The 2007 Dew Cup winners include Nate Adams (Freestyle Motocross), Jamie Bestwick (BMX Vert), Ryan Nyquist (BMX Dirt), Daniel Dhers (BMX Park), Shaun White (Skateboard Vert) and Ryan Sheckler (Skateboard Park).
The complete 2008 AST Dew Tour schedule is as follows:
Event Date Location
Panasonic Open June 19-22 Baltimore, Md.—Camden Yards Sports Complex
Right Guard Open July 17-20 Cleveland, OH—North Coast Harbor
Wendy’s Invitational Aug. 21-24 Portland, Ore.—Rose Quarter
Toyota Challenge Sept. 11-14 Salt Lake City, UT—EnergySolutions Arena
PlayStation® Pro Oct. 16-19 Orlando, Fla.—Amway Arena
