Those three poker players that I’ve just mentioned withstood a field of thousands to win their titles.  Now Dave and company want to play their game?  I hope they know what they’re getting themselves into.  Go to Mirrabikeco.com to see what they’re up to and what their objective really is.  I just hope that Fossilman doesn’t show up or he’ll smoke these guys. 

BMX veteran Cory Nastazio showed that he still has what it takes as he topped the BMX Dirt prelims at the Wendy’s Invitational in Portland Thursday.  Nasty unveiled a 360 flip that helped him lock down the first slop, while Ryan Guettler had two 720s to help take second place.  Diogo Canina was third.

It was a stacked qualifying round with the top nine riders who advanced to the finals all scoring 90+ — in fact, only three points seperated Nasty and Luke Parslow, the ninth-place qualifier.  The top three points leaders in the AST Dew Cup standings in BMX Dirt, Ryan Nyquist, Cameron White and James Foster prequalified for the finals.

The indoor Portland course was one of the favorites on the AST Dew Tour in 2007 and this year looks to be another strong one, though unfortunately for fans the event will not be televised.  Read some more coverage of the prelims here and here.

Here’s the lineup for Friday’s final (in order)

12. Luke Parslow
11. Dennis Enarson
10. Chris Doyle
9. Corey Bohan
8. Rob Darden
7. Steve McCann
6. Diogo Canina
5. Ryan Guettler
4. Cory Nastazio
3. James Foster
2. Cameron White
1. Ryan Nyquist

BMX Dirt Prelim Results – Wendy’s Invitational
August 21, 2008 – Top Nine Advance

1st – Nastazio, Cory – 93.50
2nd – Guettler, Ryan – 92.50
3rd – Canina, Diogo – 92.50
4th – McCann, Steven – 91.67
5th – Darden, Rob – 91.33
6th – Bohan, Corey – 91.17
7th – Doyle, Chris – 90.67
8th – Enarson, Dennis – 90.50
9th – Parslow, Luke – 90.50
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -
10th – Berkheimer, Nate – 90.00
11th – Ellis, TJ – 89.83
12th – Dosch, Brandon – 89.17
13th – Cooke, Allan – 88.83
14th – Aloise, Adam – 88.33
15th – Wirch, Scott – 88.33
16th – Napolitan, Anthony – 88.33
17th – Mackay, Colin – 86.67
18th – Gerber, Chris – 86.50
19th – Wade, Morgan – 86.50
20th – Smith, Jeremiah – 86.33
21st – Bowers, Charlie – 85.17
22nd – Gethard, Brad – 82.33
23rd – Marks, Joey – 81.67
24th – Hunt, Brian – 81.67
25th – Toohey, Jaie – 81.33
27th – Hult, Josh – 70.33

Dhers | cr. BRIAN BRANTLEY/SHAZAMM/ESPN IMAGES

There’s no doubting Daniel Dhers’ domination of the park scene over the last three years — something he proved last years by securing his first Park gold at X Games 13.  But this year the park course was replaced by the tight “Superpark” format and that threw many established park riders for a loop.  Dhers, who is known for his ability to adapt, did it again and managed to qualify in first.

Saturday he showed it wasn’t a fluke by dominating the finals, which was scored in a new format that gave each rider three 30-second runs which then were totaled up.  Dhers had the highest-scoring run each time and easily edged Diogo Canina, who won the BMX Big Air Triples event last week in Orange County.  Rob Darden continued his hot streak with a third-place finish with Ryan Guettler coming in fourth.

Dhers was among the riders criticizing the new course before the qualifiers took place but his success in adapting to the tight confines softened his opinion.

“I didn’t swim this far to sink at the shore,”  he said.

Keep reading for more about the finals and for full results.

Venezuelan Rider Daniel Dhers Is Untouchable
Dhers Wins Second X Games Gold Medal in First Ever BMX SuperPark Competition

LOS ANGELES- The action is swelling on the third day of X Games 14 as the BMX Freestyle SuperPark Finalists took to the distinctive course. The field started with 10 riders and was narrowed down to the top five in round one.

The top five moved on to the final, but it was apparent from the get-go that Dhers was going to be the man to beat. Dhers showed up to the SuperPark this year already with an X Games gold medal in his pocket from last year’s BMX Freestyle Park competition.

Each rider was given three 30 second runs, each one judged separately. The rider at the end of the competition with the most points was the winner. After an overwhelmingly technical and exciting performance out of Dhers, including a 540 bar spin, it was clear that he had swept the competition.

“I get to go to sleep happy tonight,” Dhers said with a smile. “I’ve been wanting this gold medal for the past year and now I have it. It’s as rewarding as winning the gold last year. It’s always awesome to win a competition like the X Games.”

The astonishing medalist from the BMX Freestyle SuperPark final today was second place finisher Diogo Canina, who until last week was not even sure if he was going to make the trip out to the X Games from his home country of Brazil.

“I didn’t even think I was ready for this competition. Winning silver is like gold to me with a competition like the X Games,” Canina proclaimed excitedly. “This past week here was the greatest week of my BMX career.”

Perhaps having the most fun on the SuperPark course was third place finisher Rob Darden. Darden utilized the entire course completing multiple transfers from the quarterpipe to the box set and rallying through the bowl corners at mock speed.

“I always liked to go fast as a kid,” Darden grinned. “I felt like a kid in there. It was awesome.”

BMX FEESTYLE SUPERPARK FINAL RESULTS
Results from ESPN X GAMES 14 at The Home Center in Carson, Calf. on Saturday, August 2, 2008. (Final Standings)

Name / Hometown / Score

1. Daniel Dhers / Caracas, Venezuela / 101
2. Diogo Canina / Amparo, Brazil / 90
3. Rob Darden / Greenville, N.C. / 85
4. Ryan Guettler / Beenleigh, Australia / 82
5. Gary Young / San Diego, Calif. / 61
6. Chase Hawk / Austin, Texas / 81
7. Alistair Whitton / Chester, Great Britain / 79
8. Dennis Enarson / San Diego, Calif. / 75
9. Corey Bohan / Brisbane, Austrailia / 60
10. Morgan Wade / Tyler, Texas / 59

The first video features highlights from the BMX Dirt finals, including parts of Cameron White’s winning run and those of Ryan Guettler and Ryan Nyquist.  The second has some shots from Friday’s FMX Demo, which replaced the full contest this season.  Judging from the almost-empty stands, it’s understandable.  Of course, the Red Bull X-Fighters contest in Madrid could have something to do with it, too.

Cameron White has won the BMX Dirt final at the 2008 Right Guard Open in Cleveland, OH.  Ryan Guettler placed second while the winner of last month’s Panasonic Open, Ryan Nyquist, placed third.  The win means White and Nyquist are tied in the race for the Dew Cup — the top honor awarded to the best athletes in each sport of the AST Dew Tour.  Nyquist won the honor in 2007.

Despite White’s close finish to Nyquist in last year’s Dew Cup race, White hasn’t won a AST Dew Tour final since the Vans Invitational in Portland in August 2006.

For Guettler, the second-place finish is all the sweeter since he missed the finals last month in Baltimore.  James Foster. Steve McCann and Dennis Enarson rounded out the top five while top qualifier Corey Bohan (last month’s top three finalists were pre-qualified) ended up in 8th place.  Hometown hero, Anthony Napolitan, who won the Dew Cup in 2006, finished a disappointing 12th place.

Keep reading for some more details from the AST about his win.  Otherwise, here are your final results:

BMX Dirt Finals Results – 2008 Right Guard Open
July 18, 2008 – Cleveland, OH

1st – White, Cameron – 93.92
2nd – Guettler, Ryan – 92.50
3rd – Nyquist, Ryan – 91.59
4th – McCann, Steven – 89.58
5th – Enarson, Dennis – 89.34
6th – Parslow, Luke – 89.34
7th – Darden, Rob – 89.25
8th – Bohan, Corey – 88.75
9th – Foster, James – 88.58
10th – Dosch, Brandon – 88.08
11th – Berkheimer, Nate – 86.92
12th – Napolitan, Anthony – 86.00

Cameron White Wins AST Dew Tour BMX Dirt event in Cleveland

CLEVELAND -Cameron White established his dominance on the dirt course and won the BMX Dirt event in the Right Guard Open on Friday night.

The 24-year old White, of Australia, landed his signature trick, a backflip barspin tailwhip, to secure the victory with a 93.92 score.  Fellow Australian Ryan Guettler finished second at 92.50 and Ryan Nyquist of Greenville, N.C. was third at 91.59.

The 90-minute final was full of technical tricks, with a 1080 from Guettler and a double backflip from Luke Parslow, who finished sixth.

White is the current points leader in the quest for the Dew Cup but he doesn’t dwell on the standings.

“If you start looking long term it’s just added pressure,” White said. “I try to alleviate all the pressure I can and just compete against myself every run. Those runs I did today were the best I can do. I gave it everything and landed it and that’s all you can ask for.”

 Luke Parslow | cr. AST

What a difference a month makes…  Sometimes.  The BMX Dirt Prelims in Cleveland for the Right Guard Open, the AST Dew Tour’s second stop, were a crazy affair Thursday but when it was all over Corey Bohan was sitting on top, right where he was last month in Baltimore. However, after Bohan, the picture shifted dramatically.

Six of the riders who made the finals last month missed the cut this time around, including Diogo Canina and Cory Nastazio, while several familiar faces moved back up, like Ryan Guettler, hoemtown hero Anthony Napolitan and Steve McCann.

Already set for the finals were last month’s top three: Ryan Nyquist, James Foster and Cameron White.

The finals go down tonight and will be broadcast with a slight delay on USA Network from 12-1 a.m.

Here’s the lineup for Tonight’s final (in order)

12. Brandon Dosch
11. Luke Parslow
10. Anthony Napolitan
9. Dennis Enarson
8. Rob Darden
7. Steve McCann
6. Ryan Guettler
5. Nate Berkheimer
4. Corey Bohan
3. Cameron White
2. James Foster
1. Ryan Nyquist

BMX Dirt Prelim Results – Right Guard Open
July 17, 2008 – Top Nine Advance

1st    Bohan, Corey    94.5
2nd    Berkheimer, Nate    93.5
3rd    Guettler, Ryan    93.5
4th    McCann, Steven    93.33
5th    Darden, Rob    92.83
6th    Enarson, Dennis    92.67
7th    Napolitan, Anthony    92.67
8th    Parslow, Luke    92.67
9th    Dosch, Brandon    92.5
——————————
10th    Hult, Josh    92.33
11th    Canina, Diogo    92
12th    Smith, Jeremiah    91.83
13th    Gerber, Chris    91.67
14th    Nastazio, Cory    91.5
15th    Cooke, Allan    91
16th    Marks, Joey    90.83
17th    Ellis, TJ    90.83
18th    Wirch, Scott    90.67
19th    Aloise, Adam    90.17
20th    Toohey, Jaie    89.83
21st    Hunt, Brian    89.5
22nd    Mackay, Colin    89.33
23rd    Kiraly, Kevin    89.17
24th    Laguna, Ricardo    89
25th    Moseley, Ricky    87.83
26th    O’hara, Kyle    85.33
27th    Wade, Morgan    72.33

Steve McCann made up for a disappointing start in his other two events (Dirt and Vert) by placing fourth while BMX Dirt champ Ryan Nyquist had a strong 90.83 to place fifth ahead of Dennis Enarson. Open qualifier and virtual unknwn Seth Klinger was still a factor in 7th place.

The BMX Park finals mark the end of the 2007 Panasonic Open and stay tuned for a recap of all the results and surprises.

Here’s some video from the action — the only vid you’ll see since it wasn’t televised…

2008 Panasonic Open
BMX Park Finals
June 22, 2008 / Baltimore, MD

1st – Dhers, Daniel – 93.33
2nd – Guettler, Ryan – 92.50
3rd – Spinner, Mike – 92.33
4th – McCann, Steven – 91.83
5th – Nyquist, Ryan – 90.83
6th – Enarson, Dennis – 90.50
7th – Klinger, Seth – 89.17
8th – Tooker, Marcus – 89.00
9th – Wade, Morgan – 89.00
10th – Darden, Rob – 88.83
11th – Mast, Craig – 86.83
12th – Wallace, Ben – 85.00

Ryan Guettler | cr. AST

With Daniel Dhers, Mike Spinner and Ryan Nyquist on the sidelines (having gotten a bye to the finals), the BMX Park prelims weren’t going to be the same as in years past.  The big surprise this year was Seth Klinger, who qualified through the Open qualifiers on Wednesday.

Klinger threw down aa double tailwhip 360 and a superman seatgrab 360 over the box and found himself placing second right behind Ryan Guettler, whose clean 1080 helped set him up in first.  Third place went to Dennis Enarson, who made his mark in ’07 and Morgan Wade took fourth.

While Klinger’s second-place appearance was surprising, more amazing was the inability of Dave Mirra and Garrett Reynolds to make the cut, finishing outside the running in 10th and 11th place (only the top nine advanced to the finals).

The finals will be taking place on Sunday from 4:30- 6 p.m. ET but unfortunately what normally is one of the most exciting events of the AST Dew Tour won’t be televised this time around.  But you can read here about what happened.

Here’s the lineup for Sunday’s final (in order)

12. Ben Wallace
11. Rob Darden
10. Marcus Tooker
9. Steven McCann
8. Craig Mast
7. Morgan Wade
6. Dennis Enarson
5. Seth Klinger
4. Ryan Guettler
3. Ryan Nyquist
2. Mike Spinner
1. Daniel Dhers

BMX Park Prelims – 2008 Panasonic Open
June 21, 2008 / Baltimore, MD
(top nine advance)

1st – Guettler, Ryan – 91.67
2nd – Klinger, Seth – 90.50
3rd – Enarson, Dennis – 90.17
4th – Wade, Morgan – 90.17
5th – Mast, Craig – 90.00
6th – McCann, Steven – 89.33
7th – Tooker, Marcus – 89.17
8th – Darden, Rob – 88.83
9th – Wallace, Ben – 88.50
—————————————-
10th – Reynolds, Garrett – 88.00
11th – Mirra, Dave – 87.67
12th – Cooke, Allan – 87.33
13th – Whitton, Alistair – 87.00
14th – Toohey, Jaie – 81.33
15th – Napolitan, Anthony – 86.67
16th – Coleman, Austin – 86.67
17th – Foster, James – 86.33
18th – Dosch, Brandon – 86.33
19th – Barbero, Alessandro – 86.33
20th – Harrington, Josh – 86.17
21st – Bezanson, Drew – 86.00
22nd – Mackay, Colin – 86.00
23rd – Wirch, Scott – 85.67
24th – Hunt, Brian – 85.67
25th – Young, Gary – 85.50
26th – Kiraly, Kevin – 85
27th – Canina, Diogo – 85
28th – Laird, Mike – 84.33
29th – Sieg, Dan – 80.33
30th – Sexton, Sean – 77.67
31st – Kraft, Koji – 75.67
32nd – Smith, Jeremiah – 70

We got the latest dispatch from Red Bull about the Elevation contest which goes down this weekend in Mexico.  This event is a favorite among riders and based on what we can see of the course, this year should be no different.

While this has been so popular, it’s interesting to note that a few big names will be making their first appearances this year.  Who might that be, you ask?  Well, only Ryan Guettler, Anthony Napolitan, Diogo Canina, Ricardo Laguna and Dennis Enarson.  Though Corey Bohan and Ryan Nyquist have spilt the last three titles (Nyquist two to Bohan’s one) it’s a good bet that one of those guys will win this year.

All the fun starts on May 9th with qualifiers on the 10th.  The finals will take place on the 11th and according to the website it will be webcast.

More on the contest below.

RED BULL ELEVATION 2008
Guadalajara, Jalisco – Mexico
May 9th, 10th and 11th

The track is almost ready!

Only an event like Red Bull Elevation could count on such a course: more than 80 trucks filled with dirt have arrived to the Metropolitan Park in Guadalajara in order to build the most impressive BMX track.

The fourth edition of Red Bull Elevation is about to begin, and the world’s best scenario is almost ready to receive the best riders worldwide.

The main element that will make more daring this track would be the continuous ramps section in the centre of it, where each rider will have to decide the direction they will take; if they loose their routine rhythm they will not be able to continue to the next ramp. ‘Only the best and the ones that dominate every type of ramps will win this event’, commented Jay Miron, event producer and track designer.

The riders will compete for a total prize of $35,000 dollars. Five international judges will be in charge of the evaluation of every participant’s style, technique and fluidity.

Judges:

Nuno Oliveira
Tim “Fuzzy” Hall
John Povah
Ryan Barrett
Matt Beringer

Red Bull Elevation:

Friday May 9:
9:00am    –    Registration
10:00am  –    Training

Saturday May 10:
10:00am  –    Training
12:00pm  –    Track repairs
1:00pm    –    Qualifiers
4:00pm    –    Announcement of the 12 finalists

Sunday May 11:
10:00am  –    Training
1:00pm   –    Track repairs
2:00pm   –    Final
5:00pm   –    Prize ceremony

For more information:
www.redbullelevation.com.mx
www.redbull.com.mx