Daniel Dhers came into Sunday trying to be the only athlete left who had a perfect record this season on the Dew Tour (FMX notwithstanding) and Mike Spinner did his best to change that.  But in the end, it wasn’t only Dhers on top again, but for the second month in a row, he was followed by Spinner then Rob Darden, who edged Steve McCann for third place.

With Dhers securing his third-straight win, he keeps his hopes alive for winning all five AST Dew Tour stops this season.  Last year he lost in Portland and Salt Lake City before closing out the season with a win in Orlando and winning his second-straight Dew Cup title.

Here are the final results…

BMX Park Final Results – Wendy’s Invitational
August 24, 2008 – Portland, OR

1st – Dhers, Daniel – 93.83
2nd – Spinner, Mike – 92.67
3rd – Darden, Rob – 91.33
4th – McCann, Steven – 90.33
5th – Enarson, Dennis – 89.33
6th – Nyquist, Ryan – 89.17
7th – Napolitan, Anthony – 89.00
8th – Canina, Diogo – 88.00
9th – Mast, Craig – 87.67
10th – Reynolds, Garrett – 86.33
11th – Dosch, Brandon – 84.00
12th – Klinger, Seth – 83.33

Dhers remains perfect in AST competition with BMX park win at Wendy’s Invitational

PORTLAND, Ore., – Daniel Dhers continued his bid for a fourth consecutive Dew Cup and defeated defending event champion Mike Spinner Sunday in the Wendy’s Invitational.

Dhers took the lead from Spinner in his flawless first run which included a 720 into a flair, a can can 720, and a 360 tailwhip transfer, to finish with a 93.83 score. Spinner attempted to knock Dhers out of the lead on his second run, but his feet slipped off the pedals when landing a triple tailwhip. He finished second at 92.67 and Rob Darden, of Greenville, N.C. was third at 91.33.

“I like to win contests but I thought winning in Portland would be redemption,” Dhers said, who battled injuries at this event in the previous two years. “Spinner has been up in the mix for a while. So, after he did his first run I was like, ‘OK, I’m up for the challenge.’”

Spinner’s first run included a triple tailwhip on the quarterpipe, a 1080, a 540 tailwhip and a quad whip.

Dhers has won eight of the 10 contests he has entered this year, including every stop of the AST Dew Tour. He said his goal is to win all five stops of the tour.

AST Dew Tour: Dew Cup Current Standings
BMX Park Points

1. Daniel Dhers, 300
2. Mike Spinner, 245
3. Rob Darden, 195
4. Steven McCann, 193
5. Ryan Nyquist, 191
6. Dennis Enarson, 155
7. Garrett Reynolds, 146
8. Craig Mast, 146
9. Marcus Tooker, 129
10. Ryan Guettler, 124

So for the second year in a row the amazing dirt contest in Portland was not shown on TV, leaving viewers with a precious few clips of some of the crazy stuff that went down.  Here’s one of those clips…

Chad Kagy has been in Jamie Bestwick’s shadow for the last two AST Dew Tour events and it was only a matter of time before he would get an edge.  That happened Saturday as Kagy came through with a huge final run to score a 95.00, edging Bestwick’s 94.17 (Bestwick fell on his final run).  It’s only the second time Bestwick has lost to Kagy on the AST Tour (not including the ’07 Right Guard Open where both were beaten).   Last month, it was only thanks to a tie-breaker that Bestwick had the edge. Steve McCann continued his strong performances on the vert ramp, ending up in third

“Flair double whip was my risky starting move.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t,” Kagy said of the trick that helped secure him the win.

Bestwick’s quest for a fourth AST Dew Cup continue despite the loss, as he holds a 15-point lead over Kagy with two events left to go.

Here are the final results.

BMX Vert Final Results – Wendy’s Invitational
August 23, 2008 – Portland, OR

1st – Kagy, Chad – 95.00
2nd – Bestwick, Jamie – 94.17
3rd – McCann, Steven – 91.50
4th – Tabron, Simon – 90.17
5th – Walker, Jimmy – 90.17
6th – McCoy, Dennis – 89.67
7th – Eggleston, Jay – 88.83
8th – Kraft, Koji – 88.33
9th – Warden, Zack – 87.67
10th – Parker, John – 86.50

AST Dew Tour: Dew Cup Current Standings
BMX Vert Points

1. Jamie Bestwick, 285
2. Chad Kagy, 270
3. Simon Tabron, 215
4. Steven McCann, 211
5. Dennis McCoy, 183
6. Jimmy Walker, 167
7. Jay Eggleston, 151
8. John Parker, 143
9. Zackery Warden, 142
10. Kevin Robinson, 131

Missing the cut were Dave Mirra, Ryan Guettler and Morgan Wade, who took the 10th spot.

Keep reading for the final results.

BMX Park Final Results – Wendy’s Invitational
August 23, 2008 – Portland, OR

1st – Darden, Rob – 91.50
2nd – Napolitan, Anthony – 91.00
3rd – Dosch, Brandon – 90.17
4th – Enarson, Dennis – 89.50
5th – McCann, Steven – 89.33
6th – Canina, Diogo – 89.00
7th – Reynolds, Garrett – 88.83
8th – Mast, Craig – 88.33
9th – Klinger, Seth – 88.17
10th – Wade, Morgan – 88.00
11th – Young, Gary – 87.67
12th – Tooker, Marcus – 87.33
13th – Cooke, Allan – 87.33
14th – Whitton, Alistair – 87.17
15th – Coleman, Austin – 86.67
16th – Bezanson, Drew – 85.67
17th – Foster, James – 85.50
18th – Mackay, Colin – 85.33
19th – Mirra, Dave – 84.67
20th – Perry, Joshua – 84.17
21st – Barbero, Alessandro – 84.00
22nd – Hunt, Brian – 83.83
23rd – Wirch, Scott – 83.67
24th – Sieg, Dan – 83.33
25th – Smith, Jeremiah – 83.17
26th – Toohey, Jaie – 80.00
27th – Thompson, William – 79.83
28th – Laird, Mike – 78.00
29th – Kiraly, Kevin – 76.33
30th – Guettler, Ryan – 75.67
31st – Watkinson, Anthony – 72.00
32nd – Harrington, Josh – 70.00

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

Aussie Luke Parslow held off a strong comeback bid by veteran Cory “Nasty” Nastazio to take the BMX Dirt title at the Wendy’s Invitational in Portland, OR on Friday night.  Going into his third and final run, Parslow was tied with Nasty before landing a huge run including a double backflip.  Nasty, the top qualifier, fell on his final run giving Parslow the title.  Fellow Aussie Corey Bohan was third.

The top three qualifiers were not in the running, with current Dew Cup points leader Ryan Nyquist finishing in sixth with a 90.25, tied with Rob Darden.  Competition was fierce as six riders were seperated by less than one point from 2nd to 7th place.  The win did push Parslow into third-place in the Dew Cup race, only 14 points behind Nyquist.  At least six riders are still in the running for the Dew Cup and the picture should clear up at next month’s Toyota Challenge in Salt Lake City.

A full list of final results follow.

BMX Dirt Final Results – Wendy’s Invitational
August 22, 2008 – Portland, OR

1st – Parslow, Luke – 92.25
2nd – Nastazio, Cory – 91.09
3rd – Bohan, Corey – 90.75
4th – Enarson, Dennis – 90.59
5th – Foster, James – 90.58
6th – Nyquist, Ryan – 90.25
7th – Darden, Rob – 90.25
8th – White, Cameron – 89.50
9th – Guettler, Ryan – 89.42
10th – McCann, Steven – 88.33
11th – Canina, Diogo – n/a
12th – Doyle, Chris – n/a

AST Dew Tour: Dew Cup Current Standings
BMX Dirt Points

1. Ryan Nyquist, 236
2. Cameron White, 228
3. Luke Parslow, 222
4. James Foster, 199
5. Corey Bohan, 193
6. Dennis Enarson, 192
7. Ryan Guettler, 165
8. Cory Nastazio, 157
9. Rob Darden, 141
10. Diogo Canina, 139

Ryan Sheckler had something to prove after a fall last month knocked him out of a top-three finish in the AST Dew Tour for the first time ever.  He came back today with a win at the Wendy’s Invitation on a street-style course, with AST Dew Cup points leader Paul Rodriguez close behind in second.

From there, the field thinned out pretty quickly, with Greg Lutzka and Chaz Ortiz following.  Sheckler was coming off a big win at the X Games, showing that the injury that plagued him during the Right Guard Open was having less of an effect.

With the win Sheckler climbs back into the Dew Cup race and finds himself less than 20 points behind P-Rod for the lead.  Sheckler already has three Dew Cups on his mantle and can secure his fourth straight by winning out, or if P-Rod stumbles at all. Chaz Ortiz is mathematically in the race, but would need to win next month in Salt Lake City at the Toyota Challenge to stay in the running.

Keep reading for the final results.

Skate Park Final Results – Wendy’s Invitational
August 22, 2008 – Portland, OR

1st – Sheckler, Ryan – 90.10
2nd – Rodriguez, Paul – 87.25
3rd – Lutzka, Greg – 86.45
4th – Ortiz, Chaz – 85.70
5th – Colamonico, Kurtis – 83.65
6th – Seaholm, Austen – 79.70
7th – Mendes, Chris – 77.25
8th – do Rosario, Danilo – 76.50
9th – Santos, Fabrizio – 75.00
10th – Fuenzalida, Danny – 71.75
11th – Oliveira, Tulio – n/a
12th – Brummet, Dayne – n/a

AST Dew Tour: Dew Cup Current Standings
Skateboard Park Points

1. Paul Rodriguez, 270
2. Ryan Sheckler, 253
3. Chaz Ortiz, 230
4. Greg Lutzka, 215
5. Austen Seaholm, 179
6. Rodolfo Ramos, 142
7. Carlos De Andrade, 141
8. Chad Bartie, 135
9. Fabrizio Santos, 125
10. Chris Mendes, 108

“It’s all street style for us this time, all dedicated to street skateboarding, and that’s a good thing,” Fuenzalida said. “I like that they’re trying to emulate real street skating with the Jersey barriers and cement ledges. It’s giving the skate park a street look and it’s giving us a chance to do the kind of skateboarding we love most.”

Already prequalified for the final on Friday are AST Dew Cup points leader Paul Rodruguez, followed by Chaz Ortiz and X Games gold medalist Ryan Sheckler.  The finals will air Friday night on USA starting at midnight.

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

12. Tulio Oliveira
11. Kurtis Colamonico
10. Chris Mendes
9. Dayne Brummet
8. Danilo do Rosario
7. Austen Seaholm
6. Greg Lutzka
5. Fabrizio Santos
4. Danny Fuenzalida
3. Ryan Sheckler
2. Chaz Ortiz
1. Paul Rodriguez

Skate Park Prelim Results – Wendy’s Invitational
August 21, 2008 – Top Nine Advance

1st – Fuenzalida, Danny – 83.00
2nd – Santos, Fabrizio – 82.00
3rd – Lutzka, Greg – 81.75
4th – Seaholm, Austen – 81.75
5th – do Rosario, Danilo – 79.25
6th – Brummet, Dayne – 78.75
7th – Mendes, Chris – 78.75
8th – Colamonico, Kurtis – 78.25
9th – Oliveira, Tulio – 78.00
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
10th – De Andrade, Carlos – 77.50
11th – Rogers, Jereme – 76.75
12th – Ramos, Rodolfo – 76.00
13th – Bartie, Chad – 75.75
14th – Therres, Mathieu – 74.00
15th – Fernandez, Chad – 73.50
16th – Hyppolito, Fabio Sleiman – 72.00
17th – Jones, Rodney – 72.00
18th – Peterson, Mike – 71.75
20th – Sereika, Christian – 68.25
21st – Barr, Jason – 67.75
22nd – Koston, Eric – 60.25
23rd – Parent, Thomas – 59.25
24th – Ramos, Wagner – 50.25
25th – Cudlipp, Chris – 36.25