Connecticut Keeps it Real

Friday, January 20, 2012, Webster Bank Arena, Bridgeport, CT

Friday nights’ show at the Webster Bank Arena was injected with a little extra spark because we picked up two new and highly talented riders. Nick Dunne and Keith Sayers missed the first stop on the FMXonline.com tour but they put the whole crew on notice that they were back and were ready to contend for wins.

Our opening rider of the night was Jimmie McGuire and when I saw him in practice he was helping Kelly and Big A put the finishing touches on some of the run ups to the ramps. I joked with Jimmie that he wasn’t getting extra pay to do maintenance work and he just smiled and kept working. When he finally got down to business on his real job, jumping a motocross bike, he charged right out of the gate with his signature move the Christ Air. Unfortunately for J Mac he had a dead sailor in his run which only allowed him to post an 81.0, but he did give the crowd an extra hit and threw in a beautiful Rock Solid. Derek Burlew pulled the second slot and executed a clean back flip to go with a massive whip and a 9 O’clock Nac Nac that gave him a total of 91.0. Drake McElroy came straight out of the tunnel and right into his first jump which of course was a huge whip, followed by a fully extended no footed Can Can to net him a score of 86.0. Returning to the tour after nearly a year off was Nick Dunne and he was amped. The Metal Mulisha rider put in a solid 60 seconds with three flip variations and a Captain Morgan that guaranteed him a trip to the finals with a 93.5.

The 5050BMX.com crew featured X-Games Gold Medalist Jeremiah Smith this weekend and he along with the rest of the pedal pumpers went ballistic and really kept the buzz going during the breaks in the moto action.

Before we went to the second half of our qualifiers Burlew, Dunne, Villegas and McElroy went heads up for the whip title tonight. The crowd liked both Dunne and Villegas’ whips but DMC seems to be getting his 4-stroke whips dialed in and he was looking good for the win until DB went nearly three quarters of the way around and manage to bring the bike back for a safe landing to get the crowds’ nod.

Julian Dusseau started us off in the second half and put together a great series of flip tricks, but possibly the most impressive part of his run was the Candy Bar to Saran Wrap he pulled off. His tally of 92.7 put him right behind his Metal Mulisha teammate Dunne. Keith Sayers came out hard and looked like he was heading to the finals with a terrific run that included an under flip, however Keith Dead Sailored one jump and it cost him a shot at the win tonight. Gabriel Villegas was the final competitor out of the back and he was smooth from start to finish nailing a Flip Bar Hop and a Cordova Flip to advance to the finals with a 92.0.

Derek Burlew turned the throttle first in the finals and had a great run that featured a BASE jump, which is a Cliff Hanger to No Handed Lander. He took his spot in the FMXonline.com Hot Seat and had to watch The Meteor, Gabriel Villegas absolutely go off nailing a Super Flip and a Seat Grab Flip to post the highest score of the season at 96.3. Six Guns Dunne had the unenviable task of following Villegas but he came out spectacularly and even hit a combination Indy Flip to No Footed Can Can Flip. He surprised even himself with the trick and lost his concentration missing his next trick. He rode right on the stage and even though he knew he wasn’t going to score well enough to win, he made no excuses and said he’d be ready for tomorrow night here in Bridgeport. Dunne did the honors and introduced his teammate, The California Kid and Dusseau pulled out all the stops in an effort to put the Metal Mulisha team back in the Hot Seat for a second stop in a row. He ripped off a Cordova Flip of his own along with a Heel Clicker Flip but came up a little short and Villegas got his first win of the season.

Following all the awesome runs by the two wheeled bikes came Cody Cavanaugh and the crowd was on the edge of their seat watching him jump the big four wheeler across the gap. Cody finished up with a Back Flip and enjoyed the crowds adulation before the encore kicked off.

The fans at Webster Bank Arena were treated to a superb night of Freestyle Motocross and the FMXonline.com show will be back for one more night on Saturday so make sure to get your tickets at ticketmaster.com or at the box office. Don’t forget to go to facebook.com/fmxonline and post you fan pictures for a shot at being the Fan of the Week. David Knisley