Terrific Night In Toledo

 The Huntington Center was filled to near capacity and everyone was in mid-season form so the fans in upper Ohio were treated to an awesome event.  This area has long been known as a hot bed for motocross and the Buckeye faithful showed their rowdy appreciation for the wild tricks the crew was busting out.

Jimmie McGuire kicked off the festivities with a colorful run that used all 60 seconds and then some.  Jimmie kept throwing out tricks after the red flag flew and gave the crowd an encore hit of his signature Christ Air to a no handed lander.  He put up an 86.5 and got the crowd excited for the next man to the floor.  Of course Kenny “Taco” Bell really doesn’t need any hype because he always brings his own, but it was cool for the rider right in front of him to help build the vibe.  Kenny lit up his run with a big Rock Solid to Holy Grab and a stylistic backflip No Hander.  Bell would have to wait and hope his 90.0 would be enough to get him into the finals for second straight night.  Drake McElroy broke cover next and as is his custom went right from the tunnel to the first jump.  DMC never wastes anytime getting busy on the floor.  It looked like he was feeling it tonight and soared both a 9 O’Clock Nac and a Stripper.  Drake was only able to muster an 87.75 but he was in a good mood and brought his big Honda CRF 450 on stage for a smokey burnout that was a hit with the fans.  If you want to see more of the ultra cool DMC check out Drakes Passage on YouTube.  Nick Dunne was the fourth rider to get to work and he took his time getting into his run.  He sauntered up both landing ramps to get the crowds’ attention before busting loose a barrage of great tricks on his way to a 91.75.

The 5050BMX.com stunt team came out to spell the mad men on the motocross bikes and showed the people at The Huntington Center a fabulous display of pedal powered acrobatics.  Kid Keith and Jeremiah Smith continued their tutelage of the youngster Porter Ramsey and the 14 year over rotated two back flips but kept at it and nailed his third try that put the heat on Bryant Shepherd to nose his ride over forward and dial up a front flip.  And that inspired Josh “the Incredible” Holt to go for his own front flip which he nailed as well.  By the time Eddie Buckley and his band left the floor the crowds was totally amped.

Julian Dusseau got us started in the second half of qualifying aboard his Metal Mulisha Yamaha.  JD finished second on Friday night and was determined to put both Mulisha riders in the finals tonight.  He settled in nicely and rocked multiple flip tricks on his way to a 91.5.  Keith Sayers has been a fixture in the finals this year and tonight was no different.  The Man from Butte, Montana showed the crowd a splendid Kiss of Death and was all smiles when he got to the stage to talk about his run.  Keith posted a 93.0 and was on his way to the finals again.  Last night’s winner, Gabriel Villegas got the last turn in front of the judges and had a little sketch near the end of his run but he still advanced to the finals with a 90.75.

After the break we grabbed McElroy, Dunne, McGuire, Sayers and Villegas from the back for the Whip contest.  Tonight we put the pressure on the crowd to determine our winner and even though J Mac, Nicky and Gabriel had nice throws, DMC showed why his is a 13 time winner of this contest with his sweet whip Nac that really wowed the crowd.  Sayers also ripped a good whip, but everyone was upstaged by the shirtless rebel run from Kenny “Taco” Bell that no one saw coming.  The crowd absolutely loved his huge whip and he took home the win.

Gabriel Villegas brought his KTM to the floor first in our finals, but unfortunately he was having bike issues and he ended up in the tuff blocks near the end of his run.  He was fine but his score suffered and he went to The Huntington Center Hot seat with a tally of 88.25.   Last night’s runner up, Julian Dusseau took his turn next and he made great use of the 80 second time frame.  He showed why he is becoming known as the King of Flips by using no fewer than 5 variations including a sweet Kiss of Death Flip on his way to a 92.75.  Julian’s Metal Mulisha teammate came to the party next and Nicky “Six Guns” came out with both barrels blazin’.  His pace was nothing short of frenetic with a Kiss of Death that had his helmet past the front fender and touching the wheel.  Dunne put forth a great effort but he was having trouble with his right hand and he was unable to hit some of his biggest tricks so he came up a little short with a 91.25.  He did bust out a Captain Morgan Flip in bonus time that had the crowd roaring for more.  Keith Sayers looked focused from start to finish in his run.  He brought the crowd to its feet with his Kiss of Death and executed an awesome Sideshow to go with several flip variations that earned him his first victory of the year with a 93.5.

After a set change Cody Elkins brought his big Yamaha 450 to the floor to give Ohio a look at what a talented rider can do with four wheels.  He rolled out 4 solid tricks and then gave the fans what they really wanted to see with back to back Flips included a Heel Clicker Flip that he held onto until the very last second before getting back on the bike.

The fans here in Toledo were extremely friendly and very loud and we look forward to coming back soon.  Next week takes us all the way to the left coast and Sacramento, CA.  Sactown is always an awesome stop since several of the riders live within a couple of hours of there.  Some of the best riding on tour happens in Cali so go to ticketmaster.com and get you tickets today and hit us up on Facebook.com/fmxonline.  David Knisley