Florida races are supposed to be hot, humid, and complete with hours of pool time. Tradition alone clarifies that every State opener should forever be in Miami. The wind chill in St. Cloud, Florida during last practice on Friday was into the 20's. Gusts of wind made the 4th and last straights pretty rough on the riders- not that it slowed them down at all. Aside from this, the track was pretty good... a definite improvement over last year's Gator National.
One of the riders who defied the elements was Factory Profile's Harrison Britt. His worst finish in 14X was a 2nd in Sunday's main behind winner, James Raimer. However, both days of 14 Cruiser were all about Harrison, who pulled a perfect double. Not a bad way to start out the state season.
Anyone at the Opener couldn't help but notice J & R Bicycle's Kelly Hutto. Last year she took home double Florida #1 plates, and is looking to do the same in 2003. She definitely started out on the right foot, because she didn't loose a single moto or main all weekend long in either 15 Girls' 20" or 14-17 Girls' Cruiser. Second place both days were Jessica Ehlers in class and Megan Tompson in cruiser.
Factory Profile was turning heads this weekend even in Pro Open. Percy Owens and Rookie Pro Chris Fernandez took 2nd and 4th, respectively, in Sunday's Pro Open Main. Lance McGuire won this one and 3rd place was home to CC Racing/Intruder's Javier Columbo (making his big comeback). Saturday's main was won by Sidney Borba with 2nd going to Owens, and 3rd to McGuire.
Another J & R Bicycle's rider was riding with style - Joey Mims, the newest addition to the 40-44 Cruiser Class. Mims perfected his motos both days and won the main on Saturday. Sunday, he was not as fortunate. Moto wins allowed him to cap for the State Series, but for whatever reason or another, Mims was denied a spot in the main. Sunday's win went to Edward Chadler.
One of the best battles all weekend long took place in 12 Expert and 12 Cruiser between MCS' Kalin Hall Jr. and Hyper/Hot Wheels' McClain Bryant. These two went at it in every moto they were in together, along with all 4 main events. McClain came out on top during all his motos and took the win in both mains on Saturday and the 12 Expert main on Sunday. Trust me, Kalin was none too happy about this. During their last Cruiser main of the weekend, Kalin and McClain were switiching off as usual. In the next to last turn, Kalin decided he wasn't loosing this race, so he pimped McClain good enough that they both came unclipped. Hall ended up taking the win for this one, and Bryant had to settle for the 3.
Along with the familiar faces of Floridian racers came a handful of out-of-state representatives. One Spinner's rider, Krista Fournier, made the drive down to The Sunshine State to try and pick up some good regional points. That is exactly what she did. Krista perfected all her motos and won the 8 Girls' Main on Sunday. In Saturday's main, right after telling a friend that this is one of the fastest little girls out there, Krista flipped her handle bars and faceplanted into the back of the 4th straight double. I belive Krista was alright, as she race the next day. However, our condolences go out to her.- It was a pretty hard crash. Ashley Robinson stepped up to win the main while Fournier was MIA.
Dan's Competition was incharge of the 45-49 Cruiser class, in the form of Steve Gonzales. A crash cost him one moto, all weekend. Besides this, Steve won every moto, and both mains. Jerry Wolffe ended up taking the win during Steve's down time.
Another Dan's Competition rider chalking up some nice finishes was Supergirl Melissa Gremal. Her and MCS' National/Florida #1, Brooke Lloyd, were dominating the 18-24 Girls' Cruiser class. Both days, however, the win went to Gremal and Lloyd had to settle for a close 2nd. Both these girls also made appearances in the Supergirls main both days. Michele Cairns of Standard Bykes, Ashley Ross of IC Racing, and Angelica Alexander of Wulf Sports, took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd (respectively) both days. Lloyd took double 7th-place finishes while Gremal took double 5th-place finishes.
Florida is definitely one of the most competitive states in BMX. After what happened at the 2002 President's Cup, we are more determined than ever take home #1 in December. We sure started out on the right foot with over 200 motos (and a 2-moto system) both days. Congratulations to everyone who competed, and good luck during the remainder of the season.
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Florida races are supposed to be hot, humid, and complete with hours of pool time. Tradition alone clarifies that every State opener should forever be in Miami. The wind chill in St. Cloud, Florida during last practice on Friday was into the 20's. Gusts of wind made the 4th and last straights pretty rough on the riders- not that it slowed them down at all. Aside from this, the track was pretty good... a definite improvement over last year's Gator National.
