november07

Today's BMX Racing News - Monday, November 27, 2007

ANOTHER GREAT GRANDS FOR TEAM REDLINE:

· GOLDEN CRANK AWARD FOR TEAM OF THE YEAR

· GOLDEN CRANK AWARD FOR PRO OF THE YEAR: BUBBA HARRIS

· NAG-5 CHALLENGE VICTORY FOR DENZEL STEIN

· NATIONAL NO.1 VET PRO TITLE FOR JASON CARNE$ (HIS SIXTH)

· 16X WIN FOR DENZEL; EARNING HIM ANOTHER NAG NO.1 PLATE AND NATL. NO.2

Despite not having BUBBA HARRIS in the hunt for a fourth No.1 Pro plate, the ‘07 ABA GRANDS was still another great one for the red, white and black.
Coming in to Tulsa’s Thanksgiving tradition, JASON CARNE$ was up for a record-tying 6th consecutive No.1 Vet Pro title, and the 16 year old DeSoto powerhouse DENZEL STEIN was again within grasp of the illustrious No.1 Amateur plate. Also, DAKOTA SENGER and ANTHONY DeROSA were both out to nab a NAG No.1 plate for the year.

WEDNESDAY: As always, the 5 days of action-packed BMXin’ began in the banquet hall with BMX Hall of Fame inductions and Golden Crank Awards.

For starters, two more past REDLINE legends made it in to the Hall of Fame; DENNIS DAIN and GREG GRUBBS. Both of these guys helped put Redline on the map in the 70’s and 80’s. They are true ambassadors to the sport and it was great to see them recognized for their early contributions to the sport of BMX.
Next came the Golden Cranks; voted on by our peers - the ABA membership. For TEAM of the YEAR, Redline’s small 6-rider squad took the gold Crank trophy for the second time ever. And for PRO of the YEAR; it was the guy who puts in more time on a BMX track doing BMX Clinics than any other AA-pro - BUBBA HARRIS. The Grands was Bubba’s first race back since his foot-injury in Beijing, and being handed his fifth Golden Crank was a nice way to welcome him back to the circuit.
We’d like to thank all of those who voted for Redline and Bubba! Winning this award means as much to us as a No.1 title, since it is voted on by the riders and fans.
…
THURSDAY: Practice day with time in between to hit up Subway for a turkey sub (no mayo, please).
…
FRIDAY: Throughout Friday was the ROC (Race of Champions), and Redline riders and bikes were out front aplenty. Among the standouts would be Oregon’s determined one; DAKOTA “The ROBOT” SENGER. A “double,” with wins in both 11x and 11cruiser, was a good way to start off the long weekend of highspeed thrills and spills. Following up Dakota was ANTHONY DeROSA, with a 2nd in 12cruiser and an impressive 12x victory. Those three red-background No.1 plates will look pretty sweet on their new hightech ’08 Flight bikes.
Oh; we can’t forget our supercharged Japanese import MASA SAMPEI, who scored himself a 3rd in 17-20 cruiser.

…
FRIDAY NIGHT: The annual Pro Spectacular and NAG Challenge takes place immediately after the ROC; where the qualified Pros from the day move on to the big ticket finale. To our delight, JASON CARNE$ was in the final. But to our disappointment, he placed 8th after a tangle-up in the 1-lap main. But the big story here was DENZEL STEIN; who was the crowd favorite in the special invitational Amateur challenge.
Denzel was pumped for this race and proved his point by winning it by nearly half a straightaway! Up for the prizes was a Redline road bike, the carbon-fiber rear’ed R-760 (msrp: $1,200) … and coincidentally, it just so happened to be in Denzel’s size.
…
SATURDAY: First round of motos went well for the entire Redline team with 90% of the guys qualifying out. Plenty of time to sign autographs, check out the huge ABA Vendor row, or just chill out in the plush Redline pits with friends, family and teammates.
…
SUNDAY: It’s the BIG day that everyone has been waiting 11 months for; where ABA’s eight National Championships are decided in the main events. In the Redline camp this year, our chances for some big silver cups were in the Vet Pro (Carne$) and Amateur (Denzel) title chases, with a slim longshot for No.1 Cruiser (Senger & DeRosa).
Already with 5 Vet Pro titles under his weight belt, JASON CARNE$ had his work cut out to win a record-tying 6-in-a-row title. In ABA history, only Eric Rupe had been able to dominate for more than half a decade. And with new Vets John Whipperman, Greg Romero and Dale Holmes joining the class this year, Jason and his Flight Pro XL have been putting in overtime to make podiums, score wins and remain in the points chase. After 11 months of racing, it would all came down to these final three mains Sunday evening.
For those who know Carne$, he doesn’t give up easy. With the very No.1 plate that he has zip-tied to his bars for the past 5 years on the line, he handled the pressure like the Champ he is, and against all odds, held on to it with a crazy 3rd main win. Miraculously, “The Horny Toad” made it 6 in a row!

In the Amateur chase, the 16 Expert class was low in rider-count; compared to 17-18 and 19-27 Expert. To get the No.1 Am title, Denzel would need two things to happen: First, he MUST win his main. And secondly, something drastic would have to happen to the top dogs in those larger age divisions.
Only one of those things Denzel could control; and that was winning the 16x main. He did just that, as if it were an encore performance from Friday night’s NAG Challenge.
From there, it’s just crossing your fingers, hoping and praying for luck to come your way, and sweatin’ it out. There was a glimmer of hope as the Amatuer points leader failed to make it to the 19-27x finale’. And it looked as if the only rider standing in the way of Denzel and the silver Cup was Phantom~OnTrac’s Nic Long in 17-18x. And in the 8-man main with Long was Redline’s top Japanese superstar, Masa Sampei. Could Masa be the hiro; and keep the win way from Long, while simultaneously giving Denzel the title? It would’ve been a great story if he had, but just like Denzel was in 16x, Long was unbeatable this weekend.
And so, once again, for the second year in a row, DENZEL STEIN will strap a National No.2 plate to his Redline Bubba Harris bars. Or, when he feels like it, he can run the familiar grey-background NAG No.1 plate that he has earned now for three years straight.
…
With one silver Cup, a Nag Challenge win, two Golden Crank awards, and a rack full of Grands podium finishes - all in all, it was a great way for Team REDLINE to wrap up the ’07 BMX season.
We would like to congratulate the many riders who made their mains on a Redline bike, and virtually high-five those who podium’ed in Tulsa on a Proline or Flight bike.

REDLINE couldn’t have done it without the loyal support from: SHIMANO, SUN RIMS, TIOGA tires, KOOL STOP brakeshoes, PRYME safety gear, and ALIENATION saddles.

….
SPECIAL THANKS TO JERRY / BMX MANIA.com FOR PHOTOS

Tyler Brown Says Good-bye to Avent

11/25/07 – San Clemente, CA – Tyler Brown showed up in Tulsa, OK sporting Hurley clothes and Zune to race his final weekend for Avent.

It’s time for Tyler to move on to bigger and better, and he has made the decision to leave Avent following this race.

The weekend brought some decent results for Tyler taking the win in Pro Cruiser on Friday, then following with a third on Sunday.

Tyler will spend the next couple of weeks seeking a frame deal to prepare for the NBL Christmas Classic and the new season.

If you want your bike to be going fast at the Christmas Classic, Tyler can be contacted at tylerbrown_123@hotmail.com.

Yeah, Buddy! It's Thanksgiving in Tulsa, Oklahoma and BMXers from all around the world are giving thanks that the ABA Grands are here again!

Friday, it's Awesome Pro and Amateur Action from the 2007 ABA Race Of Champions!

Check back, Saturday and Sunday for full info from the Big Race, it's always a GRAND time!

New BMX Racing Book from Bellwether Media and NBL

to reach Millions of US School kids!

Hilliard, Ohio – November 14, 2007 - The National Bicycle League (NBL) and Bellwether Media, Inc. have teamed up to educate kids about BMX Racing in schools across the country. A new book, published by Bellwether Media and titled simply as ‘BMX Racing’, is part of an 8-book Torque-Action Sports series now available through the Scholastic School Supply network. The new book will soon show up in tens of thousands of school libraries across the country and expose BMX and NBL, directly to kids between the ages of four and ten.

The 24-page color book features NBL 2006 National Elite Champion, Donny Robinson on the cover along with general sport information and tons of great NBL BMX racing images throughout the publication. It will share the library shelves with other action-sport titles including snowboarding, skateboarding and mountain biking. The book provides basic explanations about the sport and compliments the easy-to-read text with photos on each page including great snaps of Justin Posey, Matt Pohlkamp, Jeff Upshaw and Amanda Geving. “We are honored to have the chance to work with Bellwether Books and our contributions will help peak the interest of millions of school kids around the country at just the right time.” said Kevin O’Brien, NBL’s Marketing Director.

The book appeals to kids between the ages of four and ten who will also see the NBL logo and website address with a prompt to contact NBL for more information on how to get started. Scholastic Books is the World’s largest publisher and distributor of Children’s books and this translates into great exposure for BMX Racing. To see more details about the book and to purchase a copy, visit the Scholastic website at www.scholastic.com.

About the National Bicycle League

The National Bicycle League (NBL) sanctions exciting local, state, and national levels of BMX racing across the country and in Puerto Rico. With more than 30,000 members and more than 150 BMX race tracks, the NBL is the largest not-for-profit BMX racing association in America and is also the proud host of the 2008 UCI North American Continental Series – the gateway to the Olympics for US athletes. NBL sanctions tracks in a growing number of states across the country offering programs for all levels and ages of riders, both male and female. The NBL National Series is the premier National BMX series in America and comes to a thrilling end on Labor Day weekend of each year with the legendary NBL Grand National.

GO211 TO WEBCAST ABA GRANDS - Tulsa, Oklahoma - Make sure to tune in this Thanksgiving weekend for go211.com's exclusive coverage of the ABA Grand Nationals.

Beginning Friday morning with LIVE webcast coverage starting with the ABA's Race of Champions, continues to Friday evening with the Pro Spectacular and NAG 5 challenge, then starting Saturday morning, the ABA Grand Nationals.

Also make sure to check out the Pre Race show on Friday hosted by Will Rells and Shannon Gillette. Get the lowdown from Pro points leaders Danny Caluag and Alise Post going into the last race of the year. go211 will also have exclusive video coverage of the Golden Crank Awards.

Friday (all times CST)
6:45am   ROC coverage begins
5:45pm   Pre Race Show
6:45pm   Pro Spectacular/NAG 5 Challenge begins

Saturday
8:15am Grands Coverage starts - Opening ceremony, rounds 1 and 2

Sunday
7:45am Grands Coverage continues - Round 3, Quarters, Semis, Mains

USA Cycling Announces UCI BMX Worlds challenge Signup Info

Attention USA Cycling Members:

USA Cycling released today the qualification procedures for the 2008 UCI BMX World Challenge in Taiyuan, China, May 27-June 1, 2008.

Automatic nominations to the U.S. Team will once again be awarded based on performance at the USA Cycling BMX National Championships scheduled for March 29, 2008 at a yet-to-be-announced location, as well as performances from the 2007 UCI BMX World Challenge.

Eligible participants MUST hold a USA Cycling BMX International License and be U.S. citizens.

All qualified USA Cycling members who plan to compete at the 2008 UCI BMX World Challenge must have both a valid passport and visa to enter China. USA Cycling utilizes Visa Express for its travel visas. Members can apply online at www.visaexpress.net/china/chinatouristvisa.htm.

Any fees charged by Visa Express or any other company are the sole responsibility of the athlete. Please be aware that visa applications can take up to, or longer than, one month, so please plan accordingly.

For athletes who qualified with a top-eight finish at the 2007 UCI BMX World Challenge, registration for the event will begin on March 1, 2008 and will be available at www.usacycling.org.

Entry for riders qualifying via the 2008 USA Cycling BMX National Championships will begin on March 31.

For complete qualification criteria, entry instructions and guidelines, visa information and fees, click here.

NBL and BAWLS Guarana renew Partnership to keep BMXer’s Bouncing through 2008 and Beyond!

Hilliard, OH – November 21, 2007 – The National Bicycle League (NBL) is excited to announce that BAWLS Guarana has renewed their vows with NBL in a multi-year deal that will keep NBL BMXers bouncing down the track for years to come!

NBL introduced BAWLS Guarana to BMXers around the country at the 2007 NBL National Series. To keep the ‘buzz’ going, BAWLS will launch TWO new drinks in 2008 to accompany their already popular flavors.

Riders, start practicing! The BAWLStyle.com Bunny Hop Contest - a hit at the 2007 NBL Grands - will become part of the program at all BAWLS-attended races in 2008, complete with bigger prizes than ever! BAWLS also plans to announce several new pro sponsorships in the next few weeks and will be launching a bigger and better nationwide BMX contest Spring 2008.

“BAWLS Guarana had a wonderful 2007 season with the NBL – the athletes, volunteers, track owners, parents and staff have truly welcomed us into their family,” said BAWLS Founder and CEO Hoby Buppert. “2008 is going to be a very exciting year for us and we’re thrilled to make BMX racing a permanent part of our marketing for years to come.”

“2007 was a very successful year for our partnership and we are thrilled to ‘bounce’ our way into the Olympic year with BAWLS. They genuinely love the sport so their presence adds a lot of value to our National races,” said NBL Marketing Director Kevin O’Brien. “The fact that they are marketing-savvy helps extend the reach of our partnership beyond the confines of the races and this will help promote the NBL brand, and sport, to a brand new group of consumers.”

BAWLS is currently available at BMX tracks across the US, as well as at Target, CompUSA and Microcenter stores. You can also find BAWLS at a number of smaller grocery and convenience stores including 7-Eleven, Speedway SuperAmerica, Plaid Pantry, Casey’s General Stores and Publix Supermarkets.

For more info on BAWLS and BMX Racing, visit www.BAWLStyle.com.

About BAWLS
BAWLS is the brainchild of entrepreneur Hoby Buppert, CEO of Hobarama, LLC, who named the beverage for the caffeinated “bounce” the drink packs. Widely distributed to local super markets, convenience stores (7-Eleven), Target Superstores, CompUSA stores and gaming venues; BAWLS is a premium, non-alcoholic, carbonated beverage made from the guarana berry harvested in the Amazonian Rainforest. The caffeine found in BAWLS Guarana contains the same amount of caffeine as coffee and nearly three times that of traditional sodas due to a naturally occurring form of the stimulant found in the guarana berry. BAWLS’ unique refreshing flavor tastes like a citrus infused cream soda and its popularity continues to grow over a variety of different sectors including financial institutions, the fashion industry, technology businesses, military bases, extreme sports and college campuses. For more information, please visit www.bawls.com.

About the National Bicycle League

The National Bicycle League (NBL) sanctions exciting local, state, and national levels of BMX (Bicycle Motocross) racing across the country and in Puerto Rico. With more than 30,000 members and more than 150 BMX race tracks, the NBL is the largest not-for-profit BMX racing association in America and is also the proud host of the 2008 UCI North American Continental Series – the gateway to the Olympics for US athletes. NBL sanctions tracks in a growing number of states across the country offering programs for all levels and ages of riders, both male and female. The NBL National Series is the premier National BMX series in America and comes to a thrilling end on Labor Day weekend of each year with the legendary NBL Grand National.

In the lead-up to the Probix/Champbix weekend in Perth, Western Australia on the weekend of the 1^st and 2^nd of December 2007.

BMXSportsWA with the support of the Department of Sports and Recreation (DSR) have secured the expertise of world renowned coach Sean DWIGHT to conduct coaching clinics in the week leading up to the event.

Positions within these sessions are limited so please advise of your attendance asap.

Following the Thursday night session a coaching forum will be held, all accredited and interested coaches are welcome to attend.

Remember mail and fax nominations have closed but emailed nominations close on the 27^th of November, so get your nomination in for this fantastic event.

Tyler Brown signs

with Zune and Hurley

San Clemente, CA

November 20, 2007

Zune by Microsoft has signed a deal with AA Pro Tyler Brown to be the BMX racer for the Zune Team.

The Zune media player will be sold with stock videos of the team to include BMX race videos that will go out to over 2.5 million homes in the 2008 race year.

For more details about getting your hands on a Zune go to www.zune.net .

If you’ve seen Tyler stylin’ at the track lately it’s due to Hurley.

Hurley has joined in to provide clothing to assure that TB is looking hot off the track too!

Go to www.hurley.com to check out the latest in Hurley fashion.

Expect to see Tyler all decked out at Grands, jammin’ to his Zune tunes and lighting up the track!

Sun Bru ABA GRANDS Happenings!

Sun Bru will be giving away a limited supply of Calendars on Friday at the ABA Grands.

This is the first of 3 Calendars for 2008 and features products from THE, Fly, AVENT, Animal Custom Jerseys & Sun Bru .

This is appropriate for all ages and will be free at the Sun Bru booth.

Calendars wont be the only thing happening at the sun Bru booth this year.

Every year at grands there are 7 National BMX Titles and 3 Team Titles but there will be only 1 Sun Bru Dance Title.

Stop by the Sun Bru booth to get information about the the contest and check out all the prizes that go along with the title.

Sun Bru Custom Body Lotions - Brandon Shaw/President - Phone: 866-Tan-Life (826-5433) - Email: info@sunbru.com - Web: www.sunbru.com

Wanna Start

Your Own

Sun Bru Team?

Have you ever wanted to Start a team but didn't know were to start?

Start with Sun Bru, we are searching for individuals to set up independent teams in the ABA.

This will be a great opportunity to follow the path that has worked so well for the Sun BRU factory team for the past 3 years.

With your team Sun Bru will help with fund raising, rider discount programs and getting outside sponsors.

The team will also be able to work with current Sun Bru sponsors and Graphic Artist to give the team that Factory look.

For more info stop by the Sun Bru booth at the Grands or contact us @ info@sunbru.com Check out all things Sun Bru @ www.sunbru.com.

Sun Bru Custom Body Lotions - Brandon Shaw/President - Phone: 866-Tan-Life (826-5433) - Email: info@sunbru.com - Web: www.sunbru.com

This past weekend we held a benefit race in honor of Tara Llanes at Orange Y BMX. What an amazing day, and a whole lot of amazing people who showed up to raise $3,575.00! We had raffles and silent auctions, and the local Pros showed up to race in “Tara Llanes Road to Recovery” shirts to show their support.

So much love and generosity was shown by all. Friends and family of Tara showed up to support, and the BMX family at Orange Y absolutely gave from their hearts to make sure the day was a success. Thanks to all of the riders and parents who came out to race and bought many raffle tickets, t-shirts and also bid on the products donated for the silent auction. So many thanks to the sponsors and pros:

• Robby Miranda (X-Games Gold Medalist) donated his bike and a jersey to the raffle.

• Christian Becerine donated his hole shot award winnings to Tara. He also donated a jersey and purchased a handful of raffle tickets only to win Javier Columbo’s jersey that was also donated.

Of course he threw it back in and a lucky young rider at Orange Y took the jersey and Javier’s autograph home with him!

• Chris Fox was unable to race, but donated the $40.00 that he would have paid for sign-up.

• Danny Caluag won the race, followed by Mikey Brabant and Javier Columbo, all who donated their winnings back to Tara.

• Also on the Pro gate were “Wild Willy” Suarez (So-Cal’s newest A Pro), Damian Lopez, Kyle Cushman and Tyler Brown.

Thanks to the many sponsors who donated items for the silent auction and raffles:

We also don’t want to forget Vince Calvillo from Free Agent who showed up with lots of help, a tent and chairs, and many goodies from Free Agent!

Kassie Groves worked with us all day, Jason from Orange Y BMX was there from start to finish, and lastly, the two men who made this possible: Ruben Sanchez and AA Pro, Tyler Brown.

Ruben donated the track, a portion of sign-ups, and he also worked with Tyler to coordinate donations.

Tyler had the idea for this race and spent the past several weeks calling sponsors, making and passing out fliers, setting up the auctions, raffles and all of the t-shirt sales.

Thank you to all who made this day possible. Barry Nilson even showed up to support, he raced and ended up with a great set of wheels from the silent auction.

The Second Annual Barcelona International BMX Open is comin' up, next month, December 15 & 16.

The race is going to be a hot one, with the Sant Andreu de la Barca track, ONLY 10km from downtown Barcelona, AND, it's the 25th Anniversary of the club, so you KNOW they'll be going all out!

Actually, with a new truck, with random gate, they will also celebrate the same week-end, the first contest of the 2008 Spanish Championship.

New Sponsor Slips Into ABA BMX Schedule for 2008

Jig-A-Loo Lubricant is named the “Official Lubricant “ of the 2008 ABA National BMX Series

Gilbert , Arizona —November 17,, 2007— The American Bicycle Association (ABA) is proud to announce an exclusive association with Jig-A-Loo lubricants to be named as the “Official Lubricants” of ABA BMX. The association will begin with the ABA Grand Nationals of BMX (Bicycle Motocross) held annually in Tulsa , Oklahoma . This years event will draw thousands of riders from around the world to compete for national standings. Jig-A-Loo will launch its new affiliation by providing a sample can of spray lubricate to every racer in attendance.

The name Jig-A-Loo has been a household name in Canada for over 50 years because it is a premium product that delivers unparalleled results. The all purpose lubricant is both invisible and water repellent making it the ideal product for BMX racers who require low friction to reach maximum velocity. “Jig-A-Loo is pleased to begin its sponsorship and partnership with the ABA , the world leader in BMX racing. This is a very progressive endeavor and one that we feel is on the edge of becoming very powerful. Jig-A-Loo will re-invent the lubrication business and the ABA will be in the fore-front of extreme competition.”, stated Patrice Lafleur, Vice President of Marketing, Jig-A-Loo World, Inc.

“Jig-A-Loo has taken a bold step by choosing the sport of BMX and the American Bicycle Association to assist with the marketing of this fantastic product line. The Jig-A Loo brand is dynamic and I know that our membership and racers worldwide will find the lubricants useful!”, said Clayton John, President of the ABA .

The ABA has made recent strides in adding both new sponsors to the sport of BMX, but also in establishing new marketing objectives that will increase awareness of the sport. New sponsors have become marketing partners that reach beyond the confines of previous affiliations. With BMX emerging as the newest of Olympic action sports in 2008, the ABA is poised for tremendous growth.

About Jig-A-Loo
Jig-A-Loo, a named derived from the inventor’s exclamation “Ti-gi-dou,” the Canadian phrase meaning I’ve got it!” when he found the winning formula, which has been used in industrial and commercial establishments since 1958. The product was launched in 1998 in the Canadian mass retail market, quickly capturing a substantial portion of the lubricant market with its clean, dry and smooth application winning over do it yourselfers and professionals alike. Jig-A-Loo is ideal for wood, metal, leather, most plastics and a number of other surfaces. It is an exceptional water-repellent, a rust and freeze inhibitor, and will not drip or stain. Unlike traditional lubricants, Jig-A-Loo contains no oil, grease, wax or detergent.

History
A favorite product in Canada for industrial and commercial uses since 1958, Jig-A-Loo quickly conquered the do-it-yourself and professional handyman markets since its retail launch a decade ago. It is now available nationwide in the U.S. for the first time ever.

Jig-A-Loo is the world’s first and only lubripellent – it stops squeaks, un-sticks just about anything and protects against water damage. Unlike other spray lubricants, Jig A-Loo goes on dry and doesn’t stain or smell. Because it’s silicone-based, it contains no oil, grease, wax or detergent – so it’s perfect for wood, metal, leather, fabric, and most plastics. It’s also a strong freeze inhibitor and rust preventer.

An affordable wonder, the product has a suggested retail price of $6.50-$7.00 – making it the must-have can for the kitchen, garage, tool-belt and even the purse!

About the American Bicycle Association
ABA (American Bicycle Association), formed in 1977 and headquartered in Chandler , Arizona , is “The Sanctioning Body of BMX”©. The ABA organizes BMX racing for boys, girls and adults, nationwide and Canada . With 60,000 active members, 274 racing facilities and a 27 event-national race schedule; ABA is the largest promoter of action sports. For additional press information about ABA , the sport of BMX, ABA events or Professional racers, call bonspeedMedia; (714) 666-1999. To find races in your area or view the national event schedule, visit www.ababmx.com..

The Gattis Family Sez "Thanks!"

California BMXer, David Gattis had a really bad accident at the NBL California State Championships in a Pro/Am Dash for Cash.

David crashed hard in the third moto and broke his femur in four places. It was really bad; David almost lost my life after a five hour surgery and the loss of too much blood.

Here's a BIG Thanks from David to some cool people who helped out......"I just wanted to send out a special thanks to everyone at the race. The way people responded was absolutely amazing, by helping my wife with the three kids, loading stuff up and also, with the help of Linda Dorsey, my wife Kathleen had close to $1000.00 in cash that people just donated to help us out. We didn’t want the money but they would not let her leave without taking it. It brought tears to our eyes of how generous all of these people were. It has been a challenging time for us as I continue to recover. It happened six weeks ago."

"I just wanted to see if you would be able to do that for me and if so I will write up another letter that is sweet and to the point! To our extended BMX FAMILY!"

"The Gattis family also went through another accident a couple weeks back when Zachary (10), our son crashed at Manzanita BMX (local track) and broke his arm in two places and his jaw… BMX has been rough on us the last couple months…"

We all know what this time of year means its ABA BMX Grands time. The ABA Grands is "The Greatest Race on Earth", and this year will be no exception. One of the highlights to the ABA Grands weekend has always been the PRO Spectacular/N.A.G. 5 Challenge. This event pits the best of the best against each other in a special racing format. We take the top riders from across the country and line them up on the gate. For all the Top PRO’s this event WILL BE FOR PRO POINTS once again and will be the last chance for them to move up in the ABA PRO standings. It will add an exciting twist for the ABA BMX PRO Title chase for sure. For all the top Am`s this race isn`t about N.A.G. points, it`s about bragging rights and an awesome prize list to all who make the main. After the HUGE success last year ABA is excited to add N.A.G 5 women to the show as a permanent fixture. This will add even more outstanding racing to an already stacked field. GO211.com will be on site, so be sure to catch all the “Live” action on the GO211.com web-cast as well. Good luck to everyone and we`ll see you in Tulsa!

These are the Top 5 age class riders in the nation going into the ABA Grands:

AGE 15 - 1 CONNOR FIELDS HENDERSON, NV - 2 CORBEN SHARRAH TUCSON, AZ - 3 TORY NYHAUG COQUITLAM, BC - 4 FERNIE JACQUEZ EL PASO, TX - 5 BUCK TAYLOR DALLAS, PA

Age 16 - 1 DENZEL STEIN DESOTO, TX - 2 SEAN LECHNER WICHITA, KS - 3 LAHSAAN KOBZA CHULA VISTA, CA - 4 JACOB TREVINO CIBOLO, TX - 5 JORDAN SEWARD ROCKFORD, IL

AGE 17-18 - 1 NIC LONG LAKESIDE, CA - 2 JACOB PEEBLES CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA - 3 RANDALL LEE LEWIS FRIENDSWOOD, TX - 4 BAKARI HASSAN PENDELTON, SC - 5 MATT KELTY DOVER, DE

AGE 19-27 - 1 DEREK SIPKOI PERRIS, CA - 2 DEAK BROWN ARVADA, CO - 3 JOSHUA MEYERS TREASURE ISLAND, FL - 4 TRAVIS JURELL LITITZ, PA - 5 COREY REID UCON, ID

AGE 28-35 - 1 SCOTT SIMMONS RENO, NV - 2 ROBERT TAYLOR LEAGUE CITY, TX - 3 DOUG CROWELL KYLE, TX - 4 JAYSON LINDSAY HAM LAKE, MN - 5 JACOB HENSLEY FOLSOM, CA

AGE 36 and over - 1 CHRIS VERHAGEN SIMI VALLEY, CA - 2 SHAWN DIPRETE LOS ANGELES, CA - 3 FRANK NUCCIO SCHAUMBURG, IL - 4 LONNY LIERLEY N LAS VEGAS, NV - 5 LARRY MIYAMOTO SANTA ANA, CA

AGE 14 - 1 DOMINIQUE DANIELS GILBERT, AZ - 2 TYLER SCHAEFER SAN DIEGO, CA - 3 VICTORIA JOHNSON PHOENIX, AZ - 4 TAYLOR WOLCOTT ROSEVILLE, CA - 5 BROOKE CRAIN VISALIA, CA

AGE 15 - 1 SAMANTHA BRETHEIM LINDSTROM, MN - 2 KRISTIN HOKIT BAKERSFIELD, CA - 3 ALAINA HENDERSON RUBY, NY - 4 LAUREN PADILLA LAKEWOOD, CA - 5 JESSICA LAMBERT WATAUGA, TX

AGE 16 - 1 SHELBI LONG LAKESIDE, CA - 2 MORGAN BARAJAS RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA - 3 ELIZABETH PASSWATERS GREENWOOD, DE - 4 BELINDA WASSENAAR BELLFLOWER, CA - 5 COURTNEY APPLEWHITE GARNER, NC

AGE 17-27 - 1 RACHAEL LUNA LUFKIN, TX - 2 FRANCES GARCIA ALBUQUERQUE, NM - 3 NICOLE WOODROW ROSEBURG, OR - 4 ERIN MOORE FAYETTEVILLE, AR - 5 ALYSSA ENRIQUEZ LONG BEACH, CA

AGE 28 and over - 1 SANDY NICKEL SAN JOSE, CA - 2 DEBBIE CHAPMAN TRAVELERS REST, SC - 3 PEGGY MILLER ESCALON, CA - 4 CAROLYN DAVIS CHICAGO, IL - 5 MALINDA KRENEK YUKON, OK

PRO hole-short awards: AA PRO - J&R Bicycles sponsored $400 - Ladies PRO - Clayborn Bikes sponsored $200 - Vet PRO - Vintagebmx.com sponsored $200 - A-PRO – TwentyH.com/HRP Designs $100

N.A.G. 5 Challenge Prizes from: Redline Bicycles – R760 Road Bike ... Phanton/Ontrac- 80 gig Ipod and Bose + Quiet comfort 2 headphones ... Torker Bicycles –Bermuda RS Ladies Beach Cruiser ... O'GIO - 9800 travel bags - Burn helmet bags ... Industrialrideshop.com – Long board Skate Board - Ladies Nixon watch ... BAWLS Guarana - cases of BAWLS Energy ... Clif Bar – Boxs of Clif Bars ... Clif Bar – Boxes of Clif Bar Bloks and more great prizes to be named at the event!

Once again VSI Products has stepped up big time for the N.A.G. 5 Challenge. All N.A.G. 5 Challenge main makers will receive a T.H.E. Industries T-shirt, T.H.E. bike stand, T.H.E. hat, T.H.E. socks, and T.H.E. B-1 jump helmet. The two main event winners will also receive a T.H.E. hoodie to boot!

Congrats go out to Ryan and Natarsha Williams Birk on the birth of their little guy, Ryder. Ryder came right after the NBL Grands and made his first BMX Road Trip to the ABA Disney Cup......The kid is DOOMED! Doomed to a life of BMX tracks, back yard trails and posters of his Mom and Dad on his walls!

Seriously, Ryan (BMX Product Manager for Sun Rims) and Natarsha (National Sales Manager for Kuwahara BMX) are busy takin' care of little Ryder and running their various BMX racing exploits out of their Warsaw, Indiana home, getting ready for another busy BMX racing season. Ryder's next trip? You guessed it.....ABA Grands in Tulsa, Oklahoma......NEXT WEEK!

Parents of future Pro BMX’ers, are you ready to make your racer way faster? We have the easiest way for you to do that. Intense is proud to announce the arrival of the Podium Frame Series for the little racers. The hottest frames in BMX racing are now ready to take the little guys and girls to wins and atop the Podium on a Podium.

Built with super light Hydroformed tubes, the Podium series was designed exclusively for racing to bring you the best BMX racing frame in the world, our BRO line of high performance racing frames (BMX Race Only). Frame features include Hydroformed top tubes, triple butted seat and chain stays, and ultra light integrated head tubes.

Sizes offered and Frame Weights- Mini – 2Lbs 7oz, Mini XL 2 Lbs 8oz, Junior- 2Lbs 9oz, Junior XL- 2Lbs 10oz, Junior Cruiser 2Lbs 11oz, Expert 2Lbs 11oz, Expert XL - 2Lbs 12 oz, Expert Cruiser 2 Lbs 12 oz. For Frame specs, please visit www.IntenseBMX.com

The frames are offered in both a flat black and flat silver finish and included with the frame is the integrated headset. The suggested retail price for the Intense BMX Podium frame series is $389.99 per frame.

To check them out and see what’s all new at Intense BMX for 2008, check out the all new website at www.IntenseBMX.com

For information on the 2008 complete line up of the Intense BMX Race and Jump Bikes, as well as the Intense Podium and Sabot Frame Sets please check out http://www.intensebmx.com

Intense BMX and Intense Tire System are proud to be associated with the finest Bicycle dealers’ world wide. Intense BMX Products are a division of VSI Products. – www.vsiproducts.com

Sports illustrated KIDS

Youth Athlete of the Year Award

Brock Heffron says "Thank You!"

Every vote for Brock was a vote for BMX! It's been an awesome experience to be honored with the SIKIDS Youth Athlete of the Year Award. Meeting Peyton Manning was real cool!

I hope to be one of the many outstanding BMXers representing the Sport of BMX.

I'll be exploring every opportunity to raise the interest level of BMX and making our family bigger!

I'm looking forward to seeing all the BMXer's and future family members at the ABA Grands.

Sincerely, Brock "The Rock" Heffron

ABA’s Factory Redman rider Brock Heffron voted SI Kids “Youth Athlete of the Year”

Brock Heffron from Gilbert, AZ was announced this weekend as Sports Illustrated for Kids 2007 “Youth Athlete of the Year”. Brock was featured on national television on the “CBS Early Show” Saturday morning where they unveiled the December cover of SI Kids featuring Brock posing with Superbowl MVP, Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts. Brock flew to Indianapolis Colts Training Center earlier this month for a photo shoot with Peyton who is SI Kids “Athlete of the Year”. Brock was chosen out or over 6,000 athletes for his many athletic accomplishments in football, baseball, and BMX as well as outstanding grades in school.

Brocks father John Heffron was asked by SI Kids, what makes your son so special? John stated “Brocks desire to do what ever it takes in practice to be #1” this is the #1 quality that makes a great athlete, with this attitude Brock will achieve great success in everything he attempts.

Brock is sitting #1 in the ABA BMX National Cruiser Title points, but will not be racing the ABA Grands due to an injury sustained playing football. Brock will be on hand to sign autographs for all the fans and cheer on his Redman Yamaha teammates.

Brock is the first ever SI for Kids "Youth Athlete of the Year". This award is a major accomplishment for Brock and a huge milestone for the sport of BMX. The ABA, on behalf of all Track operators and members would like to congratulate Brock and his family. Be sure to pick up a copy of the December SI Kids at the newsstands which not only features Brock on the cover but also a 2 page article and pull out poster. A link to the video footage from the "CBS Early Show" is below for your enjoyment.

Prunedale's Manzanita Park BMX To Support "Toys For Tots"

Manzanita Park is having its 2nd Annual Toys for Tots race this weekend (Nov. 18th) in support of the United States Marine Corps program that helps those friends and families in need.

Along with a $500.00 + pro/am there will also be a bike raffled off to one participants that brings a toy.

We would like to invite evryone to the race, as it will be Manzanita's final race of the 2007 season.

There is always plenty of food and laughs at the Prunedale track.

After the races there wil be a riding sesh at the Watsonville trails followed by a BBQ and some more laughs.

So we invite all the NOR-CAL ballers to reunite for a great cause at Manzanita this Sunday.

Sign-ups are from 9-10:30 and race at 11:00am.

The track hotline to pre-reg is (831)663-1BMX or you can check the website at www.ManzanitaParkBMX.com for more info.

We hope to see everyone there!

Here's one for ya from our friends at J&R, straight from the source.....this is a "sale that we are doing for our 1 year anniversary in our new store. It will save all the BMXers some $$$ for Christmas."

Crupi Launches Rhythm Line!

Arcadia, California – In just a year’s time since Crupi owner Greg Swingrover took over the company and declared in his first press release that Crupi would be offering a “more affordable” line of products, we are proud to announce Rhythm, by Crupi!

It was a difficult decision as to how to market Crupi with second less expensive line since Crupi is known as having only the highest level products in BMX racing. Thus, we developed this new line under the name Rhythm which is designed by Crupi, but manufactured outside of the US. Rhythm will feature very innovative products that will not simply be “me too” products. A lot of thought will go into each and every product that Rhythm will release and dealers will be able to make great margins!

Although we have several big projects currently in production, we have released the following new products which are now in stock and available for purchase. Please visit www.crupibmx.com for more details on these new products or contact Crupi directly for our new 2008 price list.

BMXinsight.com Adds Two New Features

BMXinsight.com Adds Riders Pro Shop’s Mechanic TJ Johnson and Elite Trainer, Greg Romero, to the Features List.

(Houston, TX)- BMXinsight is proud to announce the arrival of two new features, “Tangent TJ’s Tech Tips” and “Inside Greg Romero’s Elite Training Program”. These two key features play a vital roll into helping us provide the viewers with specific BMX information. “We are very happy to have joined together with Tangent Products and BMXTrainging.com to extend our Features List and provide our viewers with the best features and information out there,” says owner Glenn Fife.

“Tangent TJ’s Tech Tips” is a bi-weekly column done by Tangent’s TJ Johnson that will provide you with instructional information on how to work on your bike. These tech tips will include a wide range of different tips from “how to change your sprocket” to “how to keep your bike nice and clean!”

“Inside Greg Romero’s Elite Training Program” is a weekly installment done by BMXinsight Owner Glenn Fife who will participate in the training program and write up a weekly journal on how he is progressing thought the program and how it is improving his racing.

Make sure you stay tuned for those two features to air in the coming week. Also take the time to check out some of our other features, Inside The Life of Mike Moeller, MJT’s National Photo Galleries, Roy’s Really Rad Videos, Product Reviews, Rider Bios and much more coming soon.

BMXinsight would like to thank our website supporters: MJT Designs (www.mjtdesigns.com), ABA BMX (www.ababmx.com), NBL (www.nbl.org), Tangent Products (www.tangentproducts.com), (www.BMXTraining.com), THE (www.the-industries.com), Pivotal Productions (www.pivotalproductions.net)

Australian Nationals announced for W.A. after BMX debuts in Beijing

BMX Australia today announced that Western Australia will be the location for the 2009 National BMX Championships. Perth will host the BMX National Championships early in May 2009 just one year after the sport makes its debut as a medal sport at the Beijing Olympics.

BMX Australia President, Barry Knight, said the event will be especially popular in the lead up to the World Championships in Adelaide just two months later.

The National Championships will be staged in the State Equestrian Centre at Brigadoon located in the Swan Valley, one of Western Australia's premier tourism and wine regions. The bid received substantial support from EventsCorp a division of Tourism Western Australia.

BMX Sports WA President, Steve Dixon, said, “The support of EventsCorp was crucial in Western Australia’s bid for this event. Along with support from the Department of Sport and Recreation and the East Metropolitan Regional Councils this event will allow the people of Western Australia to experience the exciting new Olympic sport of BMX first hand.”

The 2009 National Championships will be held indoors and organizers expect to attract 1 800 entries from all over Australia. According to Dixon an indoor venue has enormous advantages apart from being unaffected by the weather. “The cost to stage an event indoors is more expensive but it removes all the variables,” he explained. “No competitor has the advantage of knowing the track better. It’s a level playing field for everyone.”

According to Dixon the location is bigger and better. “There have been big improvements with seating since the last National Championships held in the same venue in 1999. We can fit more spectators into the venue now and the track will be longer than last time which will be excellent,” he explained.

Dixon says the event will also showcase a wealth of talented BMX riders from Western Australia.

“Currently WA have 30 percent of the young riders in the national talent ID squad and three out of the seven elite high performance squad are from WA. It is obvious that we have the dept h of talent. An event like this gives those riders the opportunity to shine in their own state,” Dixon said.

With two current National BMX Champions from Perth, Tanya Bailey and Khalen Young the championships will have a strong local following. Bailey and Young are on the elite high performance squad along with Nicole Callisto who was the World Junior Champion in 2005.

“We aim to bring a very exciting sport to the Western Australian public,” said Dixon.