FRIDAY: What can keep fans cheering and on their feet for more than two hours and leave them begging for more? It is the Ramp it UP Tour in Roanoke Virginia .
The tour hit the Roanoke Civic Center Friday night with non-stop action. Cody Elkins of Oklahoma joined the tour for the first time this season and took it all. Elkins thrilled the crowd with a hard fought battle against stiff competition from Jeff Winstead, Jason Rowe and a host of other great riders.
The night also featured Extreme MotoTrials by Keith Wineland. Wineland made the more than 20 maneuvers look easy as he took his Gas Gas Trials Bike thru the paces. A climb to the top of a travel trailer looked easy as did the leap over the pyramid, the stair step climb and a full track standing wheelie.
Street Bikes kept the action moving as Street Bike Champs TEACH AND KANE turned it up a notch for the cheering fans. Stoppies from over 40mph, side saddle wheelies, and an incredible chainsaw were just a part of the action.
The biggest cheer of the night came during the encore at the end of the night when all the riders came out with nonstop action over under and around the ramps. Cody Elkins stole the show with three back flips as the night ended.
The autograph session lasted for over an hour as hundreds of fans lined up to meet and talk with the stars of the RAMP IT UP TOUR
Roanoke R2R Results, Friday
FMX:
- Cody Elkins- 93.25 / 95.0
- Jason Rowe- 93.75 / 94.5
- Jeff Winstead- 93.0 / 93.75
- Casey Higgins- 91.5 / 91.0
- Michael Gravette- 90.0
- Shawn Connors- 89.0
- Scott Hanlon- 86.0
- Greg Hartman- 85.5
Team FMX: (judged by crowd)
- Elkins / Connors- 24
- Higgins / Gravette- 22
- Rowe / Winstead- 27
SATURDAY: From the very beginning of the night the fans were anticipating a back flip in Roanoke Virginia . It seems word of the Friday night show had circulated around town about the awesome show that was at the Civic Center . The crowd was not disappointed.
Cody Elkins not only did a back flip but he also won the Ramp It Up competition for the second night in a row. Elkins was not the only winner… Jason Rowe one of the tours veterans won the Head to Head competition and Keith Wineland kept the crowd cheering with his Extreme MotoTrials demo.
The night saw its share of surprises with Jason Rowe and Greg Hartman both competing using the same bike. It seems Hartman’s bike broke after Friday night’s event and it looked like he was not going to make the show. Rowe offered use of his Suzuki and the two were able to make things work with a minimum of adjustments to the machine.
Kane and Teach showed the fans what you can do with a street bike in the hands of a professional. The two riders took their bikes thru some great moves while roaring up and down the short track at speeds of over 40mph.
Again the highlight of the night was the Encore with Elkins doing a backflip, a no-footed backflip and a one handed backflip to end the night. Fans didn’t use much of their seats in the second half of the show as they stood and cheered most of the time.
The Virginia fans were asking when the Ramp it UP FMX was coming back to the Civic Center as they stood in line to get autographs. Lookout out fans in Huntsville , Alabama … the Ramp It Up Summer Tour caps off the season there next weekend!
Roanoke R2R Results, Friday
FMX:
- Cody Elkins- 94.5 / 95.25
- Jason Rowe- 94.0 / 94.75
- Jeff Winstead- 93.75 / 94.25
- Michael Gravette- 92.75 / 93.0
- Casey Higgins- 92.5
- Greg Hartman- 92.0
- Scott Hanlon- 89.0
- Shawn Connors- 86.0
Head-to-Head FMX Contest:
|
ROUND 1 |
SEMI FINAL |
FINAL |
WINNER |
1 |
ELKINS |
|
|
|
|
(Stripper) |
ELKINS |
|
|
5 |
GRAVETTE |
|
|
|
|
|
(CliffHanger) |
HANLON |
|
3 |
WINSTEAD |
|
(Hart Attack) |
|
|
(Cordova) |
HANLON |
|
|
7 |
HANLON |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Riders’ Choice) |
ROWE |
4 |
HIGGINS |
|
|
|
|
(Seat-Grab Indy) |
HARTMAN |
|
|
8 |
HARTMAN |
|
|
|
|
|
(Helicopter) |
ROWE |
|
2 |
ROWE |
|
(1 Hand Indy / Rock Solid) |
|
|
(Double Grab) |
ROWE |
|
|
6 |
CONNORS |
|
|
|
