SATURDAY
Two
different distances – but only one road to the Toyota Hot Seat. Regardless
of which gap they rode, that road was the high road – 30 feet above the Rexall
Place arena floor.
The
four wheel finery was out on the floor as a one night stand in Edmonton kicked
off with the Toyota Track Party. Freestyle fans got up close and personal with
the top freestylers north of the border. Eight Canadian riders were complimented
by Keith Sayers out of Butte, Montana to make 9 competitors in FMX. Add to that
the 50/50 BMX team, presented by West49 and Pizza 73 welcoming Trails rider Keith
Wineland and you had the ingredients for an explosive evening.
The
fans continued to pour in until show time, astounded by the track layout. One
set of ramps at 70 feet begged for huge tricks. But the riders faced a disruption
in rhythm with the second ramp pair at 55 feet. The two gaps presented a unique
challenge for the riders to impress the judges and the fans.
The
first 5 freestylers knew that they had to go at it tooth and nail for a place
in the finals. Vernon, British Columbia’s Morgan Kalizuk as the first rider
out went a little too hard, sliding out of a jump and down the 70 gap ramp into
the safety bails at the half way point of his run. Dylan McMorran started a roll
for a huge night, scoring 85.2 as the second rider out, a score that held almost
for the entire first round. Only 2 time former Canadian Champion Reagan Seig scored
higher with an 86 in the first five.
Once
Keith Wineland had astounded the fans (and the announcer- using him as a prop)
with a Trials riding demo that worked the entire floor, it was onto Round 2 of
FMX qualifying. The scores climbed to 89 for Keith Sayers, hitting a Whip Flip
and a Superman Seat Grab with Indy Air on the 55 foot gap. Only Mark Phillips,
the crowd favorite from Alberta, had a chance to break into the 90s. A No Footed
Flip and a well rounded run scored him a 90 and the prime position for the Finals.
Even Sayers and other riders roaring out during Phillips interview didn’t
seem to faze the 22-year-old.
Dylan
McMorran's night continued to get bigger with a win in Head to Head, hitting a
Hart Attack with Indy Air for the win. After the 50/50 BMX team rocked the house
with Back Flips, 720s and a massive trick train, McMorran hit a 91 on the first
run of the Finals. He proudly took the Toyota Hot Seat. And held it after Darren
Wright missed two tricks to score only 89. Seig was the spoiler for McMorran,
edging him out of the Hot Seat by only .5 of a point.
Keith
Sayers pulled out not one but two flips, thinking the Back Flip in stereo would
be enough to take his place on the stage. After mistakenly announcing Sayers as
a 91.5 that would have meant a tie on the Hot Seat, Seig gave up the throne to
Sayers with a 92.
The
adrenaline was pounding through the veins of Mark Phillips as he took to the floor
as the final finalist. First he gave back to the fans, tossing out t-shirts. Then
he gave everything he had to the judges, hitting Flip variations including a One
Hander, a Heel Clicker and finally a Superman Back Flip. While some of his landings
were long, it wasn’t long for the judges to decide. It was only .2 of a point
that made the difference, but a 92.2 was awarded to Mark along with the trophy
and the Hot Seat. Phillips literally burned the back tire off his bike in a smokey
thank you to the fans in a Freestyle Frenzy encore with all the show performers.
The IFMA FMX
Tour moves east but stays in Canada, with a stop in Hamilton, Ontario next week.
Don’t just sit there - stop reading this and get your tickets now!!
Qualifying
Morgan
Kalisuk 65
Drew
Cooper 83
Lance
McMorran 84
Kris
Garwasiuk 84.2
Dylan
McMorran 85.2
Darren
Wright 85.9
Reagan
Seig 86
Keith
Sayers 89
Mark
Phillips 90
Finals
Darren
Wright 89
Dylan
McMorran 91
Reagan
Seig 91.5
Keith
Sayers 92
Mark
Phillips 92.2
