Stunt Wars 2008, And Clint Ewing's Ring Of Fire Stunt - The Scene

Stunt Wars Was Bigger And Better Than Ever, But Not Without A Few Raised Eyebrows...

writer: John Zamora
photographer: John Zamora, Vince Davis, Larry Griffiths

Since 2007, Stunt Wars has traded in its bad-boy image of local chaos to become a legitimate competition hosting a professional showcase. Stunt Wars 2008 carried on that standard and forever laid to rest the mayhem of previous years. The event has matured into the premier stunt competition in the United States and attracts fans, riders and media from around the world.

Tandem kicked off the first day of competition and Ken Arnold managed to not toss his partner Brandy Delozier to win the biggest trophy and the cash. The Longest Stoppie contest followed and was between Mitch Adams and Bill Dixon, who have been consistently trading turns at the top spot for over a year. Stunt Wars proved to be an alphabetical finish as Adams defied physics, rolling 767 feet on the front wheel despite only a 300-foot approach.

What would a stunt competition be without controversy though? Before the first wheel lifted into the air at the USA Speedway in Lakeland, Florida, there was no doubt that the upcoming final results would be put to question. It seems that organizers shouldn't let friends judge competitions. Personal squabbles between competitors and judges possibly skewed some of the final results, and an uncertainty regarding track conditions also loomed.

Chris McNeil - Champion
"The competition around here is top-notch."

"Sitdown" Steve Jones forgot something.

Stunt Wars' format of open qualifying is designed to allow any rider with enough talent to go head-to-head with the world's best. 2008 proved to be a wake-up call for many of the OGs as many familiar names found themselves packing up early, proving that big sponsors and fancy rigs don't ensure a spot in Sunday's main event. The final line-up included the usual suspects such as Bill Dixon, Chris McNeil, Aaron Colton and Chris Pfeiffer, but the first controversy of the weekend began when newcomers Brian Bubash, Luke Duke and Shinsuke 'Shin' Kinoshita from Japan squeezed out a few regulars for the shot at the top spot. Weather and variable track conditions gave other riders opportunities that some missed out on, and the scores didn't seem to take the issue into consideration.

Nick Brocha - Competitor
"This is the first time I ever wadded ass and qualified-normally I just wad ass and don't qualify."

Mary Marchione - Competitor
"I'm really excited and really pumped about competing."

Aaron Brunelle - Competitor
"Stunt Wars started as a get-together with some friends and turned into a world competition."

Sunday's Individual Freestyle began with Japanese rider Shin's highly energetic technical run. Nick "Apex" Brocha was next out of the gate and climbed around on a borrowed bike like Curious George on a yellow hat. After Brocha's time on stage, Mother Nature decided to make her presence known. The sky opened up and sent the crowd and competitors scrambling for shelter under bleachers and "borrowed" banners. The downpours failed to keep Steve "Sitdown" Jones from Streetfighertz from riding out on his no-front-wheel machine. Then, in one of the most bizarre sights ever, William "Regas" Woods wowed the crowd by stunting a quad, but Woods has prosthetic legs-only at Stunt Wars.

Drastic Dan en route to 9th place.

When the rain stopped the next bit of drama surfaced. The track conditions remained wet despite attempts to blow it dry. Organizers and judges were then faced with the issue regarding the previous two riders who rode in dry conditions and whether they should have to perform for a second time to even the playing field. What they failed to realize was that Shin had been riding on a borrowed bike and had already completely dissembled it to return to the owner. Amid the shrugging shoulders, "Teach" McNeil grew impatient as the judges discussed track conditions and threw down a near-perfect run with the exception of a few slips and slides. The wet surface did take its toll on nearly all the competitors, with many dropping their bikes. Bill Dixon came out of the box with a run that featured all new tricks and was on his way to certain Stunt Wars gold. Mid-switchback burnout, Dixon lost his bearings and smacked directly into the wall. As the bike hit the tarmac, so too went his chances at first place with an immediate five-point deduction. Dixon's stumble proved to be the break McNeil needed to finally kill the curse that had haunted him in previous years.

Joe Dryden - Judge
"I'm not looking forward to getting healthy and competing next year because the competition looks ridiculous."

Shinji Tabuchi - Media
"Ahh-very good."

The team event is always a nice ending to a hectic weekend and allows the riders to have some fun with the pressure of the main event behind them. Team HAI took home the big check with an odd run of synchronized-swimming-style tricks and a disturbing amount of "mandem" riding (two guys on a single bike).

Stunt Wars has continued to evolve and improve with each passing year, but it was the weather that exposed its shortcomings in 2008. Until an objective method of judging can be decided, it will continue to have more of the same cutthroat competition and craziness mixed with a little bit of controversy.