Bill Dixon never ceases to...
Bill Dixon never ceases to amaze. This time it was a 70 mph backwards stoppie that wowed the crowd.
Known as the best track on the XDL circuit, Nashville Superspeedway gives the riders a lot of room and a smooth surface to fully unfold their creativity. 2010 has seen an evolution towards a new display of aggression and flow and the large competition area was conducive to exciting and dangerous runs.
The Sartso Women's Cup saw...
The Sartso Women's Cup saw its largest competitor field to date and was contested in the rain. Allie DeFresco took the win and qualified herself for the Finals in Indy.
The highlight of the weekend was the FMF Cup event that featured Shin Kinoshita from Japan and reigning champion Bill Dixon. They exhibited two completely different styles that were both equally exciting because they combined speed, fluidity, innovation, athleticism and aggression into a cohesive two-minute package. Both runs left the audience awestruck. Dixon took the win in FMF Cup and Kinoshita was a close second for his best ever XDL finish in three years. Kinoshita said that he started feeling confident after the first practice sessions when he realized he was on a good bike: "This was the first time I had a good bike to ride in a long time and I built more and more confidence as the event went on. If I could bring my Japan bike to the US and leave it here, who knows, I might be contending for the win consistently."
Aaron Twite took the top spot...
Aaron Twite took the top spot in the K&N Circle Challenge. Note his custom frame for the 636; it has the stock motor mount points and can be made to accept any type of forks, swingarm and so forth. It's made from steel and weighs eight pounds more than stock.
As always, the Speed and Strength Sickest Trick competition ended the weekend and it was once again a showcase for the rapid progression of tricks in the sport. Bill Dixon stole the show with a big, fast trick. He performed a switchback stoppie, but started it 400 feet outside the competition area so that by the time he was passing under the Red Bull arch he was already at about 70 mph-backwards. Dixon admitted afterwards that it was the most scared he had been in some time. He said he messed up the stoppie on his first attempt because his heart was beating so quickly he couldn't concentrate. He had the opposite effect on people in the audience, making everyone else's hearts stop.
The large riding area allowed for some savage exhibitions. Brian Bubash's high-speed drifting got a little out of control though.
FMF Cup Final
1st - Bill Dixon 153.5
2nd - Shinsuke Kinoshita 148.5
3rd - Nick Brocha 134.0
K&N Circle Challenge
1st - Aaron Twite
Speed and Strength
Sickest Trick
1st - Bill Dixon
Sartso Women's Cup
1st - Alie DeFresco 63
2nd - Leah Peterson 59
3rd - Brandy Delosier 50
Freestyle Burnout
1st - Joe Dryden