Santa Monica, CA., August 12, 2008
Words and photos by Carbon8 Contributor: Kristian Jaeger
Round 3 of the XDL Sportbike Freestyle Championship took place on the hallowed asphalt of the NHRA drag strip, offering the riders some of the best traction of the season. Nick Apex, Bill Dixon and Aaron Colton all scored within one point of each other making for one of the closest competitions in XDL’s young history. The event also marked the halfway point of the 2008 season and slowly a points picture is emerging with at least 8 riders in realistic contention for the championship, including Brocha, Flores, Dixon, Hart, Colton, Emmons, Farris and Niles. But should any of these riders falter, there are another five ready to pounce.
Nick Brocha came in expecting a top 5 after a tough Nashville outing, and bettered his expectations by taking his second win of the year. "I was so disappointed with how I rode at Nashville... which was good because then I did what I always do; I get mad, I go home and I ride every day for hours and hours in the 106 degree Vegas heat. So my expectation was to come here and do well." As if winning the main wasn't enough, Brocha also took Circle Challenge by breaking Andy Niles’ win streak. Said a smiling Nick Brocha: "Any time I make money I'm extatic, but beating Andy Niles in Circle Challenge is something I thought I would never do."
Bill Dixon repeated his solid 2nd place finish from Nashville, putting him in the thick of the points chase. Asked about his expectations for Pomona, he said: "I came here, drove 2,600 miles so I wanted to do well enough to pay for the trip." He did, but it wasn't easy. "I had a tire problem and I don’t know why...I definitely could have rode better." Dixon added to his paycheck by also taking Target Stoppie by less than three tenths of a second, one of the closest finishes in recent memory.
Aaron Colton took top qualifying honors and with it, the bonus point. In the main event Colton thought he had the competition covered for his first win of the season but ended up a disappointing third. "After qualifying and after riding (my run) I thought I was going to win it." Stated Colton: "I'm not trying to be like a Mladin here or anything and complain about everything...but when I heard the results I felt like I got royally shafted." Colton filed a protest and video of the run is being reviewed to see if any changes are merited.
Alex Flores, who predicted a Pomona win after Nashville, couldn’t deliver but still leaves tied for first in the championship. "I had a little crash in practice at the spot...but that is no excuse. I just need to ride harder next time." Said Flores about his finish: "I’m happy with the results. 4th isn’t bad. I’m still in the points chase." He plans to pull through at Indy: "I’m bringing everything I’ve got. I’m going to train all month and ride my best."
Next up is Indy on September 12th & 13th, the biggest event of the year. All riders will bring their A-game so don’t miss the action. If you are in town for MotoGP, stop by the downtown XDL venue for some hot nighttime sportbike freestyle action. All competitions and demos start after track activities at Indianapolis Motor Speedway are concluded and the venue is open until midnight. For complete XDL results and too keep up with the series, please visit xdlshow.com.
Results Summary:
Individual Freestyle:
- Nick Brocha
- Bill Dixon
- Aaron Colton
- Alex Flores
- Lin Eshalom
Target Stoppie: Bill Dixon
Circle Challenge: Nick Brocha
Sickest Trick: Nick Hernandez
For complete results and the points standing, please visit:
http://www.xdlshow.com/results/results08.html
For more information on Indy please visit:
http://www.xdlshow.com/events/2008/indy/info.html
For media credentials please visit:
http://www.xdlshow.com/events/2008/indy/media.html
For more info on XDL, please visit:
http://www.xdlshow.com
Informational materials on XDL are posted at:
http://www.xdlshow.com/resources.html
The XDL Sportbike Freestyle Championship is the only national stunt riding championship, now entering its 3rd season. XDL is the leader in reaching the core 20-year old sportbike demographic with a 6 event 2008 schedule that includes NY, Nashville, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, Phoenix and Long Beach. Cumulative attendance will exceed 75,000. Hundreds of thousands will read about XDL in notable publications such as Super Streetbike, Cycle News, 2 Wheel Tuner and Motorcyclist. Millions more will view XDL content on major web sites such as motorcycle.com and octanetv.com.
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