Salt Lake City – September 20, 2009 – Great Britain-native Jamie Bestwick won the BMX vert finals on Sunday at the Dew Tour’s Toyota Challenge, marking his third straight win of the 2009 season.
Bestwick’s flawless run included a flair over the center bank gap, an alley oop tailwhip and a 540 alley oop, giving him a score of 93.38. The win puts Bestwick 54 points ahead of his closest competitor in the Dew Tour rankings, making him the top contender for the Dew Cup, an honor he has received four consecutive years.
“I was really tired going into this, but that was one of the best runs I’ve had in a long time,” said Bestwick. “I’m so excited and proud of myself, and this puts me in a good position going into Orlando. I want that Dew Cup!”
However Bestwick wasn’t the only rider wowing the crowd during the vert finals. Second-place finisher Chad Kagy of Gilroy, Calif. landed a Superman seat grab over the bank gap and a nac nac x-up one-hander during a run that earned him a score of 92.13. The third-place spot on the podium went to Melbourne’s Steven McCann, who threw out a tuck no-hander 540 and a flair tuck no-hander for a score of 91.13.
Notable riders included Tim Wood of Australia who threw out a 900 followed by a flair in his first run and went for back-to-back 900s in the second. Fellow Aussie Vince Byron competed in his first ever Dew Tour finals, landing tricks like a 540 tailwhip and a 540 barspin.
The four-day competition featuring skateboarding, BMX and freestyle motocross is the fourth of five events on the Dew Tour, which will continue on to Orlando for the conclusion of the 2009 season. Over the four days, 57,329 fans experienced the Dew Tour at Salt Lake City’s EnergySolutions Arena.
Dew Tour’s Toyota Challenge Sunday, September 20, 2009 Salt Lake City
BMX Vert Finals
1. Jamie Bestwick, Great Britain, 93.38. 2. Chad Kagy, Gilroy, Calif., 92.13. 3. Steven McCann, Australia, 91.13. 4. Tim Wood, Australia, 90.75. 5. Simon Tabron, Great Britain, 89.00. 6. Vince Byron, Australia, 88.75. 7. Jimmy Walker, Chicago, Ill., 88.63. 8. Kevin Robinson, East Providence, R.I., 86.50. 9. Francisco Zurita, Chile, 86.50. 10. Austin Coleman, Los Angeles, Calif., 84.38.
Dew Tour Rankings – BMX Vert
1. Jamie Bestwick, Great Britain, 300. 2. Steven McCann, Australia, 246. 3. Chad Kagy, Gilroy, Calif., 236. 4. Simon Tabron, Great Britain, 214. 5. Jimmy Walker, Chicago, Ill., 208. 6. Kevin Robinson, East Providence, R.I., 196. 7. Vince Byron, Australia, 184. 8. Francisco Zurita, Chile, 172. 9. Dennis McCoy, Kansas City, Mo., 161. 10. Jay Eggleston, Denver, Colo., 151.
