Photos: USA BMX Fall Nationals
October 24, 2016 by bmxnews.org Editors · Comments Off
It was a great weekend of Pro and Amateur racing in Southern California last weekend, as the USA BMX Fall Nationals called top talent from all corners of the country–even with the Sunshine State Nationals luring lots down to Okeeheelee. We had great weather, if a bit of a bake on Friday and Saturday, right down to Sunday’s main events when the grey skies turned stormy and muddied the perfect weather weekend.
BMX News 2016 race coverage sponsored by Dan’s Comp
As always, we’ll be comin at you with our recap, but as an appetizer to the details, here are the Friday and Saturday photo galleries (note: we did not shoot Sunday, thanks to flight times out of nearby ONT).
So, give a gander to the galleries, using the links below.
—Mike Carruth
Links
Friday Photos – 2016 USA BMX Fall Nationals
Saturday Photos – 2016 USA BMX Fall Nationals
Elliot McGrath Joins Staats-Ciari
October 20, 2016 by bmxnews.org Editors · Comments Off
We don’t usually have any tasty team change news til right after the Grands, but leading in to this weekend’s USA BMX Fall Nationals, News just got wind that “The Big Guy,” Elliot McGrath signed a deal with Staats/Ciari, and will be in the uniform and on the bike, effective immediately.
We caught Elliot just as he drove in to Lake Perris BMX on Wednesday evening. Here’s what he tols us about his new ride:
When I started BMX 14 years ago I remember going to nationals and seeing top riders like Paul Lange and Mike Day riding Staats. I thought the bikes were awesome, Mike’s chrome bike, in particular. Mike also came to my local track for a clinic shortly after that and I thought that was pretty cool.
Now it’s gone full-circle and *I’m* in that position, racing AA and inspiring the next generation. It’s a dream come true to be riding for Staats and Ciari. I’ve been riding my new bike for a few weeks and it feels amazing, it’s the perfect geometry, size, and stiffness.
The products offered by Staats and Ciari are unique in a very good way. The fork is a monocoque design, meaning it’s all continuous carbon, even the steer tube is carbon! The frame has a couple cool features, the one I like the most is the rear drop out and how easy it is to adjust your chain or change a flat tire.
I’m excited to get the weekend kicked off in Perris, CA with my new Staats bike and Ciari components! I want to give a huge thanks to both Jonathans, Seth, and Jennifer for this opportunity and the people that have supported me through out my racing career.
Back at Staats/Ciari HQ, the mood is high-stoke as well, with one rep telling us:
We were impressed by Elliot—both on and off the track. He is a “heart of gold” type of guy who loves working with younger riders, coaching and encouraging them in their racing. On the track, he shows a lot of promise and he will take his program to new levels now that he has some solid factory support. We could not be happier about our partnership with him; he is exactly the kind of person we want representing Staats and Ciari.
As we noted above, Elliot is on-site at the Lake Perris track already, and gave us a little preview of how things are lookin on the ground, ahead of the mass arrival of West Coast BMXers, later today.
The Lake Perris track is going to have some great racing with a big starting hill, long straights, and new asphalt turns. The track has a couple technical obstacles that can separate people and it will be interesting hitting the pro set during races. Mike Redman and the crew did a great job! The only thing that could be better is if this race wasn’t the same weekend as Okeeheelee and we were able to race both tracks. Maybe next year.
Keep an eye on BMX News this weekend for story and photos coverage from Lake Perris, as well as some action shots of Elliot in action aboard his new Staats steed.
—Mike Carruth
Top photo courtesy of our buddy Steve Diamond Elements.
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