Brent Dubendorff Qualifies #1
Brent Dubendorff on his way to qualifying number on. Photo Silverfish Longboarding
San Dimas, California, USA- On a hot, dry, 32C degree (90F) Southern California afternoon, Brent Dubendorff (USA) from Colorado mastered Seismic Corner to qualify number one for Sunday's North American Downhill Championships.
Defending champion Jimmy Flindt (USA) from Southern California was second followed by Zak Maytum USA) from Colorado in third. Maytum's run also placed him as the top qualifier in Junior Downhill Skateboarding.
Defending NorAm Champion Jimmy Flindt qualified 2nd. Photo Silverfish Longboarding
Jimmy Flindt was the first skater to take a qualifying run. He laid down a really fast time of 1:06.349 and then sat and watched as skater after skater attempted to beat him. For the longest time, no one seemed able to do it. The key to the whole Bonelli course is the negotiation of Seismic Corner. The riders approach the corner at approximately 65 kph (40 mph) and then must brake heavily for the hard, 90 degree bend. Everyone is trying to carry as much speed as possible through the corner since it leads to a long, relatively flat straightawy to the finish. Often the riders carry too much speed and either slide out or have massive impacts with the straw bales on the exit. It's one of the most challenging corners in the entire world.
Finally, late in the session, Brent Dubendorff eclipsed Flindt's time when he laid down a 1:05.909. It was a big moment for the Colorado skater. His team mate Zak Maytum posted a time of 1:07.557 to qualify in third. Since Maytum is a junior, the time also gave hime the pole position for the Junior Downhill Skateboarding race. Rounding out the top five were Billy Meiner from Portland, Oregon with a 1:07.890 in fourth and James Kelly from Sonoma, California with 1:08.128 in fifth.
Danny Connor leads a pack of riders during practice. Photo Silverfishl Longboarding
The Junior Downhill Skateboarding class continues to get more and more competitive. As mentioned earlier, Junior World Champion Zak Maytum earned the number one starting position with his 1:07.557. Tim Del Rosario was a close second with a 1:07.945. Those two appear to have the upper hand going into Sunday's race. Calvin Staub was third with a 1:11.937. In all there are 19 skaters qualified in the class for those aged 17 and under.
Photographer extrordinaire Jon Huey gave Classic Luge a try with spectacular results. Photo Silverfish Longboarding
Street Luge definitely had the most spectacular crashes of the day. Both Brian Lee from Salt Lake City, Utah and Bill Smrtic from North Carolina had spectacular crashes taking out nearly 20 bales of straw each. Fortunately neither of them were injured and both were able to complete their runs.
Riley Meehan used his experience to qualify number one with a 1:06.647. It's hard to believe that the veteran racer is still eligible to compete in the Junior catagories! He laid down smooth, consistent runs all day and made Seismic Corner seemingly with ease run after run. Qualifying second was Mike McIntyre from nearby Gledora with a 1:07.054. Third was Justin Tolman with a 1:08.158. Sunday's race promises to be an exciting one with fast veterans Lee and Smrtic buried deep in the field.
Riley Meehan used his experience to qualify number one with a 1:06.647. It's hard to believe that the veteran racer is still eligible to compete in the Junior catagories! He laid down smooth, consistent runs all day and made Seismic Corner seemingly with ease run after run. Qualifying second was Mike McIntyre from nearby Gledora with a 1:07.054. Third was Justin Tolman with a 1:08.158. Sunday's race promises to be an exciting one with fast veterans Lee and Smrtic buried deep in the field.
The Junior Downhill Skateboarding class has a full 19 entries. Photo Silverfish Longboarding
Classic Luge qualifying was also led by Meehan. Both Junior Street Luge and Classic Luge were paced by Christian Conaway. Kyle Castaneda was pushing hard in both divisions and looks like he and Conaway will have some tough battles in their heats.
Craig Ellis and Warren Focke take off on an inline practice run. Photo Silverfish Longboarding
Scott Peer set the fastest time in Inline Skate qualifying with a spectacular 1:03.570 run. His run was the fastest of the entire day for any catagory. The day was also significant because Scott finally retired his venerable kevlar suit for a brand new set of custom NJK leathers. He put them to good use since he also qualified second in Classic Luge.
A Junior skater negotiates Seismic Corner. Photo Silverfish Longboarding
Special thanks to Erik Basil from SilverfishLongboarding.com for providing photos. Silverfish has posted a Gallery of Event Photos on their site.
Practice get's underway this morning at 8:00am. The big Downhill Skateboard race is set to go off at 11:00am. If you're anywhere within driving distance of Southern California, make plans to be there. The racing promises to be epic.
Practice get's underway this morning at 8:00am. The big Downhill Skateboard race is set to go off at 11:00am. If you're anywhere within driving distance of Southern California, make plans to be there. The racing promises to be epic.
| Downhill Skateboarding Qualifying | ||||||
| Pos | No. | Surname | Firstname | Nat | Qual 1 | Best |
| 1 | 119 | Dubendorff | Brett | USA | 1:05.909 | 1:05.909 |
| 2 | 74 | Flindt | Jimmy | USA | 1:06.349 | 1:06.349 |
| 3 | 560 | Maytum | Zak | USA | 1:07.557 | 1:07.557 |
| 4 | 87 | Meiners | Billy | USA | 1:07.890 | 1:07.890 |
| 5 | 152 | Del Rosario | Tim | PHI | 1:07.945 | 1:07.945 |
| 6 | 58 | Kelly | James | USA | 1:08.128 | 1:08.128 |
| 7 | 288 | DeKeysor | Brent | USA | 1:08.368 | 1:08.368 |
| 8 | 35 | Conner | Danny | USA | 1:08.401 | 1:08.401 |
| 9 | 153 | McCausland | Brett | USA | 1:08.576 | 1:08.576 |
| 10 | 5 | Meehan | Riley | USA | 1:09.413 | 1:09.413 |
| 11 | 68 | Cortez | Romulo | VEN | 1:09.605 | 1:09.605 |
| 12 | 40 | Mercardo | Andrew | USA | 1:09.748 | 1:09.748 |
| 13 | 178 | Pilloni | Louis | USA | 1:09.927 | 1:09.927 |
| 14 | 88 | English | Rylan | CAN | 1:10.046 | 1:10.046 |
| 15 | 625 | Omoto | Kawika | USA | 1:10.384 | 1:10.384 |
| 16 | 164 | Capps | Max | USA | 1:10.729 | 1:10.729 |
| 17 | 264 | Gonzales | Justin | USA | 1:10.778 | 1:10.778 |
| 18 | 147 | Kludy | Rick | USA | 1:11.598 | 1:11.598 |
| 19 | 168 | Johnston | Hugh | CAN | 1:11.781 | 1:11.781 |
| 20 | 582 | Staub | Calvin | USA | 1:11.937 | 1:11.937 |
| 21 | 45 | Sumile | Roland | USA | 1:11.964 | 1:11.964 |
| 22 | 150 | Carrol | Paul | USA | 1:12.552 | 1:12.552 |
| 23 | 620 | Torres | Joshua | USA | 1:12.702 | 1:12.702 |
| 24 | 547 | Cooper | Kevin | USA | 1:13.204 | 1:13.204 |
| 25 | 56 | Clutario | Kevin | USA | 1:13.313 | 1:13.313 |
| 26 | 622 | Hanson | David | USA | 1:13.524 | 1:13.524 |
| 27 | 28 | McKendry | Robert | USA | 1:14.093 | 1:14.093 |
| 28 | 626 | Stetler | Tom | USA | 1:14.582 | 1:14.582 |
| 29 | 131 | Eubank | Pete | USA | 1:16.007 | 1:16.007 |
| 30 | 627 | Porras | Juan | VEN | 1:17.969 | 1:17.969 |
| 31 | 109 | Hampton | Dustin | USA | 1:18.319 | 1:18.319 |
| 32 | 613 | Check | Daniel | USA | 1:18.339 | 1:18.339 |
| 33 | 275 | Linton | Colton | USA | 1:18.931 | 1:18.931 |
| 34 | 624 | Nahemow | Michael | USA | 1:18.993 | 1:18.993 |
| 35 | 229 | Stone | Aaron | USA | 1:19.147 | 1:19.147 |
| 36 | 106 | Price | David | USA | 1:19.728 | 1:19.728 |
| 37 | 559 | Lukoszek | Ben | AUS | 1:20.935 | 1:20.935 |
| 38 | 616 | Verbeest | Alex | USA | 1:21.059 | 1:21.059 |
| 39 | 46 | Koninghausen | Ramon | SUI | 1:21.859 | 1:21.859 |
| 40 | 629 | Mayall | Zak | USA | 1:24.201 | 1:24.201 |
| 41 | 549 | Dubois | Justin | USA | 1:24.739 | 1:24.739 |
| 42 | 191 | Doman | Steve | USA | 1:24.866 | 1:24.866 |
| 43 | 605 | Vigil | Brian | USA | 1:31.351 | 1:31.351 |
| 44 | 615 | Ramos | Noah | USA | 1:31.448 | 1:31.448 |
| 45 | 623 | Staub | Mark | USA | 1:35.029 | 1:35.029 |
| 46 | 589 | Dubois | Quinn | CAN | 1:38.482 | 1:38.482 |
| 47 | 63 | Rutherford | Noah | USA | 1:52.284 | 1:52.284 |
| Junior I DH Skateboard Qualifying (9 to 13 Years old) | ||||||
| Pos | No. | Surname | Firstname | Nat | Qual 1 | Best |
| 1 | 619 | Eaton | Blake | USA | 1:27.168 | 1:27.168 |
| 2 | 628 | Garland | Ricky | USA | 1:28.442 | 1:28.442 |
| 3 | 610 | Morgan | Liam | USA | 1:28.833 | 1:28.833 |
| 4 | 589 | Dubois | Quinn | CAN | 1:38.482 | 1:38.482 |
| Junior II DH Skateboard Qualifying (14 to 17 Years old) | ||||||
| Pos | No. | Surname | Firstname | Nat | Qual 1 | Best |
| 1 | 560 | Maytum | Zak | USA | 1:07.557 | 1:07.557 |
| 2 | 152 | Del Rosario | Tim | PHI | 1:07.945 | 1:07.945 |
| 3 | 582 | Staub | Calvin | USA | 1:11.937 | 1:11.937 |
| 4 | 620 | Torrs | Joshua | USA | 1:12.702 | 1:12.702 |
| 5 | 579 | Ronzani | Nick | KOR | 1:13.907 | 1:13.907 |
| 6 | 621 | Chu | Tim | USA | 1:16.959 | 1:16.959 |
| 7 | 617 | Koss | Ryan | USA | 1:18.217 | 1:18.217 |
| 8 | 624 | Nahemow | Michael | USA | 1:18.993 | 1:18.993 |
| 9 | 229 | Stone | Aaron | USA | 1:19.147 | 1:19.147 |
| 10 | 264 | Gonzales | Justin | USA | 1:24.739 | 1:24.739 |
| 11 | 618 | Koss | Shane | USA | 1:28.148 | 1:28.148 |
| 12 | 614 | Blackmore | Nate | USA | 1:28.169 | 1:28.169 |
| 13 | 606 | Conaway | Christian | USA | 1:28.441 | 1:28.441 |
| 14 | 577 | Henderson | Keith | USA | 1:29.869 | 1:29.869 |
| 15 | 611 | McVitty | Dylan | USA | 1:38.234 | 1:38.234 |
| Street Luge Qualifying | ||||||
| Pos | No. | Surname | Firstname | Nat | Qual 1 | Best |
| 1 | 5 | Meehan | Riley | USA | 1:06.647 | 1:06.647 |
| 2 | 59 | McIntyre | Mike | USA | 1:07.054 | 1:07.054 |
| 3 | 15 | Tolman | Justin | USA | 1:08.158 | 1:08.158 |
| 4 | 87 | Autry | Waldo | USA | 1:10.273 | 1:10.273 |
| 5 | 26 | Conaway | Christian | USA | 1:10.474 | 1:10.474 |
| 6 | 220 | Guarena (F) | Marianne | USA | 1:11.167 | 1:11.167 |
| 7 | 21 | Rutherford | Noah | USA | 1:11.421 | 1:11.421 |
| 8 | 35 | Wilson | Rick | USA | 1:11.704 | 1:11.704 |
| 9 | 224 | Yakubovich | Albert | RUS | 1:12.737 | 1:12.737 |
| 10 | 225 | Higbee | Shawn | USA | 1:12.992 | 1:12.992 |
| 11 | 44 | Iverson Sr. | Ron | USA | 1:18.123 | 1:18.123 |
| 12 | 12 | Lee | Brian | USA | 1:27.725 | 1:27.725 |
| 13 | 251 | Castenada | Kyle | USA | 1:30.084 | 1:30.084 |
| 14 | 169 | Smrtic | Billy | USA | 1:34.167 | 1:34.167 |
| Junior Street Luge Qualifying | ||||||
| Pos | No. | Surname | Firstname | Nat | Qual 1 | Best |
| 1 | 26 | Conaway | Christian | USA | 1:10.474 | 1:10.474 |
| 2 | 251 | Castenada | Kyle | USA | 1:30.084 | 1:30.084 |
| Classic Luge Qualifying | ||||||
| Pos | No. | Surname | Firstname | Nat | Qual 1 | Best |
| 1 | 5 | Meehan | Riley | USA | 1:08.339 | 1:08.339 |
| 2 | 158 | Peer | Scott | USA | 1:10.590 | 1:10.590 |
| 3 | 15 | Tolman | Justin | USA | 1:11.038 | 1:11.038 |
| 4 | 26 | Conaway | Christian | USA | 1:12.373 | 1:12.373 |
| 5 | 251 | Castenada | Kyle | USA | 1:14.027 | 1:14.027 |
| 6 | 23 | Huey | Jon | USA | 1:37.175 | 1:37.175 |
| Junior Classic Luge Qualifying | ||||||
| Pos | No. | Surname | Firstname | Nat | Qual 1 | Best |
| 1 | 26 | Conaway | Christian | USA | 1:12.373 | 1:12.373 |
| 2 | 251 | Castenada | Kyle | USA | 1:14.027 | 1:14.027 |
| Downhill Inline Qualifying | ||||||
| Pos | No. | Surname | Firstname | Nat | Qual 1 | Best |
| 1 | 1 | Peer | Scott | USA | 1:03.570 | 1:03.570 |
| 2 | 2 | Focke | Warren | USA | 1:07.492 | 1:07.492 |
| 3 | 11 | Ellis | Craig | USA | 1:08.205 | 1:08.205 |
| Gravity Bike Qualifying | ||||||
| Pos | No. | Surname | Firstname | Nat | Qual 1 | Best |
| 1 | 6 | McIntyre | Mike | USA | 1:05.389 | 1:05.389 |
| Fairing Gravity Bike Qualifying | ||||||
| Pos | No. | Surname | Firstname | Nat | Qual 1 | Best |
| 1 | 2 | Rutherford | Noah | USA | 1:09.420 | 1:09.420 |