Akron, Ohio, USA - Round #7 of the 8 race IGSA NorAm Downhill Series took place today in Akron, Ohio also known as Rubber City because all of the major U.S. tire manufacturers (Goodyear, Firestone, Goodrich, General) once were based here. Akron is also home to the All-American Soap Box Derby which is the reason that the race took place. Utilizing an all new course that featured both city streets and a newly paved access road, this weekends race was very popular with both racers and spectators alike.
Matt English won a hotly contested Open Downhill Skateboarding Final over Kyle Wester, Luke Melo and William Royce. Due to the smooth operation of the race, the IGSA Officials were able to run off all of the positions in heat races from the quarter finals onward. Winning the Consolation Final for positions 5-8 was Mike Jakubiec with Quinn Finnochio sixth, Max Vickers in seventh and Cam Brickenden in eighth.
Crenshaw Wins In Street Luge
Justin Crenshaw continued his domination of the Street Luge division by earning the win from the number one starting position. Showing that Saturdays performance was no fluke, Crenshaw won each of his heat races on the way to the victory.
Christopher Hicks finished second followed by Kolby Parks in third and William Condon in fourth. Fifth place went to Frank Williams who was the winner of the Consolation Final. Earlier in he day he was the winner of the Classic Luge race. Veteran racer Bob Swartz finished in second. The Consolation Final was marred by an accident between the third and fourth place finishers Tony Mistretta and Victor Schumacher. The two riders collided on the exit of the first corner resulting in a broken fibula and a dislocated ankle for Schumacher.
The IGSA NorAm Series will conclude in two weeks at Frank G. Bonelli Park in San Dimas, California. There are a lot of close points battles that will be decided out west at the NorAm Finals. The NorAm races in Calgary and Akron have been live streamed this year to strong global audiences. Negotiations are currently underway to have a live webcast from Bonelli as well. If it comes together, we'll announce it here first.
Sunday's webcast had more than 10,500 viewers despite it not coming together and being announced until Friday afternoon. It showed the continued growth and popularity of the IGSA NorAm Series and gravity racing in general.