Flair whip from Bestwick at XG15. Not the Dew Tour, but let's face it, if you've seen one vert comp this year, you've seen them all. Bestwick dominates, and the real battle between the rest of the class is for second place.
Big surprise here. Jamie Bestwick won vert at the Salt Lake City stop of the Dew Tour, affectionately known as the Toyota Challege. This win marks his third straight win of the season. Finishing in second place was Chad Kagy, with Steve McCann grabbing the third place spot. At this point, I would imagine Jamie is thinking, "Dew-d, where's my car?"
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. Full results from vert are below. Can Bestwick take the Orlando stop and make it a four-peat? All signs point to yes. Till next month.
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.
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