Manchester Nats ~ Pics by Abi
Here are some photos of the action from the Manchester rounds of the BMX National Series, taken by Abi.
Check out more great pics at; www.abitaylorphoto.com
Here’s a great one of Cal Strickland, tearing the track up in training. Cal got 2nd on Saturday, a fantastic result!
An incredible amount of work went into the track to make it ride well for the Nationals, with the whole Manchester club pitching in to complete drainage work (with David Zebrok and John McLeod braving the insects to drain the swamp that used to occupy the 1st straight), reshape jumps, resurface the track and perform general tlc. Andy Drelincourt could be seen, just, in the dark the Thursday before the racing applying sprinkles of dirt to the lips of the jumps. The work paid off, with an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response to the track from racers.
Carhartt’s banner greeted the riders as they crossed the finish line. Carhartt sponsored the event and provided some of their clothing for raffle prizes, as well as giving away plenty of stickers to racers and spectators alike!
Girlracer were on hand to support their team riders, Izzy Ferrada, Chloe Napier and our own Valerie Zebrokova. Girlracer have an excellent website with news from the world of motorsport, water sport and of course extreme sports including BMX. They also have a section on their site devoted to the athletes, with profiles on Izzy, Chloe and Val that include interviews and links to sponsors.
EA brought their excellent infrastructure to the Nationals, including the commentary tower that was home to Rich Eames and Scott Dick for the weekend (ok, not literally home for the whole weekend, but you get the point) The commentary really made the wekend an “Event” with the dynamic duo’s mix of knowledge, wit and enthusiasm. Terry Green was also in the Tower of Power making sure the music matched the exciting action.
The prize….
Trophies awarded to Boys and Girls 20″ categories were much sought after… I’d like to think that’s because they were presented by yours truly but apparently it’ s because they look cool with their Carhartt centrepiece….
And the winner is……
Marcus Bloomfield took the glory on both days. He’s on blistering form at the moment and also took the time to give an interview to Channel M before his final on the Sunday.