Gravity Slashers Rocks Phoenix

It didn’t take long for things to heat up in the valley of the sun.  The fans in Phoenix rocked the U.S. Airways Center from opening ceremonies right thru the final encore.  Sean Nielson got us off to a fast start putting together a nice seat grab Indy air with a look back Hart attack right behind it.  His 87.5 wouldn’t be enough to advance to the finals but he set the tone for a great night.  Derek Burlew gunned his Ogio powered YZ250 and went to work quickly.  DB went deep into his bag of tricks looking for a spot in the finals.  He lit up the crowd with a cliff hanger and a switch grab Indy air.  His score of 89.8 gave him a shot to make the transition to the finals.  Keith Sayers rolled out next and used all 60 seconds to the best of his ability.  “Say Ya” got inverted twice and threw in a nice super can for good measure.  His tally of 86.5 looked to be a little short of what he would need to advance but he was happy with his run and gave props to the crowd for being so rowdy.  Nick Dunne busted loose next and took flight directly with a super flip and a new trick he is calling a laid back no handed candy bar.  His tally for the run was 91.8.  The last rider in the first half of qualifiers was Dustin Nowak.  He put together two very nice flip combos and got a great response from the crowd, but his 87.1 didn’t look like it would be enough for a spot in the finals tonight.

During the first break the fans in Phoenix were treated to an unusual sight in the desert; a snowmobile rocketing around the floor with 2010 X-Games Best Trick Gold Medalist Heath Frisby at the helm.  Heath hit the ramp a couple of times to test things out for his run after the finals where he would bring Nick Dunne and Keith Sayers with him for their show stopping three man flip with the Ski-Doo and the two bikes all getting inverted simultaneously.   As always the crowd loved it and was on their feet cheering and high fiving.

The second set of qualifiers started off strong with Rich Kearns doing a major double grab look back Hart attack to go with several flip combos but an aborted Cordova flip may have cost him a trip to the finals.  Drake McElroy broke cover after Richey Rich and went straight to work with a gravity defying whip that he landed smoothly and set him up for his specialty the crowd judged whip contest.  Julian Dusseau was the next rider to display his talents and “JD” has been steadily improving all year.  He nac flipped and drilled a heel clicker flip on his way to a 91.9.  Greg Hartman had his lovely wife with him this week and the extra support was all he needed to get back to the finals.  “Superman” broke off a very stylish super flip to go with a big double grab Hart attack.  He hit his last jump in the nick of time for it to be scored by the judges and he was headed to the finals with a 92.1.  Brody Wilson was the final man with to the floor and he was looking for a big run after a tough week in Sacramento.  BW’s Air Express took flight with a three step side show and a tremendous rock solid to go with several flip variations.  He took the top qualifying spot with a 92.5

Tonight whip contest had five riders vying for the coveted bragging rights here in Phoenix.  As is our custom we let the crowd judge our winners.  Dunne, Dusseau and Kearns all got some hang time but McElroy and Burlew separated themselves from the group.  DMC struck a pose on his whip nac, but DB took the honors tonight by whippin’ both left and right, with the left whip getting him almost all the way upside down. 

Nick Dunne made it clear from the start that he wasn’t going to be happy with a second and his super flip was out of this world.  He put up the number to beat with a 92.3 and could only wait and watch the next riders take aim.  Julian Dusseau ran well in his 80 seconds and was able to hit every trick he went for, but he came up a little short with a 92.1.  Greg Hartman filled the third spot and hit all three ramps flipping two of the three.  He pulled a heel clicker flip along with a big seat grab Indy.  He took over the Hot Seat with his 92.4.  That left Brody Wilson who looked focused as he came out of the tunnel and it was clear from his first trick, a KOD flip, that he meant business.  He put a Holy Grab in the run that had him off the bike for a full three seconds.  He also tossed in a one handed lander flip that was a thing of beauty.  When the dust settled he was our winner with a 93.3.

It was another awesome show on the Gravity Slashers tour and the fans in Arizona were definitely fired up.  We head to Cleveland next week and I am sure the folks in the Midwest are looking forward to a great show in the home of King James, Quicken Loans Arena.  Get your tickets early for the best seats in the house and we will see you there!  mxannouncer@hotmail.com   David Knisley