Jamie Bestwick Wins Eighth Straight BMX Vert Final

Five-time Dew Cup champion Jamie Bestwick asserted his dominance once again, using the final run of the competition to win the BMX vert finals at the Wendy’s Invitational.  Brand new tricks were thrown by his competitors, including a huge 540 tire grab from Simon Tabron and a barspin flatspin from Chad Kagy, but it wasn’t enough.

 Simon Tabron, 2nd; Jamie Bestwick, 1st; Steve McCann, 3rd

After qualifying first in yesterday’s prelims, Simon Tabron continued his strong riding, landing the new trick for him (540 tire grab), a huge alley oop 540, a 540 X-up can-can and pulling a 900 in each of his runs. His first run gave him a three-point lead over the rest of the field, and he further increased his lead on the second.

Bestwick had a rare slide out mid-run after doing an alley-oop downside tailwhip and catching his heel on the landing. Considering it’s something he rarely does, he responded in typical Bestwick fashion on his second run with a big alley-oop no-hander, a huge 540 invert and a downside whip into a flair, culminating his run with a crazy fastplant into a 180, using the momentum of his foot on the ramp to spin.

Jamie Bestwick

Jimmy Walker and Francisco Zurita both bumped their scores up in their second runs, but neither could top Tabron’s score. But Steve McCann’s 540 tailwhip at the buzzer, alley-oop tailwhip and turndown flair in his strong second run bumped the Australian up to second place in the standings.

Aside from McCann’s jump, the rankings stayed relatively unshaken throughout the entire competition. But with both Kagy and Bestwick still waiting for their second runs, first place was still up for grabs. Kagy’s attempt at the barspin flatspin caused him to slide out and left the win in the hands of either Bestwick or Tabron.

Steve McCann

Bestwick’s huge airs and stylish tricks and his 93.25 gave him the eighth consecutive win on the Dew Tour, dating back to the midway point of 2008. After two events and a pair of wins, Bestwick has a commanding lead in the overall race of the Dew Cup once again, with a 36-point lead over second-place McCann. Tabron’s second-place showing in Portland moves him into third place in the current Tour standings.

Results

1. Jamie Bestwick, 93.25
2. Simon Tabron, 92.50
3. Steven McCann, 90.38
4. Jimmy Walker, 89.13
5. Francisco Zurita, 89.13

For full results from the BMX vert finals and the entire weekend, click here.

For current Dew Tour standings, head over here.