Enarson Grabs the Lead in Portland’s BMX Dirt Prelims

Portland may be known for other things, but after tonight’s BMX dirt prelims, it might just become known for the level of dirt riding the city produces year after year on the Dew Tour.

Dennis Enarson Opposite Double Tailwhip

Right out of the gates, it was clear that big tricks and tons of style would be a rider’s ticket to the finals.

Dennis Enarson, who won here in ’07, jumped into the lead on his first run with an opposite double whip. Right on his heels was dirt newcomer Andy Buckworth, whose Superman frontflip bumped Enarson into second place and showed that the Australian rider will be a threat on the dirt jumps for the rest of the year.

After Diogo Canina added a sixth element to the course by backflipping out of the course and taking the lead, Enarson fought back and reclaimed the lead with a 90.50, thanks in large part to a triple tailwhip and a suicide no-hander out of the course.

Diogo Canina Downside 360 Whip

And that was just the first heat.

In heat two, Anthony Napolitan and Corey Bohan each did their part to challenge Enarson’s lead with their runs, and even though they couldn’t break into the top three, they still made it into the finals.  

After bailing on his first run, Nyquist was on the outside looking in, but his second run, which included a pair of 360s spun in opposite directions and a 720 barspin, put the two-time Dew Cup champion into third place.

Ryan Nyquist Nothing

With all the insane riding taking place in the prelims, fans will be in for a treat when Friday’s BMX dirt finals roll around. The top nine from today’s prelims advance to face the top three from Chicago’s Nike 6.0 BMX Open – Luke Parslow, Brandon Dosch and the Dew Tour’s youngest winner, 15-year-old Brett Banasiewicz.

Immediately following the BMX dirt finals, Paper Tongues and Neon Trees will co-headline the MTV2 Rock N Jock Concert Series starting at 9pm.

Results

1. Dennis Enarson, 90.50
2. Diogo Canina, 90.13
3. Ryan Nyquist, 89.88
4. Andy Buckworth, 89.00
5. Corey Bohan, 88.75

For complete results from BMX dirt prelims and all this weekend’s competitions, click here.

Tickets to tomorrow’s festivities get you into both the BMX dirt finals AND the concert. To get tickets, click here.