This should be great for the spectators, and really let some pro's fling out the steez.
National Champs at SolVista Bike Park
- Thread starter ballr
- Start date
Stoked!
Kyle,
Kyle,
Talk about building a buzz for an event. Littermag has an awesome new piece on Shaun Palmer.
This is probably going to be the best US race of all time. ...I heard a rumor pros don't have to qualify? Does anyone know if this is true?
It has. Simply put, the National Championships determine US representation at the UCI World Championships. UCI will not accept DS results for the MX World Championships.
BTW, hope all you CAT 1s are up for fun. You have your DH and MX finals on Saturday (actually within several hours of each other).
communism
i was wondering that myself....especially since Palmer is racing. i didnt think he qualified since he hasnt been racing in over 8 years.
oh, well there you go
For those of you wanting to see more of Sol Vista, that footage from Litter with Palmer riding is the very bottom of the park and courses. That section you see (whoops, big berm, small dub/berm and huge table) is what is usually used on the end of the race course. Could be different for the nats, but at least you get an idea of the build and features. 
Dunno if this has been posted already or somewhere else, but here is a preview of some booters that are gonna be on the DH course. They are BIG!
http://www.littermag.com/2009/us-nationals-pro-dh-track-jumps/
http://www.littermag.com/2009/us-nationals-pro-dh-track-jumps/
anyone have any info on the cat 1 track?
Cat 1 2 3 all have the same track as far as I have heard, pro's are the only ones to get their own track.
tru dat
I really hope the Cat 1 course isn't too weak! One of the great things about the racing up here in PNW is that the Fluidride Cups run Cat 1 races on the same track as the pros.
Hopefully there's enough latitude for the course selectors to include some challenging lines when they tape it....
Please make the Cat 1 track worthy of a National Championship Event!!
Dude, it's Sol Vista. They know what's up.
Rest assured the CAT 1,2,3 track will be challenging and fun for racers at every level.
so experts are racing a beginner course for the national Championship or are beginners racing a expert/pro course for the national championships ?
Thats all fun and dandy but there is a huge gap between the top guys in cat 1 and cat 3 guys regardless if they are amateurs. It's not rocket science.
Guess you'll just have to show up and find out for yourself. Neither the beginners or the experts will be racing the pro course. If the Cat 1 2 3 course is anything like the MSC series final course of last year, it seemed to satisfy the experts who raced it. I don't recall any complaints from people on site, and there weren't nearly as many posts complaining about the course last year ( I don't recall any), as there have been e-bitching about a course nobody has even seen yet this year.
Last edited:
you all worry too much.
here's a race course from last year's g3 (buc nasty...every class had to race it). I DO NOT KNOW IF THIS IS THE TRACK FOR AMs, but it gives you the idea of the terrain at SolVista and what "could" be in your track (every jump has a go-around, too).
here's a race course from last year's g3 (buc nasty...every class had to race it). I DO NOT KNOW IF THIS IS THE TRACK FOR AMs, but it gives you the idea of the terrain at SolVista and what "could" be in your track (every jump has a go-around, too).
Last edited:
Who's bitching? I hope you didn't interpret my request to the event organizers as a complaint. I only wanted to point out that I'm anticipating a challenging track for a National Champs race and I asked the question.
Regardless, I have every intention of coming to check it out and I also have confidence in the Sol Vista guys that they'll make this an event to remember.
Let's keep it friendly.
Yes, that was point I was trying to make. The Cat 1 tracks we typically race in these parts wouldn't be suitable at all for a Cat 3 racer and vice versa.
That being said, I've received some reassuring news from the organizers that we have a worthy course in store so I'm not going to sweat it. Thanks Sol Vista! This is going to be an AWESOME NATIONAL CHAMPS!!!
Fair enough, "e-speculation" would have been a more PC term. Knowing both the trail crew at Sol Vista as well as the potential courses they can choose from for this event, there's a really good chance they will come up with a track that should provide an adequate challenge.
I wanna see people hitting those BOOTERS on the pro course for sure!!!
The courses at Sol Vista are designed by riders not by promoters. Everyone raced the same course last year, there were go arounds for the sport and beginner riders on various sections. My assumption is that the same will occur this year on the amateur course.
There is only so much time in the build season and the Sol Vista crew are building and entirely new Pro DH course and a MX course. They are not slapping it together in the standard NORBA day-before fashion, but rather actually taking their time and building something worthwhile for the race and the venue.
I realize that NORBA has allowed a pretty low bar to be set over the last couple years, but from talking with some of the guys at Sol Vista. They want to change that.
There is only so much time in the build season and the Sol Vista crew are building and entirely new Pro DH course and a MX course. They are not slapping it together in the standard NORBA day-before fashion, but rather actually taking their time and building something worthwhile for the race and the venue.
I realize that NORBA has allowed a pretty low bar to be set over the last couple years, but from talking with some of the guys at Sol Vista. They want to change that.
Same goes for the difference between a top pro and a cat 1 guy...
For all those whining (or pretending not to whine but still whining), everything is challenging at speed, so kick it up a notch if it's not enough for ya.
^100% true. the only one who has the right to complain about the track being "too easy" is the WINNER!For all those whining (or pretending not to whine but still whining), everything is challenging at speed, so kick it up a notch if it's not enough for ya.
sick looking terrain out there. if the race was a month later, id be there.
wasnt it in Mt Snow?
That stuff looks sweet! Thanks for posting!
haha ya it is. i wonder what the roll up looks like
The approach to "Negro" is quite fast.
It looks like they do not kid around with the Hucks for that race. Wish i could make it. I love a good Huck