National BMX Series - Bournemouth

• Results: Round 9 | Round 10
  
• Series: Rider Rankings | Team Rankings | Club Rankings
  
• Previous reports from the series: Rounds 7 & 8 | Rounds 5 & 6 | Rounds 3 & 4 | Rounds 1 & 2

The last national of the year saw us head to sunny Bournemouth and I had a shopping list; fish and chips, kiss me quick hat and some rad BMX racing. I got two out of three, can anyone help me out with the hat...?

6 and under; Alex Brooks had this one wrapped up before we even got there but Ethan Craik kept him honest with his only national appearance of the year. Had Ethan raced all year long it would have been a lot closer. Travis Wilson and Owen Camm were two and three for the year.

7's; Kobi Joyce was on his home track and wanted the win and he took not one but two! It didn't stop Matthew Hutt winning the title with Kobi 4th overall but to end the season like that is nothing but good news. Ryan O'Loughlin took second for the year and Alex Brookes third.

8's; Finn Hall took the Saturday win and the title for the year. It didn't make and difference to Ross Cullen as he had a point to prove on Sunday as he stormed to a win. Josh Peters kept it consistent with a 3rd and a 5th.

9's; Gideon Orena took the title but had Euan Hunt and Ethan Vernon on him like swine flu all year long. Jamie Norris Still didn't have the best weekend but took 4th for the year. Gotta shout out Shay Casey for a number six finish in his first year of racing, expect better things from this guy in the years to come.

10's; Eddie Moore took the win on Saturday and Louis Gray Blest made some moves to win on Sunday. The most consistent rider of the year was Ben Turner who racked up the number one and I'm sure he'll wear it with pride in 2010.

11/12; Oh my days...How rad is this class? Fabian Shaw decked it on Saturday which did him no favours, Reece Brownson got semi'd too which didn't help his cause. On Sunday it came down to the final lap of the year between Jordan Hatcher and Jimmy Orena, the gate dropped and Jimmy didn't get the start he wanted whereas Jordan was on home turf and knew exactly what to do. Jordan took the win and Jimmy took a 4th. In the commentary tower we'd worked out beforehand that Jordan needed the win and Jimmy needed 3rd or better to take the title. Agonisingly, Jimmy got 4th and you could see by his body language as he crossed the line that the title had gone and he knew it. The points were calculated and indeed it had gone, one point was all that separated them...one point!! Paddy Sharrock took his sublime skills to third overall, if only he had the power to go with it.....ah well!!

13/14's; This could have gone any which way if Jacob Roberts' injured wrist had prevented him from riding. Luckily it didn't and he wrapped up the title by making the final on Sunday. He then went on to double up for the weekend as well. Dan Pullen and Michael Hawker have been right there with him all year long to make for some top quality racing. Then we have the likes of Cam Howard and Quillan Isidore (remember Derby? That swoop?) Cemil Sabri had a good year too with a number 8 plate and a lot of experience to build on. A rad class for sure...

15/16's; Dom Skidmore had a shocker with crashes and mechanical issues but on the other hand Ben Clarkson had the kind of weekend most riders dream of by doubling up and winning this class on both days. The lad was on fire and looked so solid whipping the bike over jumps and generally signifying his intent for 2010. Robert Hawker kept it consistent with two 4ths and a 6th for the year. Jack Hall took the title, look out Junior Men for next year. The last thing to mention was Phil Harwarden's innocuous looking crash, I honestly thought he was lying there for dramatic effect till I saw the reactions of people near by. A double fibia break and one in the tibia led to surgery, two metal plates and a long road to recovery. Get well soon Phil, healing vibes buddy...healing vibes.

Girls; Darcie Taylor has been getting heat from Trinity Camm in recent weeks but she took the wins and the title at Bournemouth. Kim Baptista took two wins and a title back to Mid Lancs as well. 10-12 Girls went to Jenny Noble for both the weekend and the year but Valerie Zebrokova will have renewed motivation for next year on her new Redline. Ayesha McClelland had the 13-15 title in the bag but Amelia Silvestre and ‘Fizzy' Ferrada were all over her all year long. I've accused the cruiser ladies of being ‘samey' before now (and it cost me an earful off one of them..) but there were no less than seven riders on the gate this time round! Clare Morrison stepped up to take two wins with a big smile and had some battles with Nikki Spiers and Abi Hill to boot. Michelle Rickett had a huge off on Saturday and broke some bones, let's hope she's fit and well soon ‘cos it looked like a bad one....

Cruisers; Owen Baxter took the 12 and under title, Ben Clarkson did the business in 13-15 on the day (a double double?) but Cam Howard had the title. 16-29 saw Josh Hanlon step up on his dad's cruiser and smooth it on Sunday, the title went to Mark Maddox though from Dan Pople in second. 30-39 was already in the hands of Alan Hill but it didn't stop the SE pairing of Reidy and Baldwin keeping us entertained with a pair of one two finishes and some nosedive action. James Christie took two 4ths, a 5th for the year and no notice of the fashion advice he gets from the rest of the class.... ;) Bernie Schaale rocked up on the blingest Supercross Envy cruiser which was polished to within an inch of its life and took it to a win on Saturday. Unfortunately the combination of OCD and Mr Sheen conspired to snap his cranks on Sunday mid lap, I still think Bernie should be on Dialled Bikes for 2010, the name fits him perfectly!! Jon Moore has a number one plate for next year as well. 45 plus was down to three riders as Ady had the title, Phil Beer took the win this week.

Masters; Paul Cope had one thing on his mind; getting the win after a full season of trying and on Saturday it came good with a perfect gate and a bike length lead by turn one. His local Primark will be mourning his loss as he'll be Freeagent'd to the max for 2010. Matt Barnard won on Sunday and took the title. Nice to see Freeagent TM Ben Thombs on the gate too, we haven't seen him racing for years!!

19 plus; Gareth Bates had a stellar weekend with two wins but it wasn't without some heat from James Chadwick who wanted a win on his home track. Alas, it wasn't to be but you can see the confidence shining through and I reckon we've not seen the best of him yet. Strangely, the title race was a bit of a damp squib as it was decided by neither of the main challengers making it out of Sunday's semi!! Zoltan Buday took the number one after Lee Baker unclipped in his semi and couldn't take advantage of Zoltan's less than great lap either. Lee Taber was back on a bike for the first time in ages which was good to see as well.

Junior Men; Adam Brazil had the title but there was no shortage of drama. Kyle Evans took a harsh slam on Saturday and a number 3 for the year. Tre Whyte took a win on Sunday after getting semi'd on Saturday. Dan McBride took his smoothness to a second on Saturday but his gates are not quite there, if he can them sorted I reckon he'd be winning on a regular basis. There are so many good riders I could go on all day but I won't, class of the year without a shadow of a doubt!!

Junior Female; Charlotte Green took the title but had to chase visiting US pro Stephanie Barragan round for the weekend but she was pretty close for the most part. I'd love to see how Charlotte would fair at a race in the States, I think she could make a pro girl main especially as she's not afraid to jump stuff given half a chance. Ria Goodman got two thirds with Lauren Smith and Emily James in close proximity.

Elite Men was abuzz seeing as Danny Caluag was in town to get a flavour of what UK racing is all about. Intense's main man showed his class with a win on Saturday and a second behind Liam Phillips on Sunday. Kelvin Batey took his title for the year and two thirds. Robbie Goodman took a 4th and a crash and Ashley Davies made the main both days at the age of 37!! His gates are mint too, I could watch them all day long!! Tuffy gave it some second straight boost (loved it!) and Laurence Mapp made a return from injury before he gets married (congrats!) We still need more Elite riders though! Also, Cal Strickland took third for the year, no sponsor, flat pedals, loving that one as well!!!

So that's it, 2009 nationals are done and dusted. Just the Brits to go and we are back to winter, and that's something I'm not looking forward to....