DIRT FINALS COVERAGE LIVE
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The guys are walking around the course for one last time.  The practice runs are over and the cameras are now on.  The field of 20 is now a field of 10 and there is no Nastazio, there is no Murray, Chris Doyle scared us all in the qualifiers when he fell on his first run, but made up for it to qualify third.  Most of all though there are some people that just don't like Nyquist, and some people that love him.  Then there are those that simply don't know him but respect his skill... which he has plenty of.  He couldn't beat out Allan Cooke to qualify first, but can he do it in the finals?  Will he put it all out on the edge and step things up enough to take home the gold medal which he so desperately wants on his shelf.  We will start the finals in a couple of minutes and we shall see soon.

The running order is from last place in the qualifiers to first place, so we will see Scott Wirch throwing down the first set of tricks.  The lights dim and the crowd gets loud - it's probably about 10,000 people strong in here.  Yet, they can't find any music better than the same "Hells Bells" crap they played last year (played out)!  I like AC/DC but give me a break.  Same color, same TV show... what are the odds?  If there was Murray in the lineup it could even be the same results.  Hmmm...  Okay, I'll shut up about that and look for Scott to drop down the roll in and head towards the first jump of the six pack before he heads up the SECOND roll in on the opposite side of the arena.  When he comes down that roll in he only has to contend with a four pack, but it's a really big set that allows huge tricks to be thrown down by the riders who have the skill to do so.

Finally the lights are back on and the riders are taking a quick chain through the jumps.  A few nice tricks, and nobody fell which is what counts.  They are all at the top of the roll in and they are ready to go on their first of four runs.  This will be a while.

Scott drops down the roll in and does a quick 360 and then an x-up and finally a tailwhip on the last set.  The crowd at the top of the second roll in hopes for an autograph?  A big loop turndown and then a 360 no footed can-can to finish things off.  He definitely is pushing things much harder than yesterday and the judges may show some respect for the boos they received earlier in vert judging.  His score of an 84.80 is respectable, but leaves a lot of room for improvement.

Next up a nice 360 x-up and a 360 the other way are thrown out by Paul Kintner.  Back in he transfers a big turndown and then a 360 lookback x-up to no-footer.  That was a very, very serious run from Paul.  The judges say 85.00 and first place for the moment is his.

Mark Kehl must be out for the event or up later because up now is TJ Lavin.  He is all set to make the drop down the ramp and he starts it off big with a x-up 360 and a nice indian air seatgrab to a double truckdriver.  Straight back in to a 360 x-up to a nothing superman stretched way out from the bike...  I wasn't sure he would be getting back on the bike after that one.  First place easily.

Mark Kehl seems to be out of order or he tied TJ and I didn't realize it. A backflip to x-up (same air) and then a one handed x-up then a nice turndown... almost biffed on that landing - really close.  Next set is a loop to a nearly perfect 720...  Slightly over rotated though and he clips the signage on the side of the course to slide across a little bit of dirt.  He had no business falling.  82.60 for last place and a lot of room to improve on.

Brian Foster is all set to show us how to do some 360s I would bet.  He drops to a 360 invert then a x-up and a nice truckdriver.  He does a nice transfer turndown and finishes up with a big flattie 360 that was a little close to missing the landing altogether.  He didn't miss though and his score hits a solid second place with 86.60.

Colin Mackay is ready to go and show his dozen or so sponsors who he is.  He comes in and hits a no-footer to turndown then a tailwhip to x-up and finally a barspin on the last set.  A big barspin to turndown and finishes with a superman seatgrab that leaves him slipping the pedals on the landing.  A little harsh so maybe a little off the scoring for that.  The judges liked it enough to give him third for now.

Next up will be Kris Bennett who came in all over the number four position yesterday.  He is looking to step tihngs up at least one position I would bet but has to worry about Doyle, Nyquist, and Cooke who have yet to run.  Kris drops:  no-hander, 360 x-up and then a 360 x-up the opposite direction.  Not big enough I would say, but not a bail either.  Second set:  no trick to no-hander to turndown on the second jump.  He seems really off this round so hopefully he can raise the level some in a little bit.  Last place.

Just lost the Internet connection for a minute so hopefully I didn't miss anything...

Chris Doyle is set to go a x-pup 360 and a nice tailwhip then a big turndown 360.  He goes super big every time he hits a jump and it's great to see.  A turndown and a nice double truck over the last big set to finish things off.  He scores a BIG 89.00 for that run which vaults him up into first place.  Big, big, big, big!

Speaking of big, that would of course mean that Nyquist is up next and looking for blood.  Gold colored blood and nothing less.  Flatland blows my mind he says before he gets ready to drop down the roll in and start this years journey to X-Games Gold (?) - A loop barspin then a rocket no-hander and a double truck driver to finish the first set.  Straight up then back down he throws the loop to a near perfect 720.  Those damn signs have claimed a SECOND rider which I think is just bullshit.  But, I guess you have trees on real trails so signage is only appropriate here right?  The judges say the signs screwed him up so he deserves the landed jump (which he really did have) first place and everyone else drops a spot.

He qualified first so you have to expect him to keep up that same level of riding now.  Allan Cooke has the nice Mt. Dew green helmet on and just a few tricks ready to go.  So let's go.  He drops and does a loop x-up and then a whip to a 360 seat grab.  Back on top and back down it's a loop  to a big nothing can-can.  That trick is so big and so awesome to see.  Just totally off the side of the bike.  91.20 and the clear first place holder for the moment, Allan has it all together right now.

SECOND RUNS

There is a brief pause between runs so I can breathe and rest my hands for a minute - maybe two.  We will head back to the top of the list though so get ready for the riders to cut loose again.

Scott Wirch drops a 360 x-up and then a no-footed can-can one-hander and finishes with a 360 on the first straightaway.  He comes back in and hits a loop to a truckdriver on the last big set.  That may not move him up at all, but it definitely shouldn't bring him down either.  Or he could get an 80.80 and stay where he is... barely.

Next up we have Paul again who is looking to up his seventh place spot a big 360 lookback and then a 360 flattie then a 360, one-handed flattie.  Style for sure.  Second set is a 360 lookback and finally a one-footed flattie with lots of style over the last jump.  The 360 thing is so big with these guys it's amazing.  The judges say 82.80 and he stays where he is in seventh.

TJ is ready to go back down the roll in and to move into the medal contention from his current spot at four.  He drop sand a 360 is first and then a barspin over the second to x-up, the last set is a huge turndown loop.  Next a setup air to a perfect 360 whip.  That was a really, really big set for TJ.  Perhaps that barspin in the middle or the setup may bring it down a little bit, but I would call that the biggest run of the day so far for my sucky judging eyes.  Yep, the judges are booing that one.  Guess my eyes are better than the judges.

Next up is Mark again with a loop x-up to a barspin to barspin and a truckdriver.  He gets to the top of the second and back with a big loop to a 720 WAY over rotated on the last set.  His second time down on the 720 and I'm sure he's bummed.  He has to be perfect from here on out to have any hope of improvement.  Only a 79.20 which drops him to tenth.  Bummer.

Brian Foster is back up to take a stab at it and he drops.  A 360 x-up to a no-footed can-can and then somewhat of a flattie.  Back in for a huge 360 and a flattie to finish things off.  He has some skills for sure, but I don't understand the judging that puts him so high with no variety in his tricks and not much more style than the other guys out there.  He drops one spot to number six and Colin is pushed up a spot by that run.

Colin is up again and can go even further if he can push it.  A loop then a big no-footed can-can fully stretched finishing with a 360 turndown.  Now a x-up and finishing up the four pack with a big double truck to an x-up (same air).  That was a definite improvement over the other guys we have seen recently.  His score doesn't change much and he hold the five spot.

Kris Bennett I am sure is looking to push things up a notch for this run.  A no-hander to turndown and then a nothing and finally a turndown 360 to finish up the first set.  His second set holds a turndown and finally a no-hander to a turndown one-footer.  An improvement, but the scoring from the judges are going down, not up, let's see what they think.  Enough to move him up one spot to eighth.

Chris drops to a 360 and then a 360 x-up and finally a tailwhip superman.  He has some mad style out there that really helps his scoring.  He comes back in for a turndown and then a big suicide barspin 360 - mad style.  He stays in third with a 88.40 and some serious flow.

Two riders left and the battle is definitely on!  Ryan comes down the roll in and hits the first set with a loop x-up and thena rocket air double barspin and finishes with a double truck.  Next set is a loop barspin and then a no-footed can-can on the last set.  That  loop barspin was super sketchy he barely pulled it... so that can-can at the end was almost landed on top of the ramp instead of on the landing transition.  He scores a dismal 88.20 which puts him in a tie for second with Doyle.  He definitely is downed on that one.

So, one person who is nowhere near downed is the last rider of the day...  Allan Cooke is way up on top and he is only looking to improve.  Down the ramp, to the jumps...  loop barspin, nothing seat grab, and a truckdriver round out the first set.  Next set is a turndown and a big superman seatgrab to finish things off.  He goes big and does the tricks that tend to get on the covers of magazines.  Simply unbelievable.  A little bit lower on the score, but not much, and definitely not enough to take him out of first.

THIRD RUNS

Scott begins the thrid set of runs with a 360 tabletop and a can-can 360 with a no-hander in the middle to start things off.  He comes back in with a loop no-hander to a turndown 360 to finish it off.  Not as big as the top guns, but a solid run.  Much improved though with an 87.00 and jumps to 7.

Every guy here has a chance to make it onto the podium still, but there are a few guys who simply look like that's where they belong...  Allan, Ryan, and Chris.  But up and comers like Paul are really pushing it.  A no-footer to turndown and a 360 x-up then a 360 x-up the other way on the first set.  Back in for a  360 and a huge 360 the other way straight to the ground.  Not that hard so he's fine.  But it won't help his score.  Can't blame THAT fall on the signs now can we?  He drops one position to 9.

TJ hits a 360 lookback and a tailwhip then a barspin to barspin on the last set.  He is ready to really rip things up and takes a second on the top of the second drop in.  He drops, a barspin then a what the hell was that?  A superman seatgrab 360?  Holy cow, I would have to say, yes, that's exactly what it was.  Screw that!  His position doesn't change but his score on that was over 90 which is the second highest score of the day.  He is in a very good position going into the final runs.

Mark Kehl is ready to move out of the basement and he starts witha 360 x-up and a 360 flattie then a truckdriver to round things out in the world of 360.  Next roll in, a loop no-hander and a triple TRIPLE barspin - more accurrately, a barspin, to barspin, to barspin to ???  whatever.  These guys make it look so easy.  He only gets a 87.00 though because despite a huge last trick, the other stuff was only on average with what the other guys are doing.  Not much more.

Foster 360's the first jupm to a turndown and then a tailwhip on the last set.  His 360 is way high!  A ftable top to a big tabletop 360 on the last jump.  That wasn't his best run by a long shot and despite some style thrown in, there was a lack of something... oh yeah, tricks.  A few tricks over 5 jumps isn't going to cut it here for sure and the judges say 85.80 with no change in position...  I think they are being generous - not that we have seen anything like that before.

Colin Mackay is up again and drops... a loop then a 360 x-up and finally a lookback 360 the other direction.  If you can't turn both ways you suck (kidding)!  A quick turndown then a  superman tailwhip to finish things off.  The big last trick seems to be the rule here. He holds onto the five spot with that run, increasing his score slightly.

Kris heads to a one footed x-up and a x-up on the second, no trick on the third.. ouch.  Second set is a setup and then a nice one-hander one-footer (I'm just screwing around air) on the last jump.  He has decided that run wasn't worth it...  77.60 let's throw that one away okay? 

To the top three Christ a big 360 x-u a whip and finally a 360 double barspin on the last doubles.  He's back at the top and comes in again with a turndown and a nice 360 no-footed can-can.  That's it for his third run and I wouldn't expect his score to do much.  But it's only a 88.40 which drops him down just below TJ..  he's off the podium unless he steps things up for his last run.

The guy in second is up again, Ryan comes down the roll in, barspin loop and a no-footed x-up then a rocket air double barspin.  Second set a barspin then a barspin to no-handed loop.  Backflips should be so easy that everyone can do hard combos during them without thinking.  But was it enough?  91.20 is tied for the highest score and brings his score up to an 89.53 and promises of some 'cool stuff' in his last set.

Allan - ever heard of him?  You will from now on!  He comes in for his third run and does a loop x-up thena nothign to x-up and finally a nice whip on the last set.  Not as big as his other runs though I would definitely say.  Good, but not as much oomph.  He drops for the second set and hits a x-up then a truck driver to a no-footed can- can on the way out.  Consistent for sure, but not as big.  Definitely not enough to knock him out of first though.  He gets a 90.40, a definite 'high' score for that run.  But there is room for Ryan to make up the difference in the last set of runs.

LAST RUN

A few minutes to go and lets face the facts...  This score will either be super big for some of these guys or it will be totally worthless.  If they are going for it then they don't want 'smooth' they want big.  There is the chance for Ryan to move up a spot with another 91.20 score or better and he definitely has it in him.  But Allan can hold him off.  TJ has been moving up throughout the event but doesn't look like he can do better than third- if Chris Doyle lets him hang onto it.  The other guys?  Yeah, they can move up, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Scott Wirch drops a 360  then a no-footed can can and finally a nothing on the last set.  He makes his way up quickly then drops back down for his last two jumps.  A loop x-up and finally a truck driver to x-up, barely pulled, to finish things off.  He was going for it and is probably happy with his runs, but it won't be enough to really help enough.  He moves up one spot and that'll be it.

Paul comes in with a 360 x-up then a 360 flattie and finally a 360 one-footed x-up on the third jump.  Down again quickly with a 360 lookback and a 360 lookback to x-up on the last jump.  Paul did well but only gets an 83.00 and moves up one spot.  Nice way to finish things up for him.

We have only a few guys left but TJ is the guy - x-up 360 a barspin to x-up and finally a tailwhip on the last one.  He's on top of the last roll in and is looking down and thinking to hit something really big.  A setup and finally a huge double loop to face.  No wheels on that landing at all and the crowd has fallen deathly silent.  He isn't moving right now so let's keep our fingers crossed.  It's been a couple of minutes and it looks like he may be moving around a little bit.  They are playing advertisements to keep us happy.  Only in America.  He's awake now and seems like he may be alright.  He took it really hard so if he is able to walk away without much in the way of injury he gets mad props.  That'll really put a damper on the rest of the riders runs though.  He gets up and walks away from that.  Dazed and confused perhaps, but walking on his own.  Give him a few Advil after that one for sure!

Back to business I would say, and they didn't show a score for TJ so it probably wasn't that good.  Anyway, we are back up with Mark Kehl.  Loop to 360 x-up and a tailwhip on the last set that he crashes on.  Like I said, one big wreck and it shuts everyone down.  He calls it a run and the rest of the guys take a warm up run again.

Foster goes for the transfer of the contest - about 40 feet maybe more - Wow!  Then a nice barspin a transfer on the return trip and a nice barspin on the last jump.  His style is huge his tricks may not be enough though.  He broke his bike in half during practice and gets the high score with a 91.40 on the last run - 87.93 and fifth place for Brian.  He seems really stoked on that run and is just happy to be here and was able to ride at the X-Games and do so well.

Brian really pushed things up for the last guys.  Colin Mackay drops and starts with a x-up to turndown a big tailwhp and a whip 360 on the last jump of the first set.  That means only bigger - a x-up and a enormously stretched no-handed 360 over the last jump.  He is in the zone and nothing will throw him off.  He's up to fifth and Brian drops down one notch to number six...  that's it for Colin.

Kris Bennett needs to step things up if he wants to do well.  A no-hander then a 360 x-up and 360 the other way on the last jump.  As he works his way to the top of the second roll in you have to think he isn't stepping it up enough...  A turndwon and a nothing seatgrab to no-footed can-can on the last jump.  Big stuff for sure, but not stepped up the way the other guys have done it.  He scores a 85.20 and overall gets a 84.20 for eighth place.

Chris must do it - a 360 x-up a talwhip on the second and a 360 no-footed can-can on the last jump.  He has those down pretty much to perfection.  He drops again after a second of though and hits a big whip then a huge turndown 360 to finish things off.  A perfect run, yes, but even the huge whip on the first jump of the second set I don't think it'll push him ahead of TJ...  But a 91.00 - and 89.47 it moves him UP to third place!!!

The top two positions are definite... but the order is not!  Ryan can only go up...  but Allan CAN go down.  Ryan has all the potential in the world but does he have the skill right now?  He drops in and starts with a 730 then a 360 x-up then a switch handed 360...  STARTS with a 720?  Balls - pure balls!  A x-up then a big lookback 720 on the last jump that got away from him.  He will pay the price for that... maybe to much to go for.  He scores a 86.40

ALLAN COOKE WINS GOLD!!!

He still has a run - but he can't move down.  5 dead sailors will win it for him.  He's ready though - he want his last run...  so what do we get from him when he's already pocketing twelve grand?  A loop x-up a x-up and then a perfect 360 whip.  Nothing but style and skill from a guy who's riding for the glory now.  A loop and a one-handed fist pump to Gold.

That's a day ladies (I hope) and gentlemen (some of you).  Ryan is denied once again and Allan gets the podium spot for the first time ever.  The medal is his forever and he is joined by Ryan with another silver and Chris Doyle who beats out TJ Lavin who took the hardest bail I have ever seen on dirt.

Look at the GALLERY for images and then go ride...  after all, that's really what it's all about right?

RED INDICATES LOW DROPPED SCORE!!!