Kieran Reilly and Sasha Pardoe continued to dominate the Backyard Jam National BMX Freestyle Series in the second round at Rampworld in Cardiff.
Elite park
The men’s elite park category saw another big win for Kieran Reilly after qualifying second. First place qualifier, Dylan Hessey, looked unstoppable with relentless big tricks and fast bar spin combinations on every part of the course, forcing Reilly to give it everything he had. Reilly started run two with a 720 tailwhip and proceeded to hammer out most the massive combinations. Highlights from his run included a quadruple tailwhip, a 360 double tailwhip to barspin and a perfectly executed 360 whip to table to land him the win.
Jack Watts had a notable performance, laying down one of the cleanest and best runs, with a variety of tricks and style. Watts finished his run with a 360 double bar spin (no catch) right at the buzzer to claim third place as the top three were separated by only 1.25 points.
Other stand out performances include Ash Finlay’s fourth place upon returning from serious injury, while Tom Russell was a crowd favourite with the best style and highest airs of the final, finishing win a respectable fifth place.
Sasha Pardoe continued her dominance in the elite women’s category, starting her run with a clean 360 on the first hit, going on to execute stylish tricks and fitting in more scoring moves than anyone else in the field.
Holly Pipe put down her best performance yet, feeling at home on her local park. Pipe pulled a perfect backflip, a big 360 and a quarter to quarter gap that no one else did all weekend.
Rising freestyle star, Elsa Rendall Todd, grabbed a lot of attention from the crowd with some incredibly powerful riding and the biggest back flip out of all the women in the competition. Todd had some great transfers and smooth lines, showing her skill as a BMX supercross racer, and how it translates into freestyle park.
Elite street
Local legend and one of the best in the world, Jordan Godwin, came out swinging to defend his title from the same event last year. Godwin knows the rails and ledges at Rampworld better than anyone and proved just why he has such a large following. With flawless runs of incredibly technical grinds and combos, he took a stunning first place win.
Antonio Carrizo-Smallwood came in second, improving on his sixth from round one. Smallwood’s runs were filled with style and difficult tricks, including a double tyre ride to 180 downside tail whip off round up rail.
Last year’s National Series overall champion, Harry Mills-Wakley, took home the final spot on the podium. Mills-Wakley got the highest ‘best trick score’ of the competition with an ice pick grind to hard way 360 on his final attempt. Street riding legend, Alex Kennedy, took home a very respectable fourth place.
Amateur park and amateur street
The amateur park category was one of the most fun competitions to watch, with some incredible talent coming up, and even a Romanian and Australian rider making the trip out to compete. Tyler Wainwright backed up his round one victory with another top place performance. Rampworld and Cardiff local, Reece Jackson took second place with consistent runs and a great best trick performance. The third spot went to Morgan Thornley, with a clean run and a truck driver to no hander for his best trick.
The amateur street competition was heated, showing how bright the future of street riding is in the UK. Drew Elias has a massive run score to top the podium, while round one winner, Will Pearce put in another solid performance, resulting in a second place finish. Spike Flynn took home third, improving massively on his first round performance.
Youth park categories
The youth park categories displayed some heart-warming and extremely exciting performances as the youth BMX park scene continues to thrive.
Local under-15 rider, Harry Gorman took home second place after returning from serious injury, and narrowly missed out on top spot to the sensational Harry Schofield. Schofield pulled a 360 tailwhip and a back flip bar spin in his run – an incredible feat for the young rider. Chase Weighill took third with some excellent execution on all his tricks. Ellie Gunnell and Ffion Pickstock put down some very impressive performances in the girls’ equivalent, with Gunnell securing the win.
The under-12 boys’ category was intensely battled between The Kennedy brothers, Jason Urbas and Steven Peach. In the end, it was Lukas Kennedy who took the win once again, with nonstop difficult tricks. Millie Brooks improved on her second place from round one, taking the victory this time ahead of Tia Walton.
Seven-year-old Oliver Baker was over the moon to win the under-9 boys' category at his local park, ahead of Cruz McCran and T-Jay Walton, while Alex Cartmell took the win in under-9 girls.
