2008 AMA Indoor Trials National Championship
The Race of Human GeckosEast Ridge, TN
July 5, 2008
Photos and story by Bill Ibsen
Geckos, as in the real-life version of the darling little Cockney-accented Geico lizard, have long marveled and puzzled scientists because of their gravity-defying antics, like sticking to glass, and other wacky party tricks. Turns out that gecko toes, under some serious microscopy, have some ridiculously cool micro-hairs allowing them to attach and detach to surfaces up to 20 times per second with minimal adhesion force. Seems they can also detach using non-perpendicular forces, further causing scientists to scratch their erudite heads.
Perhaps these scientists should study indoor trials riders, who have apparently already tapped-into these arcane mysteries.
Remarkable creatures, these, who can stick their slender motorcycles to refrigerator-sized slippery obstacles with gecko-surefootedness. Indeed the abilities of such agile personages are also reminiscent of Borneo's flying gecko's that can soar and land from tree-to-tree. The trialsmasters of this indoor championship certainly would require this treacherous, crowd-thrilling leaping, and so they did.
Riding five sections of someone's sick collection of giant-sized, stacked children's wooden blocks, triangles, and pipes - all brightly colored as if to lure unsuspecting children to play - six gallant pilots heroically launched their bodies and machines at this bizarre FAO Schwarz-ish toy collection assembled in Chattanooga’s Camp Jordan Arena.
QUALIFIER: In the qualifying heat, the less-experienced riders immediately demonstrated the difficulty and danger of riding two-wheeled vehicles over such obstructions as Shaq-sized, razor-tipped triangles by crashing or failing at the mere entrance of most sections. Two-story stacks of narrow red cubes, and a needle-thin, 2x6 board as the passageway up to a second-story height were among the dozens of formidable elements greeting the riders. This was no playground for those uninitiated in the ways of gecko-hood. Yet, wild-card entry and newly crowned 2008 Youth National Champion Karl Davis Jr. and expert rider and instructor Andrew Blaine intrepidly faced the dangers – but paid the price with wrecks and frantic get-offs.
But pros will be pros. 2007 Outdoor National Champion Pat Smage and reigning Indoor National Champion Cody Webb cleaned every inch of the five sections, boldly claiming their spots in the main event. National #4 Gas Gas rider Will Ibsen joined them in the main, along with Sherco USA sponsored Guatemalan Diego Ordonoz, last year's indoor third place finisher.
MAIN EVENT: Representative of the sadism insanity common among indoor trialsmasters, the top-four qualifiers were required to ride the same five sections, but in a backwards direction, escalating the level of rigor.
Diego Ordonez, competing with an injured ankle, promptly crashed out of the Sherco-sponsored blue box and RYP-sponsored red stairstep sections, putting him in fourth place. Cody Webb dabbed once trying to prevent himself from sailing over his Sherco’s handlebars while dropping down two-stories of irregular, but short cubes. His teammate Pat Smage, attempting to replicate a daring Webb tree-to-tree launch and drop, crashed landed on the viciously narrow Scorpa pipe section. This uncharacteristic lapse of balance put Pat in third place. But the quiet surprise of the night was Gas Gas Georgian Will Ibsen, who completely mastered the five sections, launching him into first place with a perfect score of zero points.
Then came the races. Here, two competitors race side-by-side over two sections of wicked triangles and nasty angled obstacles, with the winner of each section/race being the first one over the finish line without dabbing. Or being launched over the handlebars. Third and fourth position riders Smage and Ordonez battled it out in the race sections without any major incident, with Smage easily winning both races.
The winning of the 2008 Indoor Championship came down to the races. In fact, to the last section of the last race, as Webb bested Ibsen on the first race by a split-second. With the two warriors thus tied in points, the crowd began a deafening primal chant as the final race began. Cody Webb pulled up to his start line, and revved out his 4-stroke Sherco to answer back spasms of reverberating, ferocious power to the now frenzied crowd. Ibsen, intent to pull off his first Pro win after his inaugural season, approached the start with equal determination. The “flag” dropped, and both riders thundered from the start line. But at mid-point, arm-pump coursed through Ibsen’s veins, causing a split second error and dab, which thus rendered him a second spot behind the victorious Webb. And sensing the crowd’s thirst for a final display of dominance, Webb proceeded to perform a trials-version of the Nascar victory burnout.
RESULTS:
1. Cody Webb, Sherco 1
2. Will Ibsen, Gas Gas 3
3. Pat Smage, Sherco 5
4. Diego Ordonez, Sherco 17
