ABA Winter Nationals Phoenix, Arizona

Round 5 of the ABA 2003 National Pro series rolled into the Arizona Desert this past weekend for one of the greatest ABA races of the tour, at the beautiful Black Mountain BMX track in Phoenix, AZ. With temperature in the mid 80's and a packed house of riders and fans, it was a great BMX weekend for all. This was also the first weekend the ABA debuted it sponsorship with Hyundai USA, announcing they would be giving away a 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV to the 2003 ABA #1 Pro. GT and Mongoose also had there team cars from Hyundai on Display in the pits and on the track for all to see. This is what a BMX weekend is all about, good racing, great weather, and an even better show on the track. Here is how the Double A Marketing riders who attended finished up.

Dale Holmes was once again looking to be a top contender when it came time for the mains, as he was one of the fastest riders in practice. In his first AA moto of the weekend, he was in 2nd, until an out of control rider crashed into him, taking them both down in the first turn, and Dale wound up re injuring himself from his bad crash in Tennessee. Dale was able to still race, and chose to race cruiser only, as he finished up with a 1st and 2nd for the weekend, giving him the lead in the Pro cruiser points chase. Dale's sponsors include Free Agent, O' Neal, Smith Eyewear, Kenda Tires, Bombshell Forks, Sun Ringle, UGP, Profile Cranks, ODI Grips, Vans, Shimano, BMXpros.com, & Daleholmes.com

Jamie Staff made his GT / Hyundai Team debut in Phoenix. With the Pro action getting faster and faster, it was great to see Jamie in the Pro main on Saturday, after a short lay off of his BMX, while getting ready for the 2004 Olympics on his track bike. Jamie looked as fast as ever, but a slam from another rider held him back to 6th overall on Saturday. Jamie looks to better his National ranking of #5 that he earned in 2002, aboard the GT Hyundai team in 2003. Jamie's sponsors include GT Bicycles, Hyundai Motors USA, Oakley, Alpine Stars, Answer Forks, Adidas, Troy Lee Designs, Thompson Seat Posts, Sun Ringle, Tioga Tires, Profile Hubs and Cranks, ODI, Tangent Plates and Pads, Shimano, BMXcoaching.com, and BMXPros.com.

Christophe Leveque was in attendance, but did not compete this weekend. Christophe will be racing at the next big ABA National in California next month, as his road to recovery from his injury is over and he is in the middle of training to gain back his ABA #1 Title. Christophe Sponsors include GT Bicycles, Hyundai Motors USA, Fox Racing, Sinister Steering Systems, Tangent Plates and Pads, ODI, Tioga Tires, Shimano, S & M Slam Bars, King Hubs, Easton Seatposts, Profile Cranks and Sprockets, and BMXPros.com.