THE

AIR TIMES

November 10, 2000

ROURKE WINS IN LAS VEGAS

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - Kris Rourke pulled off a win in treacherous winds tonight at the first of two Las Vegas back-to-back stops at TheEdgeSports.com FreeRide Moto-X Championships at Las Vegas Speedway. The windy conditions and challenging jumps made for some serious danger. In practice, a couple of guys got hurt.

Larry Linkogle came up short on one of the two biggest jumps on the course. He jumped off the back of the bike and landed on flat hardpack on his feet, on the dirt protective apron before the downside. He hurt his ankles.

Leonard Cabinatan, from Hawaii, did not fare so well. He jumped the front ramp to dirt landing ramp jump, which had a ramp gap of 90 feet. He jumped off the bike before it reached apogee and started kicking his legs to get his feet under him. He was about 25 feet high. He flew 126 feet before he landed on flat ground on his feet, with his feet just ahead of him, in good position for the impact. He tumbled to a stop. His left femur (the thigh bone) was broken backwards like a 3rd knee. His skin was broken above his left knee about 4" long. He also hurt his right heel and ankle. It was a horrible set of injuries. It should be said that Cabinatan probably did the best thing to land on his feet. He seemed to be injury free for the most part other than that. He saved his head and more vital organs by sacrificing his legs. That was probably the thing that saved his life. Jumpers should always remember to save the head and the crucial organs first.

Brian Deegan came up short on the front ramp to dirt ramp and went away with what was thought to be a couple of broken ribs.  Turned out to be a bruised sternum.

Metzger is still out with a broken arm.

It was windy and kind of cold. The riders did a 90 second run, one moto format. The top 3 from tonight go to tomorrow's contest pre-seeded. The top 5 from tomorrow's contest transfer to the Winter X Games.

Which brings up the subject of the Winter X Games for motorcycle jumping. Freestyle jumping in the snow in 20 degree temperatures? This seems very difficult and painful for the riders. I hope this concept at least gets moved indoors with comfortable conditions.

5 judges judged. Their scores were added together and divided by 5 for an average score. 

Kris Rourke was 3rd to last in the jumping order, followed by Clifford Adoptante and Tommy Clowers. It would come down to those three.

Rourke did a Heel Clicker on the big jump, which was 105 feet or so, to start his routine. The jump was lippy and shorter than the landing. Then he did the other big jump, diagonal to the first, with a Lazy Boy. Then it was a sketchy Seat Grab in the wind. He then threw a Hart Attack Double Grab, immediately followed by a Helicopter Hart Attack, which is a Hart Attack with an upside down Indian Air, like a helicopter rotor. Then it was a sketch No Footer because of the wind, then it was a Superman Double Grab Indian Air. He scored a 90.4.

Clifford Adoptante was next. His routine consisted of a Bar Hop with Look, then a sketch on the big jump, then a big jump with a Cordova. His Saran to Saran was nice, then it was a Lazy Boy, a Heel Clicker, a Superman with a Look, a No Footed Nac Nac and finally a nice extension Cliff Hanger. His score was 89.6.

Tommy Clowers was the final rider. He came out with a Superman Seat Grab Indian Air with a Look, then he hit a big jump and did a Switchblade lookback. Then it was a Lookback No Footed Can Indian Air. He did a No Footer with a Look on a transfer jump, then a beautiful Superman. He busted a Cat Nac, then a Lookback Hart Attack and finished with a sketch Dead Sailor. Although good, his score in the windy conditions was below par for Tommy. He scored 89.4.

RESULTS OF FREERIDE MOTO-X CHAMPIONSHIPS ROUND 1

1. Kris Rourke, 90.4

2. Clifford Adoptante, 89.6

3. Tommy Clowers, 89.4

4. Trevor Vines, 88.4

5. Dan Pastor, 86.8

6. Ronnie Faisst, 86.2

7. Billy Walls, 83.4

8. Adam Pierce, 77.8

9. Justin Homan, 77.8

10. Kris Garwasiuk, 77.4

11. Joey Compise, 76.8

12. Jeremy Carter, 76.6

13. Mike Craig, 75.4

14. Ryan Leyba, 75.2

15. Mike Harris, 75

16. Doug Parsons, 75

17. Reagan Sieg, 70.6

18. Josh Smith, 66.8

19. Jeff Tilton, 66.4

20. Bobby Lee, 62.2