Graves beats Bubba Harris

[bmxbandit]

thats right, last night at Nerang, the Bubba Harris pro invitational BMX race was on.... Graves had a 2 bike length lead by the first turn and held off a last straight bubba charge for the win!
results......

For those who dont know who Bubba Harris is...he was 2005 world champ, 3x ABA AA pro champ, and widely considered the best bmx racer in the world

1. Jared Graves
2. Bubba Harris
3. Steve Janssen
4. Wade Bootes
5. Jamie Gray
6. Todd Pascoe
7. Joel Clark
8. Michael robinson

[bazza]

todd pascoe is townsville isnt he?

[Harder Nox]

video's?????

[Ryan]

Yeeeeuw, holy shit Graves! Going to Beijing much?

[demo man]

woohoo!

So good to see him ripping it. Talking to a bunch of the BMX riders at Blakhill they were all really impressed (when I say that, I mean speechless) with Grave's first straights - apparently he's got the best first straight any of them have ever seen and could imagine. So, go Gravsey!

That was all talkng about the Nerang thing, now I guess this probably prooves their case - 2 bikes lengths after the first straight on the guy known as the best BMX racer in the world...

Can't wait to see Graves at Stromlo!

[Vicious_Fishes]

jeez we've got mtb'ers winning road races, downhill road races, bmx competitions...

now all we need is a mtb'er kicking ass in motorcross & we've just about covered it ! :p

well done mr graves:D

[jjperko]

Thats awesome, but is this the end of mtb for graves? With all this talk of Beijing etc it would have to be tempting to move to the dark side.

[Drizz]

Thats awesome, but is this the end of mtb for graves? With all this talk of Beijing etc it would have to be tempting to move to the dark side.

Being an "Olympian" certain means higher exposures and possibly more income and is definitely a great move. Dunno how the BMXers will feel about it but my view is "First in, Best dress, gets the cash".

[at the drive in]

Thats awesome, but is this the end of mtb for graves? With all this talk of Beijing etc it would have to be tempting to move to the dark side.

I dont think so Micheal prokop races both bmx and 4x and dominates at both

[jjperko]

I dont think so Micheal prokop races both bmx and 4x and dominates at both

Thats probably fair enough but what about downhill? Prokop doesn't race dh as far as I know and doing 3 disciplines would be a bit hectic.

[MrPlow]

Well done mate.

Thats awesome, but is this the end of mtb for graves? With all this talk of Beijing etc it would have to be tempting to move to the dark side.
Jared is locked into a contract with Yeti, and still loves MTB too much to ditch it. So I wouldn't stress about it. Now I want to see Jared get on a road bike and kick butt there too:D

[Mr Peabody]

Yes very impressing riding from Graves, the whole track stopped for that race which is impressive in itself, im not taking the shine of the win but Bubba had only been in the country less then 24 hours and only done less then half a dozen hots laps around the track. Man that guy did a bump jump in an earlier moto im still shaking my head in disbelief. Good to see how the both go in Melbourne next week. But Graves has first straight pull!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! like no one else at this moment. As for moving to the dark aside, the chance to represent you country at the olympics is everyones dream. Luke Skywalker went to he dark side and returned and only made him stronger :eek:

[S.]

Just SLIGHTLY impressive :eek:

My money is on total demolition of the next 4x series he undertakes (again!)... seriously that is just nuts.

[lopes]

It was also a fitting reward for Jared after unluckily missing out on the overall win in AA Pro at Nerang the week before. He also took out the Pro open final on Saturday which should help his bank balance.

Taking nothing away from Jared, but that race highlighted to me just how good Bubba is, because he had only been in the country 24 hours and had spent all day in the sun conducting coaching clinics.
He then rocks up and does about 5 laps in total at Nerang, goes back to his hotel to sleep, then comes back and does another lap, gets a very bad gate and finished within a whisker of arguably our current fastest bmx'er.
It would be scary to watch him if he was switched on, primed to race.

It showed we have a lot of work to do in Australia, because there are a number of guys racing in usa that are currently as fast as Bubba.

By the way, Bubba is a man mountain in real life, with massive chest & shoulders - much larger than he looks on the videos.

Also BMX & MTB could not have better ambassadors for the sports than Bubba & Jared - they are dedicated racers and deserve all the success they get.

[leitch]

go gravey!!!!

i think it can be relied on that jared is not going to be "moving to the dark side" considering he has always been a rediculously good BMX racer, and as such nothing has really changed. im pretty sure it was in his MTF or something where he said he was going a bit easier on the MTB stuff this year to focus on his bmx racing, so realisticly, i think everyone can just chill and know that the man will be around killing everyone in 4x for a while yet

[brooko]

jeez we've got mtb'ers winning road races, downhill road races, bmx competitions...

now all we need is a mtb'er kicking ass in motorcross & we've just about covered it ! :p

well done mr graves:D

Well it might not be as far away as you think,Sambus(hill)is an absolute machine on a moto 07kx250f,supercross or motocross his got the skills and cornering ability to ride with the best!

[bmxbandit]

Bubba still didnt exactly just rock up and ride, he had the track to himself earlier in the arv when noone was there, did practice before racing and had 3 race laps before the main event, so he had quite a bit of track time really, and i certainly wouldnt say he got a bad start, riders such as Jamie Gray,Wade bootes and Michael Robinson were also in the race, all some of the worlds best bmxers also, its not like he was just racing the locals (even though those 3 are locals)

[Ryan]

Bubba still didnt exactly just rock up and ride, he had the track to himself earlier in the arv when noone was there, did practice before racing and had 3 race laps before the main event, so he had quite a bit of track time really, and i certainly wouldnt say he got a bad start, riders such as Jamie Gray,Wade bootes and Michael Robinson were also in the race, all some of the worlds best bmxers also, its not like he was just racing the locals (even though those 3 are locals)

On form at the moment, beating those 3 should have been a formality for Bubba unless he was riding on one leg. If I had to go out on a limb, I'd say Graves is Australia's number one on a 20" right now, snapped Kama et al last week in Nerang then snapped half of them again plus fricken Bubba Harris a week later.

Seriously. Graves in the Olympic BMX team or I'm going to have to eat like a whole pile of hats. Over the last fortnight he's handed most of the AIS 'High Performance' crew their asses.

[treksubaru]

truely a great gate line up. great read about the race at the site below.


http://bmxa.actbmx.com.au/bmx/news.asp?schID=2&oID=5&oName=BMX+Australia+Inc%2E+%

[Gripper]

With an olympics berth potentially being a "once in a lifetime" opportunity for any athlete, surely Yeti/Graves can work out something to see Jared represent his nation in what is arguably the worlds premier sporting arena.

If I had an athlete on my company with the potential to win an olympic medal, I'd be doing everything possible (if he/she wanted) to make sure they'd be competing at the olympics....
that being, building them a BMX (hey, Yeti) or trying to sub-sponsor them to a BMX Co.

Maybe Jared can give us an insight................

[Mr Peabody]

heres the link for footage of the race - http://media9.filewind.com/g.php?filepath=3278

click on the ''download''

[demo man]

heres the link for footage of the race - http://media9.filewind.com/g.php?filepath=3278

click on the ''download''


Holy farkin shit! :eek:


Thanks so much for posting that up - Notice the guy with the Camera is following Bubba though, which is to be expected. :rolleyes:

That was some super fast stuff though hey - I was expecting Graves to be in easier to spot green Yeti kit though, oh well. I wonder what the crowd was like when they heard Graves had taken it out..Same for Bubba, wonder what he and Graves said to each other after the race.


anyway - I know Graves is an amazing rider - but it doesn't stop me from being amazed everytime I watch him!

[SCHOEY]

I wonder what the crowd was like when they heard Graves had taken it out..

Maybe bmxbandit or someone that was there could tell us....

Well done Jared

[lopes]

Maybe bmxbandit or someone that was there could tell us....

Well done Jared

I don't think it was much of a surprise after Jared's top form over the previous weekend at Nerang.

Props to Jared, but Bubba certainly made up a lot of ground after an average start.
Bubba's class and speed was obvious during his few laps, and watching him in person was a real eye opener - talk about style.

I hope Jared's contractual arrangements enable him to make a proper run at the olympics.
Dont overlook Prokop either - he seems to be able to switch between winning at mtb & bmx effortlessly.

[top_dog]

I reckon that a Yeti BMX bike would be nearly the coolest thing on two wheels.

[Mr Peabody]

Holy farkin shit! :eek:
Thanks so much for posting that up - Notice the guy with the Camera is following Bubba though, which is to be expected. :rolleyes:
That was some super fast stuff though hey - I was expecting Graves to be in easier to spot green Yeti kit though, oh well. I wonder what the crowd was like when they heard Graves had taken it out..Same for Bubba, wonder what he and Graves said to each other after the race.
anyway - I know Graves is an amazing rider - but it doesn't stop me from being amazed everytime I watch him!
Jared was wearing a black TLD top not his yeti, the crowd was cheering for graves and bubba right to the line and then a zillion kids descended on them, really good stuff to see everyone so hyped.

[Mr Peabody]

I reckon that a Yeti BMX bike would be nearly the coolest thing on two wheels.

I dont actually think its a ''YETI'' some one will correct me if im wrong but he was previously riding a specialized with a white paint job and yeti stickers, dont know if he is still on the same bike ??

[MrPlow]

I dont actually think its a ''YETI'' some one will correct me if im wrong but he was previously riding a specialized with a white paint job and yeti stickers, dont know if he is still on the same bike ??
It isn't a Yeti BMX, but it is the best BMX you can buy (whatever that is)...

[SCHOEY]

I reckon that a Yeti BMX bike would be nearly the coolest thing on two wheels.

I dont actually think its a ''YETI'' some one will correct me if im wrong but he was previously riding a specialized with a white paint job and yeti stickers, dont know if he is still on the same bike ??

I dont know if top dog was actually saying it was a "YETI", I think he said that "a" YETI (if there was one) would be the coolest thing.

[suspectdevice]

With Graves and Kintner in Austrailia right now you guys pretty much have the 2 best bmxers in the world that don't seem to give a rats ass about the olympics.

[SCHOEY]

With Graves and Kintner in Austrailia right now you guys pretty much have the 2 best bmxers in the world that don't seem to give a rats ass about the olympics.

Where are you getting your info from? I know form the Graves side of things you are wrong.

[Dozer]

There is no doubt that Graves could be very competitive at the Olympics. I say that because I don't think anyone evr doubts Gravesy when he rides anything! Good result and thanks for the download of the video! He is very impressive to watch. Well done and good luck for this year mate!:cool:

[DOM]

I heard Jared rides hard on a Uni cycle aswell ! amazing !

Mtbers have always been competitive with the bmxers I remember an old Story about some "Power output record" that was held at the AIS by some BMX pro .. apparently Rennie rocked up and smashed it first go haha ..

Good to see Jared sticking it to em

[blt2ride]

Big congratulations go out to Jared! That’s a huge accomplishment; Bubba Harris is a full-time BMXer who is very fast and very consistent.

[bmxdu]

It isn't a Yeti BMX, but it is the best BMX you can buy (whatever that is)...

I think from memory hes riding a revtec. www.revtecbmx.com

[Mr Peabody]

Just a quick update on Jared Graves, he won the UCI round in Knox, Victoria on the weekend, had a couple of mates in attendance and said he was on fire !!! He is really going to have to kick twice as much ass as everyone else to get noticed though

[SCHOEY]

Just a quick update on Jared Graves, he won the UCI round in Knox, Victoria on the weekend, had a couple of mates in attendance and said he was on fire !!! He is really going to have to kick twice as much ass as everyone else to get noticed though

Great performances 3 weekends in a row, sounds like Jared is on a mission to be noticed.

[125PHIL]

Just a quick update on Jared Graves, he won the UCI round in Knox, Victoria on the weekend, had a couple of mates in attendance and said he was on fire !!! He is really going to have to kick twice as much ass as everyone else to get noticed though

yeah i was down at knox to watch the round! and yeah all 3 motos, really unchallenged for the lot, and there were some big names that turned up (madill, young, kamikaze, strom, gray). He was coping a bit of slack from his slingshot style gate starts, but hey, you cant go anywhere till the gate drops!
in the final, clipped khalen youngs wheel off the line, then led the entire thing, was a bit swirly in the back straight rythym section, madill was alot smoother, but graves took it all! fantastic to watch!


and of topic, buchannan has some good competition in the womens......ziggy callan....fast!!!!

[Road Rage Ryan]

. He was coping a bit of slack from his slingshot style gate starts, but hey, you cant go anywhere till the gate drops!


What I don't understand is why don't the other guys adopt his technique instead of bitching and whining about how unfair it is. If his technique is hard to adopt surely then that is because it requires a certain level of skill to master. To me BMX must include a component of skill for it to be enjoyable to watch. If gates starts started to get modified you have sanitised the race to an even playing field where the person with the biggest motor will win. Personally I say if someone finds an edge good on them.

[Ozza]

He sounds like a fairy to me :)

[juzzo]

I dont actually think its a ''YETI'' some one will correct me if im wrong but he was previously riding a specialized with a white paint job and yeti stickers, dont know if he is still on the same bike ??
half correct, he used to ride a specialized
It isn't a Yeti BMX, but it is the best BMX you can buy (whatever that is)...
correct
I think from memory hes riding a revtec. www.revtecbmx.com

correct, he's just powdercoated it and slapped some yeti stickers on

[Sic]

Thats so cool im not even sure what to say. Graves really is on it at the moment, its a real shame he didnt race the 4x in NZ for the worlds.

[Hopper]

What is his slingshot start? How does it go, is it just the standard start you see at the top level 4X where they lift their front wheel before the gate drops and pretty much push on the gate as it drops?

[Mr Pants]

Graves also won the latest UCI round at Knox, Vic. We'll be showing it on SBS Cycling Central this weekend (Sunday 5.30) as well as the Nationals 4X that he'll most likely win too.

[juzzo]

What is his slingshot start? How does it go, is it just the standard start you see at the top level 4X where they lift their front wheel before the gate drops and pretty much push on the gate as it drops?

its where u push back from the gate and as the gate drops u propel yourself foward, takes a fair bit of skill to pull it off

[125PHIL]

The controversy was about he was pulling back a fair way, like a footish, so othey were saying its too much, either way he got skill, and he was like a rocket down that first straight, impressive~

[MrPlow]

So what's the problem with that then?
I suppose if you could stall yourself a bit once you have popped off you could time the gate better?? I don't get why others complain / wouldn't do it themselves?

[BOBCATZZ]

There is nothing wrong with using the sling shot it is actually an old school method still it works for Jared so sucko to the rest ,
Also all the top 4x ers ride and race also train on bmx a lot more than they have us beleive .As every thing happens a lot faster on a 20 inch bmx then when you step up to a 24 or 26 its like your driving a bus .
It allso shows us how closely related 4x and bmx is much like superx and mx
SX a full on man made groomed surface like a bmx track MX more natural terrain dust ruts un groomed same as 4x.
Be keen to find out what Sean Dwight olympic BMX coach thinks about it all as Jared has just decimated his whole high performance squad .
Oh whell thems the apples all the best at the nats Jared.

[jjperko]

Speaking of nats, who won? shouldve finished 1 hour ago by my watch?

[BOBCATZZ]

Speaking of nats, who won? shouldve finished 1 hour ago by my watch?
1st MADDILL 2ND LLOYDD 3RD ATKINSON4TH GRAVES

[geva]

Josh Edit:

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