Boardmasters 2016

Words: Lee Martin

Photos: Martyn Wetherelt

 

 

So the annual Boardmasters festival hit Newquay again and boy was it a beauty. With sunshine overhead for the majority of the time, it seemed to bring even more people than usual down to Fistral to check out the action on the ramp.

 

 

 

 

Its a place like no other, as you look back from the ramp and see huge crowds of people lounging on the hill, sunglasses on, beers in hand and smiling faces all round. The wind was pretty kind this year so the riders were boosting way up over the coping, enough to give the golfers on the local course a glance of what was going on at the ramp.

 

 

From Wednesday to Friday practice sessions went down on the ramp as Saturday made way for BMX Pro qualifiers. 23 riders hit the ramp to try and land a score in the top 12 to qualify for Sundays final. After an awesome qualifying session, Jack Clark came out on top taking 1st place with Mark Webb qualifying 2nd and Declan Brooks 3rd.

 

 

 

 

With qualifiers being ridden in the scorching sun its was only right to get in the sea afterwards, check out this shot below of Vinnie Mayne sending a backflip off the cliffs at Little Fistral round the corner from the ramp.

 

 

 

 

After drying off from some cliff jumping it was time to hit the beers, while some headed up to Watergate to see what music was going on, others stayed in town and by the end of the night it seemed everyone was getting there boogie on in the usual dance floors around the town.

 

 

So, next day everyone was up fresh as a daisy (well, some were fresh) and ready for BMX Pro finals. The riders arrived at the ramp on Fistral, rolling through the excited crowds and ready to send it in aim of becoming the Boardmasters 2016 BMX Pro champion. The finals went off, and with the 12 riders riding and 3 groups of 4. The top 3 resulted in the same look as qualifiers. Jack Clark 1st (winning £1500), Mark Webb 2nd (£1000), and Declan Brooks 3rd (£500)

 

 

 

 

The last contest to take place was the Best trick and 2 titles were up for grabs. Best air trick and best tech trick. With some crazy things going down, it was awesome to Phil Aller send a gap to ice grind to fakie (see our highlight video below) Other riders sending tricks included Jash Webber, Chris Nicol, Alex Coleborn to name a few. But the top spots went to Mark Webb for best tech trick, which was a decade to tap to ice to down whip in. And Angus Gough took the best Air trick with a super indie air to fake whip.

 

 

 

 

So that wraps up the BMX for this year on what i would say has been the best Boardmasters yet.

Check out the Dead Sailor Facebook for the full Boardmasters gallery.

 

 

See you all again next year.