3-14-07 // Online Exclusive: Wham Bam Writeup

Amateur riders and pros from as far as Europe converged on Portland, Oregon, last week for the first stop of the Wham Bam Thank You Jam, the kickoff of the first-ever North American slopestyle series.

The first installment of the series went down in front of hundreds of fans without any hitches at the Hindsight Moto-Cross track just outside Portland’s city limits. The course was a mixture of slopestyle elements and dirt jumps though unlike traditional slopestyle contests—it wasn’t a gravity event and riders had only one line option.

Rolling in from a platform high in the rafters, riders first hit a big step-down gap, followed by a 20-foot double and a beautifully crafted wall ride. The line finished with a step-up/step-down box on top of a van.

Kurt Vories Ben Tobin www.bentography.com

The contest was divided into four heats with the best riders from each heat moving on to the finals. As a jam-style event, riders weren’t limited in their numbers of runs, and the athletes seemed to thrive in the relaxed atmosphere.

In the end, Trek pilot Cam McCaul nabbed first place and a cool $1,000 for his huge winning run, which included a 360 over the step-down, a backflip on the first double, a tailwhip on the second, a 360-tailwhip on the third, a nice X-up out of the wall ride and 360 off the box. Seattle local Phil Sundbaum took home second place and $750 for his efforts, and Norway’s Trond Hansen rounded out the top three.

Sundbaum rode big all night. He and his brother Andy are so tall that all their tricks look especially nice and clicked. Andy got his double tailwhips going and Phil had his 360-whips dialed in the finals.

Tonic Fab’s Guy Marsh rode as smooth and stylish as any other rider in the contest. His turndowns are things of beauty. Randy Spangler, who just turned 40, was mixing it up and proving that he still has what it takes to hang with the kids. Jamie Goldman rode well and with veteran confidence. He crashed hard on the second double, but after a few moments on the ground he got back up, collected his thoughts and threw a butter backflip on his next drop-in.

The move of the night may have been Aaron Chase’s alley-oop 360 out of the wall ride. Chase was eyeing it up all night and finally landed it perfectly on his last run.

Ben Tobin www.bentography.com

Many of the amateurs were throwing down pro-level runs but when all was said and done, Andy Grant walked away with the am win and local Portland ripper Paul Lacava took home eighth place.

Many people came together to make the first stop on the Wham Bam Thank You Jam a great success. Upcoming stops on the series are still to be determined. Check back here for series news and updates.