News: Nissan Qashqai Munich Results

Martin Soederstroem in the middle of a nosedive 360 Yorrick Carroux

The wind subsided just enough at Munich's 1972 Olympic site for a stunning Qashqai final. Massive jumps, a live hip hop show, a good local DJ crew, a huge crowd and it didn’t hurt that KISS played a sold-out show that night in the park. The course was great, two doubles in the upper section fed into a right-hand berm sending riders down a grassy slope before popping out of the trees and off a big drop into the lower section where 25,000 spectators awaited at the last two huge jumps.

In the finals, Martin Soederstrom’s unequivocal consistency took the show, he didn’t bobble once on over a dozen 360 tailwhips throughout the weekend. In his final run he pulled a clean truckdriver into a 360 tailwhip to pedals, tabletoped off the drop, and was the only rider to tailwhip over the big 9-meter double, capping the run with a clean nose-dive 360.

Top qualifier Trond Hanson was close with a 360 X-up into a tailwhip, moto whip off the drop, clean 360 over the big double, into an opposite 360 to finish. Brandon Semenuk solidified his third place performance with a tailwhip into a 360 truckdriver, followed by a no-foot can can off the drop, to a seat-grab indian air, riding out of a double tailwhip over the last jump.

Lance McDermott and Paul Basagotia rounded out the top five and stayed in contention for the overall title. All twelve finalists rode incredibly well, and at one point in the second round the top-four riders were separated by only four points. In the end, the riders all agreed with the final results.

On the podium, when asked if this was the biggest success in his young career, an elated Soderstrom replied, “This is the best day of my life!” The level of riding was extremely high in Munich, and with many riders in contention for the overall title and biggest prize purse of the season, the final round at London’s famous Tate Modern Gallery on Saturday May 24th is sure to provide a culminating final to the 2008 Nissan Qashqai Challenge.

Final Results:
1 Martin Soederstroem SWE Peak Performance

2 Trond Hansen NOR Specialized

3 Brandon Semenuk CAN Trek

4 Lance McDermott GBR Scott
5 Paul Basagoitia USA Kona
6 Benny Korthaus GER Specialized
7 Phil Sundbaum USA Haro
8 Jamie Goldman USA Santa Cruz
9 Amir Kabbani GER Cannondale
10 Kurtis Sorge CAN Giant
11 Sam Pilgrim GBR Diamondback
12 Andreu Lacondeguy SPA Kona

Brandon Semenuk, Martin Soederstroem and Trond Hansen on the podium Yorrick Caroux