RECAP | Double Header Path Race

Posted by Nate Braks on July 18, 2018

Following the Path Dash , we decided to roll two races into one with the Double Header Path Race. Two races back to back gave people two chances to podium, two chances to win some cash, and two chances to qualify for our invitational outlaw race. But most importantly, having two races gave everyone of all skill levels a chance to have fun skateboarding with their friends. The first race was approachable and fun for all skill levels, while the second was geared towards advanced riders.

We started things off with an exceedingly easy path. In fact, it is the most beginner friendly hill out of all the pathways in the series. The name of the game at this path was to conserve as much speed as possible. Racers were only allowed three pushes total and the top of the hill was mostly flat. So having a good start off the line and staying as still as little as possible to keep speed was imperative. The entire hill was rip and grip with gentle sweeping turns that are all doable full tuck. There was no sliding necessary with a wide open shut down area after the finish line. So even the most novice of downhillers could skate the path confidently.

After the race as over at the first hill we kept things interesting with a switch Chinese downhill race. Ryan Villa ended up taking the win on that one.

Hill #1 Race Results:

1st Arman Jaberi

2nd Josh Larkin

3rd Johnny Lupo

The second race of the Double Header was a much more advanced hill. This hill was highly technical and required racers to drift in both directions. The path itself was completely overgrown by blackberry bushes, ferns, and covered with dirt when one of the local groms re-discovered it. So before the race we had to go in with weed-wackers, hedge trimmers, brooms, and shovels to clear the path for the race. While we managed to get the path clear enough to skate, crashing off the course was still sketchy. It was almost a garuntee that going off the road would result in the rider wedging themselves in a ton of thorn bushes on either side of the path. This made the technical little pathway a lot more intimidating for racers.

After taking a few practice runs the racers decided they would prefer running a time trial format instead of racing out heats. We ended up giving each rider two time trial runs, with their fastest time deciding if they made it to race head to head in semi-finals. Below is a video of the Semi finals through finals:

A little recap video of the semi finals and finals at the second leg of the Double Header Path Race last month! @johnslugg , @ryanvilladh , @landgoon , and , @griffinkai in the semi finals. Keep an eye out for our full blog recap dropping soon with race and time trial results. Clips curtesy of @gnar4rman . #boardowrkstechshop #boardworksskate #doubleheaderpathrace #doubleheader #downhillskateboarding #longboarding #racing #gofast #bellingham #zenitlongboards #fsboardsinc #blackdoglongboards #riptidesports

A post shared by Boardworks Skate (@boardworks_skate) on Jul 15, 2018 at 10:32am PDT