Tanner Morelock using just the tips to keep Alex Gallimo at a safe distance.
WORDS & PHOTOS Josh Dunn
The small town of Port Jarvis, New York was the epicenter for the gathering of a group of elite downhill skateboarders this past weekend to race in the IDF qualifier, The Mahackamack 400. This event attracted riders from all over the world, many of whom own one of the top spots amongst the current world rankings. The level of riding was not just driven up by the highly mob-able road but also by the fact that the race was an IDF sanctioned event which meant points could be earned toward ultimately winning the World Title. Lines were dialed, hay bails were utilized, and lurking seemed almost mandatory keeping this race right on par with the perfect downhill skateboarding spectacle.
The first hairpin was a dropping right that had riders raging for the apex.
Race day contained heats in Opens, Womens, Juniors, and Masters all of which were competitively raced by their respective participants. The Open division saw the likes of Max Ballesteros, Dillon Stephens, Max Whipperman and many more absolute rippers who really contributed to the overall atmosphere surrounding the race. The racing that went down was everything anyone could hope for when planning a downhill skateboard race. The action displayed tight pack riding often having all four racers of the heat running neck and neck for a majority of the track. Inevitably with this racing style comes carnage but thankfully everyone came out of the weekend with only minor injuries and their initial stoke flame was still burning bright.
Dillon Stephens goes down after making some contact in the lefty hairpin.
Throughout the heats, many of the favorites to win began to disappear from the bracket leaving the title of Mahackamack 400 champion wide open for the taking. This challenge was met by Carlos Paixao, Alex Charleson, Thiago Lessa, and Daina Banks who were the four racers who earned their way into the final heat of the day. The pack remained tight as they navigated through the various whoops and swoops of the hill, even sticking together through both of the technically challenging hairpins. Everything was looking like it would be a dash for the finish line but just as the group rounded the final left bend, Alex slipped out and unfortunately tangled with Thiago on the way down. It was all good, clean racing that was solely caused by hard charging and the desire to win. After all the dust settled the finishing order had Carlos taking 1st, Diana in 2nd, Alex snagging 3rd, and Thiago rounding out the podium.
Dave “Apple Cheerios” leads fellow mobsters Aaron Hampshire and Daina Banks down a straightaway.
With the conclusion of this event came the realization that despite there being a clear cut winner, there were no losers present. Downhill skateboarding is a tight knit community that is always open to new members joining in on the fun of simply skating fast with the homies. A huge thank you goes out to all the volunteers who slung hay all weekend and also made sure corners were safely spotted. Wheelbase would also like to thank event co-organizers Mark Dean and Emily Pross as well as the title sponsor Original Skateboards for making this event a reality. See y’all next year!!
Josh Evans leads Carlos Paixao, Emily Pross, and Max Whipperman into the perfect drift line.
Unidentified homie getting good use out of his sketchy hands.
Two of the fastest Brazilians alive: Max B and Carlos Paixao steady mobbin’ the course in practice.
Practice Day pack runs with the homies.
Rookie may be his nick name but this ain’t his first rodeo. . .
Max B and the “Prossecuter” pre-drifting during a practice run.
A huge thanks goes out again to event Co-Organizer Emily Pross!
Podium:
Open:
1st: Carlos Paixao
2nd: Daina Banks
3rd: Alex Charleson
Women’s:
1st: Emily Pross
2nd: Candice Dungan
3rd: Kelle Jones
Junior’s :
1st: Ed Kiefer
2nd: Matt King
3rd: Jesse Martin
Master’s:
1st: Pascal “Rookie” Jean
2nd: Norberto Bertoncello
Thank You’s:
A very special thanks goes out to all the volunteers who slung hay all weekend and also made sure corners were safely spotted. Wheelbase would also like to thank event co-organizers Mark Dean and Emily Pross as well as the title sponsor Original Skateboards for making this event a reality. See y’all next year!!