XDL Round 2 Nashville

The Stunters Edge crew and entourage pulled in to the Preston hotel, on Nashville’s east side, and checked in quickly so we could get to the Nashville Speedway and check out the riders, venue and surface. It was a beautiful May day, and the venue had the best surface I had seen all year.

We saw our first crash early Friday morning, when Nick Apex, last years’ XDL champion, hit the wall with his newly repainted bike. Nick is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet, but he is very hard on himself when he makes a mistake. Although he was unhurt, Nick quickly checked the damage he had done to his bike before the competition had even started. The frame was bent so badly, he was unsure if it could be fixed, and unsure if he could compete. Nick has already fought several bike issues this year. It has to be frustrating to get yourself ready for competition, physically and mentally, and then have mechanical issues the day before competition.

Whenever I see misfortune like this, I also see stunt riders come to the aid of their fellow competitor. It was only a short time before a group of riders tried to repair Nick’s bike and make it ready for competition. The problem is that a bent frame usually means big trouble for continuing in a competition. With Nick nowhere in sight, Bill D, with the help of many other riders, strapped the bike’s back wheel to Bill’s bus. Then they strapped the front wheel to Dan Jackson’s large 4-wheel drive truck and began to pull the frame into its correct shape. The impact had pushed the front wheel back toward the engine. Bill beat the frame with a large mallet while Dan driving the truck applied constant pressure. With a lot of effort, they moved the frame very close to its original position. While the bike was made rideable, it’s almost impossible to completely return a bent frame to its original form.

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