The past episode of FlatWebTV featured an interview with Steve Lapsley and had an explanation on the class change and also announced the whole 2012 Line-Up! Round 1: CFO FU8 in Toronto, Round 2: JomoPro, Round 3: Anarchy in Anderson and Round 4: Texas Flatland Round-Up 8. Check out the events section for more info!
In 2010 the Am Flatland Circuit catered to BMX flatland’s community of amateur riders. You gained points toward a year-end title and there were two classes: Expert and Master.
In 2011, we extended the circuit to include a Pro class. We also ran a couple of experimental classes: Veteran and Beginner.
For two years so far the class distinctions have been a work-in-progress. Our goal has been and continues to be to involve & encourage as many riders as possible to come out and compete, and when they do we want them to feel like they’re competing against their peers.
So with that in mind, the new year brings some new tweaks. I’d like to introduce the 2012 Am Flatland Circuit’s four classes:
Veteran: Riders are over age 30 and want to still compete, but maybe don’t fit the Novice or Expert class.
Novice: Riders range from entry/beginner to those in the lower tier of 2011′s Expert class.
Expert: Riders range from the upper tier of 2011′s expert level to 2011′s Master class. They’re the top amateur riders at any given event.
Pro: Top-tier BMX flatland riders. They’ll compete for a cash prize purse.
The AM Flat Circuit Finals will take place in Lancaster, NY (a suburb of Buffalo, and just a short drive to Niagara Falls pictured above) on August 13 and 14. The two day event is more of a celebration of a great contest season than a contest. August 13th will be a day for riders to hang out, ride, and even check out one of the wonders of the world, Niagara Falls! August 14th will be a full day of contest riding followed by the 2011 AM Flatland Circuit Year End Award Ceremony! Check out the event page for Round 5: Battle at the Border for themost up to date info on the event. Hope to see you all there!
In the weeks leading up to, and after, Round 4: Tuner Evolution, the AM Flatland Circuit got a heavy dose of online media coverage. Twitter was abuzz with #AMFLT posts, ESPN BMX featured two different interviews (Steve Lapsley & Matt Wilhelm), coverage of Tuner Evo could be seen on websites like RideBMX, BMXFreestyler, Flatmatters and more! Joe Cicman was posting videos at a pace just shy of live. AM Flat beat reporter, Louis Orth, was there competing and taking notes and his brother was shooting photos. Jon Stettler aka JSteady, George Teneyek, and the One Love Crew amon MANY others were taking pics. Hate5six put together a great video as well! Also, Beginner Class winner, Jimmy Kibbons, did an interview for Flatmatters! Check out all the links below! Also, get on Twitter and follow us @AM_Flat_Circuit or search #AMFLT
-Steve Lapsley ESPN BMX Interview by Louis Orth
www.espn.go.com/action/bmx/blog/_/post/6765748/steve-lapsley-flatland-circuit
-Matt Wilhelm ESPN BMX Interview by Louis Orth
www.espn.go.com/action/bmx/blog/_/post/6793802/dorkin-york-pa-matt-wilhelm
-Joe Cicman’s YouTube Page with TONS of video coverage
www.youtube.com/user/joecicman
-Jimmy Kibbons Interview on Flatmatters
www.flatmattersonline.com/new-blood-jimmy-kibbons-interview
-RideBMX coverage
www.bmx.transworld.net/1000133729/videos/am-flats-tuner-evolution-contest-results-videos/
-Hate5six York Video
-George Teneyek Flickr
www.flickr.com/photos/teneyck/sets/72157627206922532/
-Jon Stettler Flickr
www.flickr.com/photos/27564484@N04/sets/72157627227605386/
Round 3: Battle at the Bricks is right around the corner. As riders get excited for this insane event, info is slowly coming in on the remaining Rounds of the Circuit. Check the “Events” section for detailed info.
Round 4: Tuner Evolution is coming together nicely. A rough schedule of events is available. Friday July 15th will be the Beginner/Intermediate, Veteran and Expert Classes starting pretty early to make way for the cars to set up for the show. Saturday July 16th is the car show and will feature the Master and Pro Classes. Info on the Official Hotel are posted and pre-registration for the hotel should be done BEFORE July 1st in order to get the discounted rate. Use “AMFLAT” or “Tuner Evolution” as your booking code. It is suggested that those attending and competing in the Beg/Int through Expert Classes arrive Thursday sometime. The contest will start around 11am, with registration and open warmup starting around 10am. Saturday will have registration and open practice for Master and Pro throughout the morning starting around 10am with the Car Show and Flatland Contest starting at 2pm.
Round 5: Ohio Contest has been canceled. Replacing the DK Warehouse Contest will be Battle at the Border Car Show in Buffalo, NY. Check out the event page for Round 5 for more info.
Thanks for supporting the AM Flatland Circuit. Can’t wait to see you all at the next event!
The 2011 AM Flatland Circuit tshirts are in. Hit me up if you want one. They will go fast. Small, Medium, Large and X-Large. $20.00 plus shipping or see me in person at one of the events.
In 2011 the AM Flatland Circuit will be reorganized as the AM (American) Flatland Circuit with the addition of a Pro Series. Having two divisions within the circuit, the Am Series and the Pro Series, allows for an established ranking system for Pro Flatland Riders.
The AM Flatland Circuit was started to help create much needed structure within the BMX Flatland community in North America. Having a legitimate ranking system is something riders have been wanting. There wasn’t a system in place that would help guide amateur riders from the beginner level to the professional level.
With the initial launch of the AM Flatland Circuit in 2010 an amateur ranking system was established where an Expert and Master Champion were crowned at year end. The addition of a Pro Circuit is the natural progression.
In addition to the Pro Series, the Am Series will be including two experimental classes in 2011. Beginner Class and Veteran Class. These two classes will collect points the same way the other classes do. However, these classes will crown a Year End Champion in name only. Year End Prizes and Trophies will not be awarded to these classes in 2011. For more information on this please feel free to contact us!
Here is our 2011 Circuit flyer. Print it, save it, post it, share it! Thanks to Jamie Sinyard for hooking this up!
2011 AM Flatland Circuit t-shirts are being printed as we speak. As soon as they come in we will have actual product photos for you. The first run of shirts will be blue with white font. They will be $15, and 100% of the proceeds will go right back into the AM Flat Circuit! You can purchase shirts in person at each of the events. They will also be available at www.flatlandfuel.com . If neither of those options work, contact me at steve@amflatlandcircuit.com for purchasing info.
AM Flatland Circuit 2010: Round 1 from Steve Lapsley on Vimeo.
Here is the Finals from Round 1: Red Bull Fight With Flight. Edits from each round are in the works so stay tuned!
