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Battles in the Desert: Santa Fe Outlaw Series

Written by Crystiana Baca-Bosijevac and Devon Talley-Bailey
Thursday, 24 September 2009
Battles in the Desert: Santa Fe Outlaw Series Written by Crystiana Baca-Bosijevac and Devon Talley-Bailey For those of you who don't know, New Mexico is a large state nestled between Arizona and Texas (yes, it's part of the U.S. and no you don't need a passport to visit). Among those aware of our existence, New Mexico is known for many things: aliens, the International Balloon Fiesta, and green chile. Thanks to the hard work of David Price though, New Mexico is gaining more recognition as a hub for great skaters and variety of skating terrain. Although many skaters who come to New Mexico visit Albuquerque for its legendary ditches, the plethora of downhill runs in and around Santa Fe remain somewhat unknown to most. Despite the large variety of downhill terrain to skate in northern New Mexico, the scene is rather small, nothing like Vancouver, BC, Southern California or Colorado. As a way to help grow and unify the downhill scene, Price has been organizing a series of downhill outlaw races in Santa Fe which have attracted riders from Colorado, Texas, and Arizona. The first Santa Fe Outlaw took place on June 27th this year. Nearly thirty riders converged late in the afternoon at Timeship Racing's headquarters for the race. Being the first event, and uncertain of the abilities of the riders who would be involved and how well he could handle everything by himself, Price chose a relatively easy, safe course to fit a variety of skill levels. With a top speed around thirty-five mph, the half mile stretch of road tested riders' tucking and draft skills rather than cornering. Once everyone arrived and paid their five dollar entry fee, Price used a hat full of names to determine the brackets. With little time before sunset, it was decided that only the top two from each four man heat would continue. After sorting out the logistics, we piled into our cars and headed towards the race course! We had a bit of confusion as to how many practice runs we would get, where racers should wait, and who was driving the shuttle vans but Price quickly put us into place and the race was underway. We finished the race just in time to begin packing up before the police arrived. The awards ceremony was held at back at Timeship's skate school. Thanks to Venom, Ghoti Longboards, Colabo, and Timeship Racing for sponsoring. 1st Kyle Wester (CO) 2nd Joel Putrah (CO) 3rd David Price (NM) 4th Will Brunson (NM) The second race, also known as the Green Chile Outlaw, took place September 20th, again in Santa Fe. For this race there was a turn-out of twenty-six riders, some of which came from Arizona and Colorado. We met at Timeship Racing again to pay our fees, determine heats, and go over the rules. Instead of using the hat-o-names, Price named six heat captains, one for each of the six four-man heats, who then chose, in turn, an opponent for their heat. Those picked then chose another rider to be in their heat. Want to have a grudge match? Think you can smoke your friend? There were no rules for who could be chosen. Due to uneven numbers of riders for the bracket, Kyle Wester and Josh Rolf were deemed the fastest riders and bypassed the first heat. When we got to the course, a three-quarter of a mile road with two sharp left turns, the second of which was off camber, it was raining. Two riders came equipped with homemade rain wheels but the rest were left to find a way to cope with the unpredictable New Mexico rain. We loaded into the shuttle vans and headed to the top to go “test the water”. Using caution, the first practice run went surprisingly well. But with egos inflated, the second practice run proved hazardous and numerous riders tasted asphalt and made use of the two hay bales guarding the second corner. Once the race began we battled more rain and a monstrous headwind. Towards the end of the race, though, the sun was shining: typical New Mexico weather. Although many of the riders were extremely skilled, there were several mishaps due to the wet/dry conditions and tight racing. In the consolation heat (5th-8th) David Angelus and David Price rubbed wheels while pushing and both ended up going down. After a hug and making sure each other were all right, they pushed off to the finish. Josh Rolf met with a hungry curb on the second turn during the final heat, after being pushed to the outside as he and Kyle Wester fought for first. Nursing aching bodies, we made our way back to Timeship for the awards ceremony. In keeping with the Green Chile Outlaw theme, the winners received trophies of tie-wire and green chile. Thanks to Timeship Racing, Ghoti Longboards, Colabo, Venom, and Durango Boards for sponsoring. 1st Kyle Wester (CO) 2nd Ryan Ricker (NM) 3rd Devon Talley-Bailey (NM) 4th Josh Rolf (AZ) With winter approaching and snow gathering on the mountains, the time to ride a skateboard on the open road is ending in this part of the country. With some race organization experience under his belt, look for a more organized series next year from Price...or maybe even a legal downhill race. The hard part will be picking only a few roads from the many New Mexico has to offer.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 01 October 2009 )