Local Pro Koji Kraft Tops BMX Vert Qualifiers

Koji Kraft captured the lead in the first round of BMX vert competition after using his second run to bump from the bottom of the pack to the top in open qualifiers. Mike Mancuso took second, while BMX park veteran Brian Hunt came out of nowhere and slayed the ramp to round out the top three.

Koji Kraft, Superman seatgrab

Last year’s BMX vert Gatorade Free Flow Tour champion Mykel Larrin secured the final spot in prelims after finishing OQ’s in ninth place. He will face off against the top eight prequalified athletes based on last year’s Dew Tour standings.

Mike Mancuso, one-handed can-can

With the BMX vert open qualifiers completed, the stage has been set for tomorrow’s full day of prelims and finals on Chicago’s vert ramp.

Brian Hunt, turndown

Still up for Friday: dirt and park prelims, along with BMX dirt finals and the Transworld RideBMX Best Trick contest. Once all the competitions are done, it’s time to move over to the music stage for the Motion City Soundtrack concert with opening band New Politics.

It’s a jam-packed day here at the Nike 6.0 BMX Open, so get your tickets now.

BMX Vert Results

1. Koji Kraft, 89.13
2. Mike Mancuso, 86.50
3. Brian Hunt, 85.75
4. Bob Kohl, 84.50
5. Jonathan Chin, 84.38

For full results from the BMX vert competition, along with standings from the entire weekend, head over here.