And that rider was Travis Pastrana. Travis was hitting the ramps doing flips that were out of the realm of possibility for the other riders. His wall riders made the local skateboarders jealous. Simply put, he was untouchable. 

Some big names had to sit out of the event, as they were either injured or didnt qualify. Those riders were Robby Maddison, Mike Mason, Todd Potter, and Jeremy "twitch" Stenberg. Jackson Strong crashed hard in the morning practice session, and missed this event. We may see him at Best Trick, but theres no official word out yet. 

The closest battle of the night, was the battle for second. Levi Sherwood, a rookie, nailed some huge Dead Flips, to take 2nd place over Nate Adams. Nate rode a consistent, but conservative ride. Hitting the ramps well, but nothing spectacular. Furthermore, he seemed to refuse to use the wall ride portion of the course, which surely resulted in some docked points. Mat Rebeaud took fourth, after taking a spill on the third run. 

Pastrana, as we all know is a household name because of his off the wall, above the top antics, and last night was no exception. After already locking up the win, he still rode harder and harder as the night progressed. His rides included the above noted wall rides, insane back flips, and just to seal the deal, a double back flip. Furthermore, as if he doesnt have enough fans, he dismounted his bike doing a back flip, ran into the crowd and proceeded to pass out every last piece of gear he had.

Tonight at the Staples Center, stay tuned for Best Trick and Step Up.