I do like this version. To me the chaos of the scene is freakishly clear. Without that top bit, those wheels, so many wheels, how are they not crashed in a pile? But they aren't, they're being ridden. I now see a comforting (to my brain) pattern of whites near the top and bottom sandwiching nicely a pretty blue.
Wow, much better imo. The colors pop and it is a little more cohesive (it all looks like it belongs). I really think that the lack of green in the other version is why it did not do as well. Sometimes a great image will not do well in a specific oriented challenge. I like both btw, but like this one more.