More and more we are seeing smaller teams pop up around the country and contend some of the big races such as the National Series and the Vic DH series. This year ex-motocross rider Nathan Newell raced across the country in his first National Series. We caught up with Nathan to see what his take on it all was.
Name: Nathan Newell
Age: 27
Hometown: Adelaide
How long have you been riding mountain bikes for:
I have been riding mountain bikes since September 2009 and have been racing for about eighteen months.
You come from a motor bike background, give us a run down on that side of your riding history:
I raced the National enduro series for ten years, the Australian four day and the Australian off road championships emerged and we gave that a crack so thata��s the background at that level.
How did the mountain biking come about from that motorbike background then:
Even though with motor bikes a lot of the equipment was supplied, I wanted to buy a house. So I went to a shop and bought a hardtail and then met up with a few blokes. They lead me in the right direction and said I should come to a race.
How were your first mountain bike racing experiences, were they what you expected and did they differ a lot from the motorbike racing you had done previously:
They are very different, with the motor bikes you do one sight lap (practice) and then you might do 8 tests (timed races) but with the downhill you do a day and a half of practice and then get one race run.
You have raced the South Australian Series, this is your first National Series, how have your results been:
Top five in the South Australian Series.
How has the team come about, your now riding for and managing a team for the National Series, for someone who has been in the sport for such a short period of time thata��s quite an achievement:
It was a snowball effect, from my first race to an article that got featured in [R]evolution magazine and from there we approached Craftworks. I have always wanted to run a race team, when I take myself out of it I can give juniors a leg up.
Nathan raced three of the four National Series races. We asked Nathan what his goals were for the season:
I would like to consistently be in the top twenty. It is a learning curve with tracks like Thredbo which are totally different from tracks we have in South Australia.
So would you say you are on the backfoot considering your riding has been limited only to South Australian tracks when you are trying to compete in the Elite National Series or do you think because of your motorbike background you pick up on tracks quickly:
I do pick up on things quickly, I think the transition from motor bikes to mountain bike has been reasonably easy but there is a lot of technical things I have had to learn and get out of my head from the motorbike background. Staying off the brakes was a big one I had to deal with in my head.
Did you find the changes between the two types of bikes and the riding style as big as you thought it would be:
The mountain bikes are more of a sprint based event which I have been training around whereas the motor bikes were more endurance based. The whole training regime has changed.
So you are on a specific training program, youa��re not just someone who goes out and rides to take care of the training side of things:
I am a personal trainer so I set my own training regimes and you always want more time on the bike. I really want to hit up pump tracks and other mountain bike disciplines as well.
The National Champs were in Adelaide, where you and the team is from, you finished 25th there, were you putting more emphasis on this event:
Yeah definitely, ita��s one where I was looking and thinking I know the track.
What do you think of the Eagle Nationals track, it has a reputation for being unforgiving:
Ita��s good, the top and middle are more technical and then the bottom is flowy and fun. I wanted to be right up at the pointy end for that race.
With your bike set up have you got any personal preferences, especially with your background:
Bike set up has been the biggest learning curve in mountain biking for me, I have a set up how I like my bike to feel. The suspension is something I am still learning on.
With a strong start in the mountain bike world no doubt you will be seeing more of Nathan in the future, either racing or managing a team!
