With the 2014 Australian National Series about to kick off we thought we would quickly check out what is making up the series this year. Pretty simple, three rounds of downhill, the National Championships and the Oceania Championships make up the domestic season.
National Series:
1:17 – 19 January 2014
Eagle Park, Adelaide, SA
Round 1 sees us head to Eagle, a track that has held a lot of National rounds and champs in the past few years, it is the shortest track in regards to both time and length this series. Super technical there are always riders who get caught out on this beast, being round one it will also be interesting to see who’s training has paid off. The home track of both Connor Fearon and Troy Brosnan means a showdown is on the cards but will anyone else be able to rain on the locals parade?
A�2: 7 – 9 February 2014
Mt Buller, VIC
Next up we head to the Victorian Alps for round 2 at Mount Buller, this track is long and technical. It features a mix of single track and wide open sections, all at warp speed.A�Often described as one of Australia’s most ‘World Cup like’ tracks and much to the riders delight it is aA�chairlift track – remember pull the bar down!
3: 21 – 23 February 2014
Thredbo, NSW
The final round of the series sees another chairlift round on one of Australia’s oldest race tracks. If you haven’t been to Thredbo before then chances are you don’t know the meaning of arm pump! 5+ minutes of high speed downhill action, recently the track has been freshened up with the addition of some new features, most noticeably the addition of some big jumps. With only three rounds every race is going to count and we doubt it very much anyone will have a comfortable series lead coming to this race so it promises to deliver high speed racing!
National Championships’
6 – 10 March 2014
Bright, VIC
This year National Champs heads to Bright, one of the most fun tracks on the circuit, as well as the steepest! There is a round a 400m elevation drop on this track, almost enough reason by itself to get there… If that isn’t Bright is a bit of a riders paradise with a huge range of trails for all skills and tastes not to mention aA�supportive community. This will be one of the last big races before riders head overseas for the international season so expect them to be turning it on.
Oceanias:
15 – 16 March 2014
Methven, Canterbury, New Zealand
This year Oceanias’ heads across the pond to New Zealand, a bit of an unknown course for us Aussies expect the locals to be out in force. With the Kiwis being one of the most dominant forces in world downhill at the moment it is going to be a tough race for the contingent that goes across.
It looks to be a good season, as always keep in the loop with downhill247.com!
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