World Cup 1 – Fort William – Finals

Race day and yet again Mother Nature smiled down on to the highlands with beautiful race conditions.

World Cup number 1 and did thatA�turn outA�like you expected? We are betting there are a lot of people who were expecting a different podium to what we saw. Lets start with the juniors though, unfortunately they aren’t covered by the online footage so the live timing provided by the UCI is the next best thing. In the female class Tegan Molloy finishedA�21st (3rd in junior – an awesome result for her first World Cup) and Danielle Beecroft snapped her chain within the first 5 seconds of the track, she rolled down to finish 24th. A�We are sure in next weeks raceA�at Val di Sole we will see them climb higher up the rankings.

With Nathan Rennie and Jared Rando providing their years of wisdom and experience to the team we knew they could really deliver. In the end Dean Lucas grabbed a podium position in 3rd,A�Peter Knott 12th, Aiden Varley 13th, Luke Ellison 24th, Thomas Crimmins 29th and Brent Smith DNF. There were a few issues for some of the guys, Luke and Thomas crashed in their runs knocking them down the time sheet.

Next up and we move onto Elite…

Check out the head cam run with Tracey Hannah down the Fort William Track in our previous post.

Tracey Hannah reflecting on the past few months which have been riddled by injury... — Tracey Hannah reflecting on the past few months which have been riddled by injury…

Tracey Hannah was our sole entrant in the elite female class, her pre-season was less than ideal but she will improve no doubt. Check out the helmet cam run of one ofA�her practiceA�runs here. In the end Rachel Atherton broke her voodoo at her home race by taking the win by 10 seconds! Until this year Rachel had six 2nd place finishes at Fort William… Little did we know how her victory would set the scene for the elite men.

The spectators (and marshals) at Fort William always get praised by the riders, this year was no different. Some marshals have been to every World Cup held their, taking the usual marshalling spot to boot! — The spectators (and marshals) at Fort William always get praised by the riders, this year was no different. Some marshals have been to every World Cup held there, taking the usual marshalling spot to boot!

Still under glorious conditions the elite men kicked off, Rhys Atkinson was one of the first riders on course but had a “rubbish run” but with the crazy crowd and all the Aussies around was still happy and looking forward to next weekends race in Italy. Despite having a rough time during practice with crashes on the rough track Jack Moir finished 55th, no doubt he will climb the rankings as the season goes on. Bryn Atkinson and Jared Graves finished 36th and 37th respectively, we have no doubt Bryn wants to climb into the top 20 to get one of the coveted protected positions. Jared Graves just continues to impress with his flexibility between four cross, BMX, enduro, downhill and whatever else he chooses to do!

First World Cup of the year and Connor Fearon claims the best result of his career in 21st place. This result will set him up for the rest of the year.

With a strong qualifying result Connor Fearon openly admitted he was hunting a top 20, his run was good and he went into the hot seat. In the end he finished 21st, his best World Cup result to date, despite not getting the top 20 he was looking for it is a positive sign for the rest of the season. As always we will be checking in with Connor for his Inside Info on the race. One position in front of Connor was Aaron Gwin, like an elephant in the room no one really knows what is going on with Aaron, he never looked dangerous all weekend. However, after dominating last season no one would have put him outside the top 5 let alone the top 10! It will be interesting to see what happens in Val di Sole as he destroyed the field by over 5 seconds there last year. Is it his new team? Was his injured hand re-injured? Who knows… One position in front of Aaron was Mitch Delfs, a top 20 is an awesome start for Mitch and we hope this form continues all year.

Flat tyres and crashes claimed a few victims, Matt Beer, Harry Heath and Matt Simmonds all succumbed to one or the other.

The jumps this year were big, really big! With many a rider struggling to clear them all, especially after the punishing top section of the track.

It was good to see Troy Brosnan back and racing at the highest level after a horror season last year. A highly respectable 12th shows TB is back in the game. Sam Hill came down and booted Greg Minnaar out of the hot seat by over a second. It was good to see Sam Hill back on fire, he held out manyA�a rider and was looking down the barrel atA� a top 5 finish in the end he finished 6th 2.13 seconds behind the winner.

Always a crowd favourite, Sam Hill finished 6th but we know it is the numero uno spot he really wants!

The serious end of the day... Danny Hart heads up to the top. — The serious end of the day… Danny Hart heads up to the top.

One position ahead of Sam was Mic Hannah, just under 2 seconds shy of the victory. Up until now Brook MacDonald was holding the hot seat and looking comfortable, Stevie Smith nor fellow Kiwi Sam Blenkinsop couldn’t push the bulldog and hisA�flat pedals out.A�After her sister won early in the day Gee Atherton put a stormer of a run in to relegate Brook down one spot, with one rider left, Danny Hart, it was going to be a home town victory of sorts but who? In the end Danny couldn’t knock off Gee and the Athertons took out the double.

A strong Mic Hannah, one who has lost considerable weight over the off season and is looking lean and mean claimed 5th.

Winner of round one, his first World Cup win since 2010, Gee Atherton. A dream debut for the new GT Fury too.

We can’t help but think this year will mark the changing of the guard, last year the big three, Gwin, Minnaar and Atherton seemed untouchable but already we have seen the new school of Smith, MacDonald and Hannah come out and make their mark. We will find out soon as the next round continues next week in Italy and as always we will bring you all the action.

Images: Phunkt

June 10, 2013

Tracey Hannah – Fort William – Full Run Helmet Cam

Want to know what the riders have to go through when they take on the Fort William track? Watch this full length head cam from Tracey Hannah and you will soon understand why riders say this is one of the most brutal tracks to race on. Crazy, Tracey finished a highly respectable 8th but you know she will be looking to improve at Val di Sole as she continues her recovery from injury.

June 10, 2013

World Cup Round 2 – Fort William – Qualifying

Bryn Atkinson is always a bit of a dark horse, which I am sure he doesn't mind but after qualifying 40th we are sure he is looking to climb up the ranks come finals. It was awesome to see the other Atkinson, Rhys make the cut in 72nd too. — Bryn Atkinson is always a bit of a dark horse, which I am sure he doesn’t mind but after qualifying 40th we are sure he is looking to climb up the ranks come finals. It was awesome to see the other Atkinson, Rhys make the cut in 72nd too.

Qualifying for the first World Cup in Fort William is done and dusted, literally as the conditions are still hot and dry. Ironic that this year some of the berms have been concrete lined, presumably for the rain but this year that’s not required! The Aussies had some solid results as a whole – a few heart breaks; David McMillan finished 81st… This means he missed finals by literally a few hundredths of a second.

After a disruption to her pre-season by the way of a broken collar bone, Tracey is back on a new bike and keen to perform. 8th in qualifying and more room to improve. Australia's two junior females had mixed qualifying results with crashes factoring in, 24th for Danielle Beecroft and 34th for Tegan Molloy. — After a disruption to her pre-season by the way of a broken collar bone, Tracey is back on a new bike and keen to perform. 8th in qualifying and more room to improve. Australia’s two junior females had mixed qualifying results with crashes factoring in, 24th for Danielle Beecroft and 34th for Tegan Molloy.

Results below are below, backing up his fastest practice was Mic Hannah qualifying 4th, Troy Brosnan came in 13th – I am sure his bad luck has run out so the 13th spot won’t bother him. We were super excited to see Mitch Delfs in 18th, a top 20 at the first race would set him up for the season he is capable of.

Elite Men:

1. HART Danny 4:41.094

2. ATHERTON Gee 4:41.270 +0.176

3. BLENKINSOP Samuel 4:42.275 +1.181

4. HANNAH Michael 4:44.911 +3.817

5. SMITH Steve 4:45.193 +4.099

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8. HILL Samuel 4:47.635 +6.541

13. BROSNAN Troy 4:49.516 +8.422

18. DELFS Mitchell 4:51.347 +10.253

31. Connor 4:54.122 +13.028

40. ATKINSON Bryn 4:55.937 +14.843

45. GRAVES Jared 4:57.068 +15.974

58. MOIR Jack 4:59.893 +18.799

72. ATKINSON Rhys 5:02.207 +21.113

81. McMILLAN David 5:03.281 +22.187

106. VEJVODA Joe 5:09.674 +28.580

112. McCARROLL Sean 5:11.811 +30.717

126. McKILLOP Lachlan 5:19.116 +38.022

139. BARLIN Chris 5:24.516 +43.422

Super excited to see Mitch Delfs aboard his new Evil come into 18th during qualifying. With a new team he will be keen to make a good impression.

Junior men saw good results for the tram, highlighted by Dean Lucas and his 5th place, he will be shooting for a podium this weekend and isA�more than capable of doing so.

Junior Men:

1. VERNON Taylor 4:54.689

2. NIEDERBERGER Noel 4:57.116 +2.427

3. VERGIER Loris 4:57.980 +3.291

4. JONES Michael 4:59.292 +4.603

5. LUCAS Dean 5:01.366 +6.677

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8. KNOTT Peter 5:04.733 +10.044

12. VARLEY Aiden 5:10.688 +15.999

13. CRIMMINS Thomas 5:11.379 +16.690

31. SMITH Brent 5:26.059 +31.370

32. ELLISON Luke 5:27.720 +33.031

5th in qualifying and ready to pull the trigger on a podium spot Dean Lucas is on a mission.

Women:

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8. HANNAH Tracey 5:35.113 +21.375

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24. BEECROFT DanielleA� 6:12.743 +59.005

34. MOLLOY TeganA� 6:58.573 +1:44.835

Danny Hart was the fastest qualifier and after injury last year he has a point to prove. He has never won the Fort William World Cup will this be his year?

The juniors are in a separate category to the Elite this year, which has its pro and cons. If you want to see the results as they happen you will need to keep an eye on the live timing on the UCI website.

If you are watching the race live it will be late night in Australia but well worth it. We will have the full results and news from finals after the race.

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June 9, 2013

World Cup Round 1 – Fort William – Practice

For the first time in a long time the conditions at Fort William are sunny and dry! The track is so dry it is catching a few riders out, some more serious than others! The other item of note was there was lots of punctures, will this come into play on Sunday?

Booosshhh! Here we go, World Cup number 1 is upon us…We head to Fort William and the conditions are good. The Aussie junior team is on hand to get use to World Cup conditions, bar Ben Hill, who due to a UCI ruling can’t ride until next weekend at round 2. Today’s trained practice saw Mic Hannah top the time sheet with a 4.43.921, being timed practice it is hard to make accurate predictions but no doubt SicA�Mic will be amongst it come Sunday. Rachel Atherton clocked aA�5.25.477 to be the fastest female on course, having never won her home World Cup she will no doubt be feeling the pressure. Enjoy the photos;

Fastest in practice and looking good. Sic Mic is stamping his authority early.

The fastest female during timed practice, Rachel Atherton has never won at home but will be out to change this come Sunday. Let's hope Tracey Hannah has something to say about this... — The fastest female during timed practice, Rachel Atherton has never won at home but will be out to change this come Sunday. Let’s hope Tracey Hannah has something to say about this…

The newest section on the track is this road gap (over a creek?!) here Aaron Gwin sends it. No doubt he will be one of the favourites but with a new team and new bike will this play into the finals on Sunday?

Talking about new teams, Sam Hill will be keen to get back on top of the podium, especially after a dry few seasons, by his standards anyway!

Now with a new team mate and returning from injury, Troy Brosnan had a lax timed practice run but as he said "tomorrow's another day", wisdom beyond his age and we would love to see TB snag his maiden World Cup victory. — Now with a new team mate and returning from injury, Troy Brosnan had a lax timed practice run but as he said “tomorrow’s another day”, wisdom beyond his age and we would love to see TB snag his maiden World Cup victory.

We will be back with more images from qualifying soon.

Images: phunkt.com

“Every like you click, every share you make, we will be thanking you…”

June 8, 2013

Introducing David Mc Millan Diaries – #DMD

No doubt you have seen Dave and his steed out at races across OZ, now check in with him as he heads across the world!

David McMillan is a name you have seen bandied across downhill247.com for years now, a Junior rider who has now moved into the Elite category Dave has speed and style! When we heard that Dave was heading overseas, to race the majority of the World Cups this year, we had to have a chat to him and we are pretty stoked to introduce David McMillan Diaries or #DMD. We will be bringing you regular updates as Dave and the rest of his travelling comrades (Luke Ellison, Joey Vejvoda and Jack Moir)A�travel the globeA�racing their bikes. It is going to be a pretty epic journey, with that in mind we had a quick chat with Dave just before he was preparing to get on the plane and start the quest!

We will be bringing images to you from across the world, with Dave's style it makes them easy to get! — We will be bringing images to you from across the world, with Dave’s style it makes them easy to get!

Hey Dave, thanks for chatting to us, you must be pretty stoked with the next few months! Tell us a bit more about what you’re up to:

Yeah I am so keen, I am going and doing all the World Cups (except Norway because it is too expensive), after the Mont Sainte Anne World Cup I am going to Whistler for Crankworx and to ride for 6 weeks before I go to the Leogang World Cup. Finally I get home mid September.A�A�Between the World Cups I am hitting up some IXS races, try and win some cash haha! We have 4 weekends of racing in a row, it is going to be pretty full on but we are going to have some fun along the way.

Sounds like you’re living the dream! Who are you travelling with?

Yeah Jared Rando offered to help us sort out some accommodation, etc. Jack Moir and I weren’t sure if we should head over this year but then we thought we should just do it. Now I will be sharing a van withA�Joey Vejvoda, Luke Ellison and Jack Moir, there are going to be lot of two minute noodles! Joey is picking up the van at Fort William, sleeping in it andA�then driving solo down to Val di Sole for the race the next weekend – it is a three day drive!

The mighty van! It needs a fitting name (and a downhill247.com sticker or two!)

Let’s not beat around the bush, World Champs last year followed onA�the disappointment of the year before with numerous crashes. Has that played on your mind and is it something you are trying to rectify?

Worlds was so annoying, I trained so hard for that race and then crashed at the start of the track… I was looking for a top 10 result, so hopefully I will be able to redeem myself this year.

No doubt you can! have you been training hard again for this year?

I have been training a little, I do two gym sessions a week with a trainer and I ride a lot, of everything; skate park, dirt jump, cross country and downhill but I don’t really have a structured training program.

Cool thanks for the chat, finally is there anyone you would like to thank?

I would like to thank FJC they just got me some new kit, Fektor and Specialized for helping out.

We have no doubt Dave will redeem himself this year and we are keen to see him pull out some solid results!

So there you have, we are pretty excited to be bringing you the tales from the road of the 2013 World Cup season, stay tunedA�- #DMD!

Riding Images: Ronnie Grammatica

June 5, 2013

Inside Info: Honda RN01 – The Silver Bullet

One of the most mysterious, secret and probably expensive downhill bikes ever created was the Honda RN01. RacedA�from 2004-2006 by the G Cross Honda Team, the RN01 was a bike in a class of its own. The chromeA�finish and the Honda wings all added to the UFO nature of the bike, RN01 stood for Racing, Natural (apparently referring to natures power) and 01 was because it was their first attempt/modelA�. Very little information was released to the public in regards to this bike when Greg Minnaar, Matti Lehikonen, Brendan Fairclough and various Japanese riders were racing them. Mechanics would remove the gearbox from the frame so if the bikes were stolen the gearboxes weren’t. This did pay dividends and two of the team bikese were stolen, without gearboxes! One ended up on Ebay and was laterA�recovered. The hugely secretive nature of the program came at a time when downhill was no where near as professional as it is today, Steve Peat and Cedric Gracia (of course) ran into the restricted accessA�Honda tent at a race with a camera snapping pictures to have a cheeky dig at the way Honda were running things.

To get ideas on how to improve their motorbikes, to discover new technologies, to create personal transportation devices for the future, the theories regarding Honda's entry into the mountain bike world are endless. — To get ideas on how to improve their motorbikes, to discover new technologies, to create personal transportation devices for the future, the theories regarding Honda’s entry into the mountain bike world are endless.

The first series of the gearbox was said to allow a huge number of gears to be accessed by the riders, so much so the UCI introduced a rule limiting the number of gears to nine for downhill bikes. It was a CVT system as found in modern day cars. That does pose an interesting question as to whether this rule has been updated now that ten speed systems are available?! The second series of these gearboxes were a simpler designer basically a derailleur and cassette within the housing. Other parts on the bike, such as the forks and brakes were made specifically for Honda and this bike by various Japanese manufacturers. The linkage was a single pivot design, rumored to try and replicate their motorbike suspension. The total bike weight wasA�around 18.5kg/41 pounds, depending on the build.A�The R and D costs alone ran into the hundreds of thousands!A�Unfortunately these bikes were never made available to the public, despite many reports they would beA�and almost all were apparently crushed at the end of the project with only Greg Minnaar having one at his house/shop sans the gearbox. We are willing to bet some Japanese collector managed to get their hands on one though… Then of course there was the four-cross/dual slalom bike Greg occasionally used!

June 1, 2013

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