Team Norco Intl Australian National Championships
Jill Kintner and Bryn Atkinson Australian National Championship Race Report
With the World Cup Downhill season only a few weeks away, this race was perfect to get a feel for competition against one the most talented country in our sport. With Names Like Sam Hill, Troy Brosnan, Chris Kovarik, Bryn Atkinson, Jared Graves, Rhys Willemse, Mitch Delfs, Tracey Hannah, etc, there was some serious depth to the elite fields. Juniors in OZ are on the radar as well, with times that place on elite podiums by the winner of under 19 male- Connor Fearon.
With four days of practice on a fairly basic course, race day was all about squeezing every bit of speed out of the track, staying hydrated, and keeping good traction on the loose skatey soil.
This course flowed along the ridge line up top exposing riders to wind, then dropped into a couple steep rocky shoots, followed by a little wooded section in the middle, a rock garden, then into some man made switchbacks and jumps. I thought it was fun to ride.
Spectators were pretty set up as well with a live camera feed of nearly the entire run of each rider. 3 minute intervals, 2 minute course. Big-screens always makes a great viewing event for the fans!! Another highlight was the wildlife in the trees, not every day you can stop on the side of a track, look up and see Koalas 2 feet from you munching on gum leaves:)
Back to racing:
Seeding was on the Saturday afternoon, 39 degrees out, filthy hot, I laid down a pretty strong run and came second by only .8 off Tracy Hannah who is a former World Cup winner. Primed for the final, I was making up time in a really solid race run when I got a rear flat towards the bottom of the run. Tracey took the win, and I still managed 2nd sliding all around, 8 seconds off.
Bryns final run was solid, it looked smooth and fast watching from the jumbotron. Clocking in more confidence and experienced race runs vs. Worlds best downhillers, Bryn adds another podium to his collection for 5th place here. Just a small mistake in the rock garden cost him those fractions of time. I have video footage of the top 6, coming soon...
Troy Brosnan won the Elite Mens title of Aussie Champ with what looked like a flawless run. Sam Hill finished 2nd to his teammate, while Rhys Willemse took 3rd, Chris Kovarik 4th, Bryn, Jared Graves 6th, Delfs 7th, Bryns little bro- Rhys Atkinson for 8th.
Leaving this race with 2 podiums and some good test time on our Aurums, were both looking forward to getting the World Cup season started off strong in South Africa.
Thanks again to all our sponsors!!!! We got a lot of people coming by to check out our bikes. big thanks to Norco Australia (Advanced Traders) for helping us out with the motor home! Best pit zone ever. On the way home, We drove along The great Ocean Road which is a sight not to be missed. Australian Coast line is beautiful. Glad we could combine a little life experience with business.
Wed like to thank the following companies for their support:
Red Bull, NORCO Bicycles, Crank Brothers, FOX, Shimano, Renthal, Maxxis, 5.10, e*13, Dakine, Oakley, Fi:zik, Cane Creek, Motorex, Stans Tubeless, Alpinestars, Tld, Park Tool, Cti, and eSoles.
Team Norco International is a Satellite Downhill mountain bike race team consisting of 2 elite riders- Bryn Atkinson and Jill kintner. Founded in 2012, the aim of the program is to Dominate races Worldwide.
