Masters takes New Plymouth Downhill

National Champion and 'Naki boy Wyn Masters comfortably took the first open downhill race held in Taranaki this century.

Twenty riders took to the course, which was riding fast thanks to a lot of voluntary effort by club members and a dedicated bunch of local riders, and a week of dry weather leading up to the race.

Jordan Leftbridge narrowly took the Juniors division, less than 0.3 of a second ahead of Jackson Hine. The strength of the junior field and solid times show that the skills that Taranaki riders have become famous for have been passed down to the next generation.

In the Open it was good to see some familiar faces coming out of the woodwork to race against the national champ, though without too much success,  as Wyn showed what it takes to take home the silverware at national level. Wyn's now off to Italy to start his World Cup campaign - again taking Taranaki's legendary hardcore riding style to the world stage.

Also a huge thanks to Club Committee member Shane Wilson, who made the whole event happen. As mentioned, plans are afoot for a jump comp, so watch this space...

Found: If you've lost a red hoodie with native american with full headgear on the front, then a) it's time you updated your wardrobe, and b) it was found at the race start area - contact Graeme at the number on the side bar to get it back.

Results and pics below:

Junior Men
Number	Name	1st Run	2nd Run	Best Time	Place
6	Jordan Leftbridge	1:08:55	1:09:18	1:08:55	1
9	Jackson Hine	1:10:03	1:08:82	1:08:82	2
14	Brandon Jackson	1:18:60	1:10:39	1:10:39	3
12	Mitchell Townsend	1:11:33	1:11:01	1:11:01	4
8	Joel Tunbridge	1:11:83	1:12:17	1:11:83	5
13	Cody Rickett	1:13:27	1:11:90	1:11:90	6
3	Liam O’Niell	1:21:63	1:16:95	1:16:95	7
7	Ryan Hunt	1:17:50	1:17:50	1:17:50	8
16	Cody MacDonald	1:22:61	_	1:21:61	9
5	Kyle Fowlie	1:28:61	1:30:41	1:28:61	10
2	Caleb Davies	2:13:32	1:59:45	1:59:45	11

Senior Men
Number	Name	1st Run	2nd Run	Best Time	Place
103	Wyn Masters	1:03:95	1:03:74	1:03:74	1
108	Scott Bedford	1:05:57	1:05:09	1:05:09	2
106	Warren Grubner	1:10:32	1:08:64	1:08:64	3
109	Bradey Winter	1:11:77	1:29:98	1:11:77	4
105	Troy Swan	1:13:44	1:16:79	1:13:44	5
104	Jayden Skinner	1:15:98	1:14:97	1:14:97	6
101	Cameron Empson	1:15:95	1:17:91	1:15:95	7
110	Michael McCallum	1:17:49	1:18:30	1:17:49	8
102	David Plumtree	1:22:85	1:22:38	1:22:38	9

Downhill Race – 10 April

On 10 April we’ll be getting back to our roots and running a downhill race on Mangamahoe’s Jump Track with a downhill race, sponsored by the lads at O2 Project.

The event is to say cheers to all those who have been putting in solid digging efforts on the track in recent months, and to farewell NP rider and current national champ Wyn Masters, who has a stunning season, following in the footsteps of other legendary Taranaki riders and tearing apart trails all over the country.

Registration is from midday and racing begins at 1pm – it’s $5 to enter if you’re a club member, $10 if you’re not, and any profit goes back into trail building.

Easter Egg Hunt: Chocolate is good

New Plymouth Mountain Bikers' first Easter Egg Hunt went down on Friday. Pics are attached (thanks Grant!) - stay tuned for future events to bring the whole family to. For more photos check out the Pix2C's Facebook album here. Chocolate is good.