Oceania Mountain Bike Championships - CC

Nelson, New Zealand, March 13-16, 2008

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Race 6 - March 16: Downhill

Hometown rider wins downhill

Nelson's Kieran Bennett gave the hometown crowd plenty to cheer about when he took out the downhill title on the final day of the UCI Oceania Mountainbike Championships today. It proved a New Zealand double with Queenstown's Scarlett Hagen claiming the Oceania elite women's honours, although she finished a close second behind visiting Great Britain rider Tracy Moseley, who was ineligible for the title.

The rugged Kaka Hill course in Nelson provided plenty of spectacular action, especially the seven-metre jump midway down the course, which drew the attention of most of the big crowd today.

Bennett, third in yesterday's seeding run, upstaged his rivals to scorch down the course in 2'57"06. The 2007 national champion finished 14 seconds ahead of the in-form Christchurch professional Justin Leov, who won the South Island Cup round on the same course in January. Experienced Levin rider Nathan Rankin was third, 42 seconds behind the winner, while top seed Sam Blenkinsop (Wanganui) completed a disappointing competition when he crashed out and finished well down in the finishing order. The best of the visiting Australians was Tim Eaton (Canberra) in seventh.

English professional Moseley, the 2006 World Cup downhill series champion and runner-up last year, enjoyed a superb weekend to clock the fastest time in the downhill, after second place in the dual slalom and a win in the four cross.

Hagen, who headed yesterday's seeding run, was happy to finish so close to top rating Moseley and claim the Oceania title. Moseley won in 3'32"08, with the New Zealander only 3.8 seconds behind. Hagen won't have much time to savour victory, heading home tonight to resume university studies at Otago University tomorrow. "I was pretty happy. Obviously it was good to top the seeding run but I am pleased with the performance today to finish so close to Tracy, who is world class," Hagen said. "Yes I am back to university lectures tomorrow. But I am looking forward to competing in some World Cup races later this year," she added. Blenheim's Harriet Harper was third and Sheryl Macleod (Dunedin fourth).

Havelock North's Aari Bennett won the junior men ahead of Queensland's Tamryn Murrell in a time that would have given him fourth in the elite men while Canberra's Caroline Buchanan completed a brilliant weekend by claiming the junior women's honours.

Results

Elite Men
 
1 Kieran Bennett (NZl)          2.57.10
2 Justin Leov (NZl)             2.57.20
3 Nathan Rankin (NZl)           2.57.50
4 Joel Daniels (NZl)            3.00.80
5 Mike Skinner (NZl)                   
6 James Rennie (NZl)            3.03.00
7 Tim Eaton (Aus)               3.04.30
8 Cameron Cole (NZl)            3.05.10
9 Hayden McGregor (NZl)         3.06.60
10 Wyn Masters (NZl)            3.07.10
11 Marcel Beer (Swi)            3.07.80
12 Sam Blenkinsop (NZl)         3.08.10
13 Nick Beer (Swi)              3.08.95
14 Edward Masters (NZl)         3.09.50
15 Nathan Sharratt (NZl)        3.11.30
16 Tim Mackersy (NZl)           3.13.50
17 Richard Lee (Aus)                   
18 Darcy Murrell (Aus)          3.13.90
19 Hayden Mckay (NZl)           3.14.90
20 Brad Oien (USA)              3.14.97
21 Michael Davis (NZl)          3.15.30
22 Cody Eichhorn (Aus)          3.15.40
23 Daniel Sims (NZl)            3.16.90
24 Thomas Rose (Aus)            3.18.60
25 Michael Langford (NZl)       3.18.70
26 Reuben Miller (NZl)          3.18.90
27 Brendan Wood (Aus)           3.21.40
28 Alex Swann (Aus)             3.21.60
29 Isaac Heppell (Aus)          3.22.30
30 Matt Swann (Aus)             3.25.70
31 Daniel Meilink (NZl)         3.34.30
32 Berend Boer (Aus)            3.35.40
33 Laffin Brice (Aus)           3.43.40
34 Hayden Lee (NZl)             3.46.60
35 Benjamin Toudic (Fra)        4.02.40
DNF  Joseph Allen (NZl)         3.24.80
DNF  Mitchell Mckinlay (Aus)           
 
Elite Women
 
1 Tracy Moseley (GBr)           3.32.48
2 Scarlett Hagen (NZl)          3.36.30
3 Harriet Harper (NZl)          3.55.40
4 Sheryl Macleod (NZl)          4.00.20
5 Amy Laird (NZl)               4.01.20
6 Olivia Johnston (NZl)         4.08.50
7 Sarsha Huntington (Aus)       4.34.50
 
Junior Men
 
1 Aari Barrett (NZl)            2.59.70
2 Tamryn Murrell (Aus)          3.05.00
3 Peter Cooper (NZl)            3.05.80
4 Matt Walker (NZl)             3.08.50
5 Rhys Willemse (Aus)           3.09.00
6 Brook Macdonald (NZl)         3.11.50
7 James Taormina (Aus)          3.15.60
8 Tom Patton (Aus)              3.17.60
9 Austin Hicks (Aus)            3.26.00
10 Freddie King (NZl)           3.27.75
11 Ryan Hunt (Aus)              3.28.10
12 Richard Leacock (NZl)        3.30.50
13 Ethan Helliwell (NZl)        3.31.60
14 James Prouse (NZl)           3.33.50
15 Nick O'Rourke (NZl)          3.34.00
16 Josh Miller (NZl)            3.34.80
17 Marcus Allen (NZl)                  
18 Tom Matthews (NZl)           3.36.40
19 Cam Johnson (NZl)            3.41.80
20 Jayden Harris (NZl)          3.47.60
21 Ben Hobbs (NZl)              4.14.60
22 Tom Maury (Fra)              5.19.20
 
U17 Men
 
1 Jed Rooney (NZl)              3.12.20
2 Sam Baker (NZl)               3.17.30
3 Reuben Olorenshaw (NZl)       3.19.40
4 Rupert Chapman (NZl)          3.27.40
5 Kipp Nicholson (NZl)          3.32.93
6 Jimmy Wilson (NZl)            3.37.60
7 Jackson Carter-Smith (NZl)    3.40.90
8 Joshua Dickinson (Aus)        3.42.40
9 Brandon Ransfield (NZl)       3.53.64
10 Dylan Bennett (NZl)          3.58.70
11 Daniel Pahl (NZl)            4.00.18
12 Simon Barratt (NZl)          4.00.40
13 Josh Hamilton (NZl)          4.23.92
14 Sam Croft (NZl)              4.25.10
15 Brock Tawhara (NZl)          4.38.70
16 Amael Gable (Fra)            4.46.90
17 Croydon Everse (NZl)         6.41.12
DNF  Cody Rees (NZl)            4.28.23
DNF  Andy Sergeant (NZl)        3.47.16
 
Senior Men
 
1 Scott Bedford (NZl)           3.14.50
2 Hadley Boyce (NZl)            3.23.90
3 Tom Hey (GBr)                 3.24.43
4 Thomas Winwood (NZl)          3.25.96
5 Jimmy Pollard (NZl)           3.28.30
6 Dave Du Plessis (NZl)         3.32.90
7 Sidney Slotegraaf (Can)       3.34.64
8 Fraser Brown (NZl)            3.38.13
9 Oliver Knight (NZl)           3.40.70
10 Andrew Peck (NZl)            3.50.74
11 Kevin Landry (Can)           4.00.04
12 Nathan Ryder (NZl)           4.11.70
13 Nick Middleton (NZl)         4.37.85
 
Master 1 Men
 
1 Derek Winwood (NZl)           3.15.21
2 Randal Huntington (Aus)       3.43.70
3 Dave Hamilton (NZl)           3.43.73
4 Kevin English (NZl)           3.48.50
5 Phillip Walter (NZl)          4.13.19
 
Master 2 Men
 
1 Lionel Radigue (Fra)          4.14.50
2 Luke Simmons (NZl)            4.38.10
 
Hardtail Men
 
1 Rasmus Tonder (NZl)           4.01.80
2 Erik Wardrop (NZl)            4.08.00
3 Nick Bygate (NZl)             4.10.70
4 Tim Adams (NZl)               4.43.70
5 Leo Calcasola (NZl)           4.58.47
 
Senior Women
 
1 Rita Langley (NZl)            4.28.10
2 Amanda Pearce (NZl)           4.36.10
3 Dawn Daley-Coers (NZl)        6.38.90
 
Junior Women
 
1 Caroline Buchanan (Aus)       4.29.80
 
U17 Women
 
1 Charlotte Clouston (NZl)      5.04.80
 
Novice Boys
 
1 Baker Zach (NZl)              3.43.50
2 Louis Donnithorne (NZl)       3.48.70
3 Louis Hamilton (NZl)          3.50.40
4 Tom Rose (NZl)                4.03.90