DH World Cup #1 - CDM

Fort William, Scotland, June 2, 2002

Sun: 13 minutes; Winning margin: 14 seconds

By Soggy Scott Sharples, Australian downhill coach

Sunny Scotland was the site of the World Cup round 1 for downhill and Four-cross.

I saw the sun a couple times a day some days, for a total of 13 minutes for the week. The rest of the time it rained. This is the perfect weather for poms and other mud larks.

The Four-cross course [a new form of the old dual eliminator], was short but action packed, with double doubles, step-ups, step down and some big berms with some nice take out lines. All the Aussies qualified well with their 'more than adequate' skills and love for shredding. The BMX riders dominated in the racing, with the powerful starts and big elbows.

Rennie, Kovarik and McCarroll all were eliminated in the second round. Wade Bootes made it through to the final and ended up second in a controversial race seeing Lopes taken out in style. The 5000 spectators were going crazy and made the opening Four-cross race one to remember.

Katrina Miller was looking great in all of her races, I thought would be a winner. But in the Semi final she crashed on some golf ball type rocks. She ended up 5th.

The DH course was long rough and tough. Full of big braking bumps from top to bottom, a few quagmires, and a mud wrestling pit. The constant rain made it a real slop fest. Stompy [Nathan] Rennie was feeling good in practice, celebrating his birthday in a subdued style on the Friday. We got crazy and sucked milk through Tim Tam fingers.

The rain continued to fall on race day and began to dampen enthusiasm. Thanks to some fine Scottish cuisine of Haggis and Neeps, spirits were only slightly dampened.

Mick Hannah was suffering from a 'stupid' broken finger, as he referred to it, and was limiting his practice and expectations.

All the Aussies looked good, and fast too.

The end result was Kovarik first and Rennie second. Hannah got a 7th, McCarroll had a big crash near the finish off a 40 foot jump, and was in the top 10 at the time. Privateer Ricky Boyer had a great rookie World Cup race and got 31st. Junior Jonathon Taylor was a victim of the mud hole monster.

No Aussie girls raced.

Interesting points were:

There were 14 seconds between 2nd and 13th, and 14 seconds between 1st and 2nd. An amazing margin leaving people scratching their heads.
Nathan Rennie was equal second with Cedric Gracia, to a one thousandth of a second!!!
No Arrests!
A suit case full of muddy clothes

Results

Downhill
 
1 Christopher Kovarik (Aus)                       4.33.98
2 Cedric Gracia (Fra) Volvo-Cannondale            4.48.00
2 Nathan Rennie (Aus)                             4.48.00
4 Nicolas Vouilloz (Fra) Vouilloz Racing          4.50.36
5 Mickael Pascal (Fra) Team Be One                4.51.44
6 Fabien Barel (Fra) Maxxis-MSC                   4.52.72
7 Mick Hannah (Aus) Haro-Lee Dungarees            4.54.40
8 John Kircaldie (NZl)                            4.54.72
9 Kirt Voreis (USA) Haro-Lee Dungarees            4.55.03
10 Nigel Page (GBr)                               4.55.61
11 David Vazquez Lopez (Spa) Giant Global         4.55.72
12 Cesar Rojo (Spa) Global Racing                 4.56.41
13 Bas De Bever (Ned) Team Be One                 5.00.31
14 Oscar Saiz (Spa) Maxxis-MSC                    5.02.89
15 Daniel Atherton (GBr)                          5.02.93
16 Ivan Oulego Moreno (Spa)                       5.03.11
17 Steve Peat (GBr)                               5.03.37
18 Bernat Guardia Pascual (Spa) Maxxis-MSC        5.04.11
19 Wilfred Van Der Haterd (Ned)                   5.05.20
20 Matti Lehikoinen (Fin) Global Racing           5.05.83
21 Gregorz Zielinski (Pol)                        5.06.22
22 Greg Minnaar (RSA) Global Racing               5.06.26
23 Will Longden (GBr)                             5.06.99
24 Sean McCarroll (Aus) Global Racing             5.08.27
25 Julien Camellini (Fra) Vouilloz Racing         5.08.74
26 Mark Beaumont (GBr)                            5.09.54
27 Rob Warner (GBr) Giant Global                  5.10.52
28 Steve Barker (GBr)                             5.10.58
29 Zigmars Skolins (Lat)                          5.11.47
30 Vlastimil Hyncica (Cze)                        5.11.58
31 Ricky Boyer (Aus)                              5.12.00
32 Markolf Berchtold (Bra) Global Racing          5.12.48
33 Guido Tschugg (Ger)                            5.12.50
34 Julien Poomans (Fra)                           5.12.59
35 John Lawlor (Irl)                              5.12.75
36 Tim Ponting (GBr)                              5.12.80
37 Scott Beaumont (GBr)                           5.12.91
38 Crawford Carrick-Anderson (GBr)                5.12.99
39 Damien Mermoud (Swi)                           5.13.88
40 Dave Wardell (GBr)                             5.13.93
41 Colin Ross (Irl)                               5.15.46
42 Gertje Tholen (Ned)                            5.16.69
43 Trond Hansen (Nor)                             5.17.92
44 Karim Amour (Fra)                              5.18.86
45 Trevor Porter (Can)                            5.19.80
46 Rob Jarman (GBr)                               5.19.90
47 Stuart Thomson (GBr)                           5.20.94
48 Jon Cheetham (GBr)                             5.21.43
49 Mathieu Prost (Fra)                            5.22.26
50 Naoki Idegawa (Jpn) Global Racing              5.22.79
51 Espen Johnsen (Nor)                            5.23.90
52 Jordi Bago (Spa)                               5.24.08
53 William Corry (Irl)                            5.24.17
54 Filip Polc (Svk)                               5.24.71
55 Markus Petschenig (Aut) Bank Austria           5.25.33
56 Mathias Haas (Aut) Bank Austria                5.25.45
57 Nico Vink (Bel)                                5.27.43
58 Stuart Hughes (GBr)                            5.29.61
59 Kamil Tatarkovic (Cze)                         5.30.49
60 Andrew Yoong (Irl)                             5.32.50
61 Neil Donoghue (GBr)                            5.32.82
62 Herman Oelund (Swe)                            5.38.36
63 Claudio Caluori (Swi) Maxxis-MSC               5.39.40
64 Kristof Lenssens (Bel)                         5.40.38
65 Ferran Marias Sorribes (Spa) Maxxis-MSC        5.40.93
66 Shaun Keppler (RSA)                            5.43.16
67 Mickael Deldycke (Fra) Fiat Rotwild            5.43.39
68 Mark Hopkins (RSA)                             5.44.63
69 Marco Fidalgo (Por)                            5.44.90
70 Jason Delport (RSA)                            5.49.23
70 James Scott (Irl)                              5.49.23
72 Martin Mc Guigan (Irl)                         5.50.77
73 Michael Golles (Aut) Bank Austria              5.52.31
74 Ernst Jirsak (Aut)                             5.55.91
75 Michal Marosi (Cze)                            6.04.47
76 Gerrit Beytagh (USA)                           6.25.63
77 Frank Schneider (Ger)                          6.25.97
78 Cyril Lagneau (Fra) Maxxis-MSC                 6.41.63
79 Declan Halton (Irl)                            6.43.52
80 Nicolas Ortiz (Fra)                           13.25.23
 
Women
 
1 Tracy Moseley (GBr)                             5.45.99
2 Vanessa Quin (NZl)                              5.52.47
3 Sabrina Jonnier (Fra)                           5.56.63
4 Fionn Griffiths (GBr)                           5.57.44
5 Missy Giove (USA) Global Racing                 6.00.17
6 Nolvenn Le Caer (Fra) Fiat Rotwild              6.05.82
7 Miriam Blas (Spa)                               6.07.28
8 Marielle Saner (Swi) Global Racing              6.10.12
9 Helen Gaskell (GBr)                             6.13.10
10 Moi Suemasa (Jpn) Trek Volkswagen              6.14.47
11 Anita Molcik (Aut) Bank Austria                6.22.26
12 Anneke Beerten (Ned) Team Be One               6.23.26
13 Pascaline Reusser (Swi)                        6.28.52
14 April Lawyer (USA)                             6.30.64
15 Bernardita Pizarro (Chi)                       6.37.12
16 Sandra Walker (Swi)                            6.44.79
17 Diana Marggraff (Ecu)                          6.52.25
18 Petra Bernhard (Aut) Bank Austria              6.56.64
19 Anne-Caroline Chausson (Fra) Volvo-Cannondal   6.59.41
20 Celine Gros (Fra) Morzine-Avoriaz              7.05.45
21 Karen Ballentine (GBr)                         7.08.69
22 Karen Pepper (GBr)                             7.16.57
23 Jo Leigh (GBr)                                 7.37.08
24 Jaymie Mart (GBr)                              7.44.31
25 Tamsin Jones (GBr)                             7.51.40
26 Kathy Pruitt (USA)                             7.57.53
27 Victoria Holling (GBr)                         8.03.80
28 Emily Horridge (GBr)                           8.05.83
29 Violeta Janeiro (Spa)                          8.10.63
30 Renee Diwell (GBr)                             8.10.86

Four-cross

Women
 
1 Anne-Caroline Chausson (Fra) Volvo-Cannondal         50 pts
2 Sabrina Jonnier (Fra)                                40
3 Celine Gros (Fra) Morzine-Avoriaz                    30
4 Tara Llanes (USA)                                    20
5 Katrina Miller (Aus)                                 15
6 Melissa Buhl (USA)                                   10
7 Vanessa Quin (NZl)                                    7
8 Miwa Sakamoto (Jpn)                                   5
9 Joey Gough (GBr)                              
10 Anneke Beerten (Ned) Team Be One             
11 Diana Marggraff (Ecu)                        
12 Emily Horridge (GBr)                         
13 Rhian Atherton (GBr)                         
 
Men
 
1 Cedric Gracia (Fra) Volvo-Cannondale                 50 pts
2 Wade Bootes (Aus) Trek Volkswagen                    40
3 Brian Lopes (USA) GT Bicycles                        30
4 Steve Peat (GBr)                                     20
5 Michal Prokop (Cze) Team Be One                      15
6 Dale Holmes (GBr)                                    12
7 Kirt Voreis (USA) Haro-Lee Dungarees                 10
8 Bas De Bever (Ned) Team Be One                        9
9 Stephane Jany (Fra)                                   8
10 Will Longden (GBr)                                   7
11 Karim Amour (Fra)                                    6
12 Filip Polc (Svk)                                     5
13 Sascha Meyenborg (Ger)                               4
14 Mike King (USA) Haro-Lee Dungarees                   3
15 Mickael Deldycke (Fra) Fiat Rotwild                  2
16 Scott Beaumont (GBr)                                 1
17 Nathan Rennie (Aus)                          
18 Christopher Kovarik (Aus)                    
19 Guido Tschugg (Ger)                          
20 Greg Minnaar (RSA) Global Racing             
21 Caile Noble (USA)                            
22 Dave Wardell (GBr)                           
23 Daniel Atherton (GBr)                        
24 Darren Howarth (GBr)                         
25 Nigel Page (GBr)                             
26 Bernat Guardia Pascual (Spa) Maxxis-MSC      
27 Kamil Tatarkovic (Cze)                       
28 Michal Marosi (Cze)                          
29 Martin Ogden (GBr)                           
30 George Atherton (GBr)                        
31 Naoki Idegawa (Jpn) Global Racing            
32 Kalle Miettlnen (Fin)                        
33 Sean Mccarroll (Aus) Global Racing           
34 Steve Barker (GBr)                           
35 Martyn Murray (GBr)                          
36 John Kircaldie (NZl)                         
37 Toby Forte (GBr)                             
38 Glyn O'Brien (Irl)                           
39 Stuart Thomson (GBr)                         
40 Markolf Berchtold (Bra) Global Racing        
41 Kenji Takamatsu (Jpn)                        
42 Richard Batey (GBr)                          
43 Jordan Gould (GBr)                           
44 Nico Vink (Bel)                              
45 Mark Heritage (GBr)                          
46 Iain Cookson (GBr)                           
47 Kristof Lenssens (Bel)                       
48 Robert Fahrgruber (Aut)                      
49 Thomas Bubla (Aut)                           
50 Vlastimil Hyncica (Cze)                      
51 Richard Cheetham (GBr)                       
52 Chris Ball (GBr)                             
53 Kyle Ebbett (USA)                            
54 Steve Geall (GBr)                            
55 Trond Hansen (Nor)                           
56 Marco Dell Isola (GBr)                       
57 Antti Hanhilahti (Fin)                       
58 Colin Ross (Irl)                             
59 Ernst Jirsak (Aut)                           
60 Russell Parsons (GBr)                        
61 Heiko Zoellner (Ger)                         
62 Espen Johnsen (Nor)                          
63 Steven Ruffell (GBr)