Brook MacDonald On The Podium At British DH Round 3

Trek World Racing took advantage of the close proximity of the 3rd round of the British Downhill Series here in Innerleithen, Scotland, to next week's all important opening round of the UCI World Cup in Fort William, to get the riders up to speed and iron out any remaining preparations. The weather was unseasonably warm and extremely sunny making the narrow, rooty and repetitive track fast, and hard to learn.

Local riders took the lion's share of the podium with Brook MacDonald the only non-UK rider taking a spot, finishing in 4th place ahead of many of the World Cup's top international riders. Practice runs took up to 2 hours a time due to the large number of riders and the relatively slow uplift system, so learning the track wasn't made easy.

Greg Williamson took a solid 13th place but was a little disappointed after taking the hot seat, not to stay there longer. He was kicked out by Nick Beer (SUI) but was still happy overall with what felt like a top 20 world class ride. Neko Mulally and George Brannigan were both on their first visit to this technical track and used it simply as a way to clean out the cobwebs from long travel and be ready for the big race next week.

Brook said: "This track is so narrow with trees lining nearly the entire route and you really have to watch your handlebars and keep it tidy. It's not an easy track if you haven't ridden it much, but I was happy with my lower half of the race run and met thegoal of podium this weekend. All good."

Greg said: "I'm happy with that, and even though it wasn't the perfect run, it was good enough to get me close to the top ten in what was a pretty stacked field."

The team heads to Fort William tomorrow and is looking forward to getting the World Cup series started with the classic course at Nevis Range.

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Brook and Neko Make It Trek World Racing 1-2 at Pro GRT

Team mates Brook MacDonald and Neko Mulally made it a 1-2 on the podium for the 4th round of the Pro Gravity Tour at Mountain Creek, New Jersey. After qualifying fastest the day before, Neko had to settle for the backseat on race day, but was only 0.83sec behind his World Cup winning training partner. Brook didn't qualify as strongly but put in a great run on Sunday race day.

Brook said: "I'm really stoked to take the win today here at Mountain Creek. The short track made for some really close racing. A big thanks to our mechanics and also Neko's family for taking care of me over here on the East Coast!"

Neko said: "I was happy with my quali and wanted to do a similar sort of run to keep myself at the top of the results sheet on Sunday. I had a solid run and it's always good to be so close to the Bulldog! A nice 1-2 for the team".

Results:

1. Brook MacDonald (NZL) - 2mins 12.98secs
2. Neko Mulally (USA) - 2mins 13.81secs
3. Logan Bingelly (USA) - 2min 14.23secs

The next race for Brook and Neko will be this weekend for Round 5 of the Pro GRT in Plattekill, New York.

Brook MacDonald Takes The Win In Duryea, Neko 2nd

Last year Neko raced and won in Duryea, a local race which he was very proud to support and to help elevate in the national media. This year he went a step further by bringing his new team-mate and World Cup race winner, Brook MacDonald to the event.

For both riders, it was a lot of fun, The weather could not have been better and the atmosphere was really cool finishing in Reading's city park in the downtown area. The event marked the Gravity East season opener, and the guys have two more big East Coast races coming up, in Mountain Creek and Plattekill before starting their European race campaign.

Lots of spectators and and lot of Neko's supporters and friends came out to watch which made it even more difficult for Neko to accept his race run with a big crash, after some much local expectation of a repeat from 2012. Nevertheless he was proud to stand on the podium, not only with his team-mate, but his brother Logan as well, who took 3rd.

Neko said: "I was definitely disappointed to crash on my home track with all my friends and family watching. I take these pre-season races as an opportunity to find my limits and try new things. Crashing today helps me ride better tomorrow and build up to the start of the World Cup season. I was really stoked to make it a Trek sweep and see my little brother join Brook and I on the podium. I really enjoyed the weekend."

Brook said: "I had a lot of fun racing a more 'low key', low stress event. The relaxed atmosphere made it fun and I really appreciate the help from Ray from Trek's Race Department who kept our Session runnign sweetly all weekend!"

Results:

1. Brook MacDonald (NZL) - 2m 57secs
2. Neko Mulally (USA) - 3m 02secs
3. Logan Mulally (USA) - 3m 03secs

Thanks to Matt Delorme for the photos.

Niner IMBA Auction Begins

Want to own a rare, beautiful Jet 9 RDO with Rock Shox Sid XX fork? Want to benefit IMBA? Now is your chance!

Niner has made 9 limited edition IMBA-themed full suspension framesets available for riders to win, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting mountain bike development and advocacy around the world. The first frame was awarded at Sea Otter, the rest will be up for auction.

With the help of The Pro’s Closet, we are able to make these auctions open to riders in most countries with predictable shipping and handling fees - see the online auction listings for complete shipping details.

• Limited Edition Niner Jet 9 RDO frame with matching Rock Shox SID XX
• Win one of 9 made available
• Round 1 of Auction May 2-12
• Round 2 of Auction May 13-23
• Open to Niner riders around the world!
• Improved shipping rates for domestic and international winners, see auction page for details
• Happy Bidding and Good Luck!

Niner IMBA Auction