Brook MacDonald Wins First Ever National DH Title

Trek World Racing's new signing Brook MacDonald (pictured here with team mate Neko Mulally in New Zealand, courtesy of Carol Stacy) took his Trek Session 9.9 to a first ever Elite National Title on the Rotorua course earlier today. The former Junior World Champion and World No.5 has had a busy couple of weeks both preparing for this event, racing in Hunua and filming in Queenstown for Anthill Production's new project.

Brook qualified fastest after his main world class rival Sam Blenkinsop, who's won the last 3 rounds of the NZ National Series, flatted in his seeding run. This meant Sam set an early time that was good enough to keep him in the hotseat until Brook hit the track. Sam's time of 2m 49.90secs looked solid and placed him ahead of team mate and current Junior World Champion Loic Bruni (FRA), but Brook crossed the line more than 2.5secs quicker with a 2m 47.22secs and was understandably ecstatic.

"It's my first ever National Champs title so I am pretty stoked. I made one pretty big mistake up the top and I was pretty sure I was going down. I dont know how I rode that out, so I was pretty lucky and I knew from there I had to make up time. For the amount of training I've been able to do with a back issue and a lot of travelling, I still have my fitness so it is super cool and great to be back on the top step. To be able to wear the national jersey for my new team Trek World Racing will be sick."

The team's other downhiller from New Zealand, George Brannigan, did not compete as he is still recovering from knee surgery.

2013 Trek World Racing Adds Three New Riders To The Team

Trek World Racing is excited to announce its much anticipated line-up for the 2013 race season, a roster which sees a mixture of race winners, World Cup podium riders as well as up-and-coming talent. All the riders selected for the program have the same philosophy and clearly have youth, talent and massive potential as key ingredients.

Headlining the team line-up is the Kiwi duo of Brook MacDonald (pictured above right) and George Brannigan (pictured above left). Brook MacDonald is the 2009 Junior World Champion and has recently scored his first World Cup win at 2012s Round 6 in Val dIsere, France, bringing his World Cup podium tally to 4 so far. George had his first taste of the World Cup podium when he finished 2nd at Round 7 last year in Hafjell, Norway, just missing the win by 0.4sec. His current UCI world ranking of #9 is a testament to his 2012 season of consistent results.

These two riders join American Neko Mulally (pictured below right) who enters his 4th year with the program, and his 2nd as an Elite rider. Last year was his most successful to date seeing him break into the World Cup top 15 and knocking on the door of the top 10. Even though Neko is still the youngest rider on the program, turning 20 next month, he carries a wealth of experience for his age as he enters the new season.

Making his debut onto a pro-team ride is Scottish talent Greg Williamson (pictured below left) who has impressed a number people with his recent results, most notably a number of top 20 World Cup placings despite very little support. His 15th in Hafjell after qualifying 19th, and a 17th in Fort William, shows he has strength on different styles of tracks and can earn points for his team.

Brook MacDonald says: "Being on Trek World Racing represents a fresh start for me and Im looking forward to all the new things Ill experience. Im really excited to be joining this team for the next 3 seasons and working with my new team mates and new bikes. The combination of the Session 9.9 with Fox Shox and Shimano has been pretty lethal the last 2 seasons!"

George says: "I'm so excited to be a part of Trek World Racing. This feels like the opportunity I need to improve my results and still be consistent. I know any team run by 23 Degrees has produced real talent and I want to make the most of this opportunity to get where I want to be. The group of team mates will be great and Im sure the support will be top notch. I cant wait for this season!"

Greg says: "For me, joining Trek World Racing is a dream come true. Ive been working hard for a long time to get onto a professional team like this. The roster this year is awesome, theyre all hard workers and dont do anything half-heartedly, so Im really looking forward to learning a few things and stoked to get back racing."

The four full time downhill riders will be joining Justin Leov (NZL) who we recently announced as our Enduro rider. Justin will be doing selected downhill events as well as acting as a mentor to the team. At 28 years of age, 10 years on the World Cup circuit and entering his 5th year with our program, Justin is the perfect role model for the other 4 riders.

The team is proud to confirm the following sponsors who have committed to the program and the new line-up. Shimano (Brakes and Drive Train), Fox Racing Shox (Suspension), JBL by Harman (Sound Systems), Bontrager (Tires and Wheels), Royal Racing (Competition and Casual Clothing), Seven (Body Protection), FUNN (Handlebars/Stems), MRP (Chain Guides), DT Swiss (Hubs), SDG Components (Seats and Seat Posts), SRM (Power Measurement), Motorex (Lubricants and Cleaning Products), Ryno Power (Sports Nutrition), ODI (Grips), Cane Creek (Headsets) and Alpinestars (Team Baggage).

The team was recently informed by the UCI that it had successfully completed the registration process for 2013, and will be informed on February 7 whether it has been awarded one of the 15 Elite Team spots, something we are quite confident of achieving with our current roster.

The team website currently has the profiles of all 5 riders in the Downhill section of the site. In the coming weeks well be updating the site with a new Enduro section.

Statement From 23 Degrees On Aaron Gwin Leaving Trek

The last several weeks have been a very difficult period for our company as owners of the Trek World Racing program. Despite the fact that on August 9 of last year, Aaron Gwin signed a legally binding Letter Of Intent with our team for the next three seasons, his agent wrote an email to the team in mid-December stating he had decided to race for another bike brand. Mr Gwin confirmed his agreement with our team in public statements, and he and his agent repeatedly confirmed the existence of, and commitment to, the agreement in written correspondence with us. Yet, only weeks before the team was required to submit the official team roster to UCI, Mr Gwin informed the team that he was abandoning TWR in total disregard of his contractual obligations.

The team reached out on several occasions in December in order to try and remedy whatever concerns Mr Gwin had, but these were ignored until the team received a letter from his Attorneys on December 27 stating he would not ride for our team. In the interests of the team and our sponsors, we are actively pursuing all options open to us at this point, including legal action, and remain completely surprised by Mr Gwin's unprofessional actions.

Team Director Martin Whiteley says: "This has not been an easy time for us. In the bigger picture however I find positivity in the fact that the Trek World Racing program will continue regardless of the outcome of this dispute, as no single rider is bigger than the team as a whole. Every rider who has been on our Downhill program has had the best years of their career with us, and we will continue to bring on talented riders. The team has a history of helping riders win who had not previously won, including Aaron Gwin. It's our intention t o continue that type of record with new talent. I would personally like to acknowledge the complete support and loyalty we've received from our title sponsor Trek Bikes who have been unwavering in their commitment to the program since this news broke. In the interests of the fans, we hope this matter will be resolved sooner rather than later".

Trek World Racing Enters The Enduro Series For 2013

Following the recent announcement of the upcoming Enduro World Series, Trek World Racing is excited to confirm that the team will commit to the series. This follows today's signing of Justin Leov on a 2 year deal that will see the talented New Zealander focus on Enduro Racing. Justin recently retired from World Cup Downhill racing, but the new Enduro calendar provides the 28 year old with the perfect opportunity to extend his racing career.

Justin said today: "I'm really looking forward to racing a fresh new discipline, and being able to make it happen around my new career in building, with Trek Wor ld Racing providing me with all the support for my racing, is the ideal situation. It's a team that feels like family and I know the product and the staff so well, it's the exact support I'll need to compete at the highest level in Enduro."

The team will attend at least 4 rounds of the Enduro World Series where Justin will be on board his Trek Remedy and Slash machines. There will be other selected events like the Megavalanche, and Justin will be also be aiming to regain his title as the Crankworx Garbanzo winner. When the schedules permit, Justin will be lending a hand to his downhill team-mates trackside.

The team website www.trekworldracing.com will be updated with more information on the exact team schedule and co-sponsors in January.

Neko Mulally To Race In Mexico And Indonesia Next Month

While the official race season may have come to a close, Neko Mulally (USA) will still be keeping busy with two major events in very different parts of the world.

The first event will be next week in Taxco, Mexico. The Downhill Taxco, November 2 and 3, is a street course that meanders through the village, even passing through two houses, and is billed as the most spectacular race in Mexico. The organizers have personally invited Neko and put up more than $10,000 in prize money.

Shortly after his return from Mexico, Neko will be boarding a flight heading west to Asia, visiting the country of I ndonesia for the first time, where he'll be hosted by the local Trek distributor. The Asia Pacific Downhill Challenge Cup has been happening for a few years now and has attracted the likes of Sam Hill (AUS) and Troy Brosnan (AUS) in the past, and this year Gee Atherton (GBR). With $10,000 prize money being awarded across the first 5 placed men, it's another off-season race that rewards the top riders who make the long trip.

Neko says: "I'm very excited for the weeks to come as I will have the chance to travel to new places and participate in some really cool events. The urban race in Mexico is something totally new to me and I'm really looking forward to finally racing one of these legendary street races held in Latin America. Following that, I can't wait to go to Indonesia and getting to see that part of the world. It seems to be a really legit downhill track with some top competitors attending and a lot of media coverage; the perfect time to put down a solid result. It's the off-season now and my training has not been as specific as it is closer to the race season, but I've been riding my bike a whole lot the past month and really feel like I will be strong for these races."

Results will be posted on Trek World Racing's website shortly after each event. www.trekworldracing.com