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.

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".