6.6.2011
Fort William is the absolute classic on the World Cup Downhill circuit and a race that all downhiller riders want to win. In winning for the fifth time at "The Fort", Tracy Moseley becomes the most successful Downhill rider ever in the decade long history of the venue. On top of that, her result along with Aaron Gwin and Justin Leov who both finished in the top 10, meant that Trek World Racing scored its first trophy for 2011 as Number 1 Team.
It was almost another story altogether with Aaron Gwin starting last in the men's field, as the fastest qualifier, leading by a massive 5 seconds with about 1 minute of racing to go, and clearly about to win by a large margin. A crash when his rear wheel got hooked up on a tree stump as he ran a little wide meant that he lost the 5 second margin, and a bit more, and finished 5th; the disappointment clearly evident on his face as he circled the finish arena while Greg Minnaar celebrated the victory.
Justin Leov was back in strong form with a 6th in qualifying, and a solid 8th in the race. His front tire lost pressure during the run and this affected his time a little, but generally he was very happy to be back in the top 10. Neko Mulally who qualified successfully on Saturday, was pushing hard for big points when his front wheel washed out on a sandy corner and he went down before he could get a foot out. He went down again on the next corner as he was still trying to get clipped back in.
Tracy Moseley has a commanding 170 point lead in the overall standings over Floriane Pugin (FRA), while Aaron will be back in the Trek World Racing jersey with the stars and stripes for the next round, sitting in 2nd place, just 47 points behind Greg Minnaar. With 250 points up for grabs at each of the 5 remaining rounds, the season has only just begun.
Tracy said: "This place is so special to me. I had my first ever World Cup win at Fort William, and to get my fifth win here, in the Rainbow Jersey, is incredibly special. The fans absolutely make this place, and it’s a privilege to race here in front of them all".
Aaron said: "Just a simple crash really. I knew I'd had a good run and was on for a good time, but unfortunately I came into a corner where I was using the inside line, and I was coming in a little too hot and ran wide and got hooked up before going down. Frustrating crash, but it definitely makes me hungry for next week."
Justin said: "So good to be back where I know I belong and our Fox suspension this year works so well, together with the Session, that there was just no arm pump this year on the course, and that made a massive difference for all of us. We have an incredible combo now with the suspension set up and the bikes."
Media seeking hi-res images can visit our website for their login. http://www.trekworldracing.com
Results for World Cup DH #2 are here: http://www.uci.ch/templates/BUILTIN-NOFRAMES/Template1/layout.asp?MenuId=MTYxMjU&LangId=1
Next week sees World Cup DH #3 in Leogang, Austria for all 4 Downhill riders, at the site of the 2012 World Championships.
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