The summer of racing is underway. Meaning plenty of time on the road, BP pies and bumping up the caffeine intake to get riders, their crew and families to all corners of the country for race weekends.
Just a week on from Round 1 in Rotorua the NZDH Series returned to Fourforty Mountain Bike Park for Round 2. With a quick turnaround this gave riders the opportunity to stamp their presence or throw down for redemption on the red clay of Auckland's East Coast.
The hard-packed dirt at Fourforty provides a stark contrast to the hero dirt of Rotorua. Riders have to carefully gauge their grip, as the dry, dusty clay can be slippery, especially in tight corners, off cambers and steep shoots.
Ride along for a practice run with Jonty and Cole (follow cam) for a lap down the track.
Both Jonty and Cole backed up their great start to the season with another blinder here at Round 2. Jonty has an all round great weekend on the bike. In his first race run, Jonty posted a time that was 3.7 seconds faster than the next rider, securing him the top spot in the Under 17s. Despite a dropped chain in his second run, he maintained his first-place finish. Not only winning the Under 17’s category but taking 2nd fastest overall times of the day and walking away with the cash! Cole punched out a lot of laps on the track building run by run. After crashing in his first run, Cole bounced back to secure 6th place overall, impressively posting the 2nd-fastest split at the top, just behind Jonty.
After an exciting weekend of racing, we caught up with Jonty and Cole to hear about their weekend.
Cole Hulsebosch
How was your weekend and how did your race runs go?
Cole: The weekend was awesome, got lots of laps in. Crashed on my first race run then had a pretty good second run, got 2nd on the top split behind Jonty but ended up 6th.
How did you enjoy the track and the adjustment to the 440 clay?
Cole: The track was awesome this year, just a couple sections being a little tight. The FourForty clay took a bit to get use to, just being a bit slippery.
What song gases you up for a race run?
Cole: Anything Drum and Bass is my go to before race runs.
Solid start to the season! What’s the plan between now and the next round?
Cole: Between now and Dome Valley I’m going to keep going to the gym and training and have also started doing a bit of moto.
Jonty Williamson
How was your weekend and how did your race runs go?
Jonty: Weekend at Fourforty was great, I managed to get 3 practice runs on Friday before race day too which was great. My first race run was good and I didn’t make many mistakes. In my second run I unfortunately dropped my chain up the top and wasn’t able to pedal on the flat bits of the track.
How did you enjoy the track and the adjustment to the 440 clay?
Jonty: The adjustment to the clay wasn’t bad as the dirt at my local (Arapuke Forest Mountain Bike Park) is pretty similar.
What song gases you up for a race run?
Jonty: I didn’t listen to any music before my race run, but if I was, it would probably be some kind of drum and bass.
Two wins from two and another 2nd fastest time of the day. Did you win any cash at this one?
Jonty: Super happy to win Under 17 and get 2nd overall with a cash prize!
Solid start to the season! What’s the plan between now and the next round?
Jonty: Stoked on how I am riding at the moment. Between now and the next round I will just continue to have fun and try to progress my riding.
P.S A big thank you to our team partners that make Evision Racing possible. The support you give this race team has given both Jonty and Cole the confidence to take their riding to a new level. As a development focused team we are proud to be ambassadors for your brand at the races, interacting with the community and together doing a small part in making the industry a better place.
With Round 2 in the books, the NZDH Series continues to heat up. We are excited to see Jonty and Cole carry this momentum into Round 3 at Dome Valley (7th December). See you at the races!
Liam Jackson & Cameron Cole - Envision Racing
Team Partners:
Founded by: VIRIS Brand New Zealand
Powered by: GT Bikes, FOX Racing New Zealand, Pirelli Tyres New Zealand, CrankBrothers, Shred Bike Wash
