The 2020 Queensland State Downhill Championships went down at Kooralbyn on the weekend amidst some sketchy weather predictions. The team at Kooralbyn Mountain Bike Park managed to pull off a great event despite challenging conditions, the only DH race for 2020 in SEQ went off without a hitch.
The weekend begun with storms and rain forecast amongst warm, humid conditions at Kooralbyn Valley Mountain Bike Park for Saturday and Sunday. A large storm hit Saturday Afternoon and the track was beginning to become super sticky with mud caked on tires so thick that the tread was not even visible. The forecast for Sunday looked bleak and what was meant to be a stormy day soon became salvageable riding conditions. A quick change to the course just before the race started led to pretty reasonable conditions and in patches, perfect grip.
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The Black Snake Downhill track had some upgrades and changes leading into the race and a few extra features provided some more time to get some air and some primo photo moments. The team at Kooralbyn MTB Park and On The Edge Events did a great job bringing us a State Championships that we thought would not happen for 2020. Not only was it great to have the big bikes between the race tape but there was no shortage of smiles to go around.
The business end of the day saw Ben Forbes take the top step in Elite Men over Harry Bush and Bryce Sterling. The Elite Women’s category saw Elle De Nooyer continue her podium slaying year over Catherine O’Neill and Michelle Gane. Caleb Mallyon won the Expert Men’s title, Jordan Payne won the Masters 1/2 Men’s category whilst Damien Bogatek took out the Masters 3/4 Mens.
The Junior field saw Will Hynes take the top step in the U19 Men over Sam Butler and Connor Aves. U17 Mens was won by Taj Pollard whilst the U17 Women’s category saw Sacha Mills take the State Title. Mitchel Pratt won the U15 Men’s whilst the U13’s was won by Rhys Wellings. Another great showing from the junior field with some super fast riders on the track.
FULL RACE RESULTS HERE
This may well have been the one and only Downhill race of the 2020 season and it’s great to see the hard work from the Kooralbyn MTB Park and the On the Edge team paying off. Yet another great event at Kooralbyn and the legacy of the Black Snake downhill track lives on, we hope to see more awesome events next year from the team at On The Edge.
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That’s another race report wrap and another great event in South East Queensland. November looks set to be a big month for enduro with round three of the Scenic Rim Series (also State Enduro Championships), Round 5 of the Queensland Enduro Series at Garapine and to finish the month of the Fox Super Flow Round 5 at Mt Joyce. We will be there to catch all the action and will definitely be between the tape for the Fox Super Flow at Mt Joyce. See you on the trails…..
If you are after some awesome photos of the event then head over to Set In Stone photography for all the official race photos. you can download the low res for free or if you are feeling like supporting Nathan then grab some high resolution shots for just $10 each.
