Bikesoup Gravity Halo BDS RD2 Race Report

Bikesoup Gravity rider George Gannicott, Youth Men, takes first win of the series at Round 2 of the Halo British Downhill Series, Moelfre in Wales. Day 1 for practice and the sun was out for an unusually hot April, a bonus for all riders with a fast, dry and dusty track. Arran and George were running their new 2011 Marzocchi 888 RC3 Evo Ti'sk and Fi'zi:k TUNDRA 2 K:IUM saddles on the unmistakeable, acid green Transition TR450 frame with super strong Gravity Components. With such a fast track, the pressure was on for all riders to be consistently quick whilst managing the technical sections and fast switchbacks of the course. And practice was FAST! The balance of having a bike that had tight solid handling but light enough to have an edge and withstand the abuse the jumps and rocks thrown at it was a hard test to endure but both Arran and George felt their race machines were the best they have ever had. The new Marzocchi 888's were a perfect match for the TR450 frame. They also commented on the strength of Gravity Light. In particular the Chainguide absorbed everything thrown at it, with hardly any evidence of abuse. Both boys absolutely hammered it, bottoming out the bikes, they think it's the toughest on the market and it certainly lives up to its high-impact description. The competition was tough this weekend, with so many riders registering and the Elite field of 46 was packed with top ten world cup riders, with all the Elite riders on fire the times were expected to be really close. Arran and George both had a great day's practice with bikes in perfect condition. Day 2 and race day! The sun was out and even hotter and hundreds of spectators arriving for a days racing. After practice runs, Arran and George completed interviews and bike set up with the media, then, on to seeding. Arran in Elite seeded a stellar 31st, with a speed of 40.81kph and a timed run of 2.39. This is still only his 2nd race in Elite and is competing with riders in this category with years more experience. George nailed seeding and blew all of the competition out of the way by a staggering 3.2 seconds. His speed was clocked at 42.05kph with a timed run of 2:36.644. Had George been in Elite, he would have seeded around 28th place. Race runs: With George down last as he seeded fastest, he was firing on all cylinders for that win! A rider before him crashed on his race run however which mean't George and the other last 2 down all had to roll down the course and be taken up to restart their race run. Not what any rider wants to happen, having to re-focus for the race run again without losing momentum. George had to wait another 40minutes for the restart, but despite this he smashed apart the competition and took the win by 0.58 seconds, a timed run of 2.37 and speed clocked at 42.05kph, just 2 seconds off 3rd placed Elite rider Brendan Fairclough. Arran had a good race, placing 35th with a speed clocked at 42.30kph, and a time of 2.36, super fast but with tight timings from all Elite riders, every second counts and will be working on focus and speed in preparation for the next round. A great weekend for Bikesoup Gravity! Really looking forward to round 3 Halo British Downhill Series at Glencoe on the 29th May. And lastly a huge thank you to all of our sponsors!! Photos: @samdavies24

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