HANNAHS SHARE WIN IN FINAL DOWNHILL RACE OF CRANKWORX ROTORUA

Tracey and Mick make start of international downhill racing season a family affair, with most high profile shared podium

ROTORUA, NEW ZEALAND March 8, 2020 – “I feel like we’re the Crankworx family riders,” said Tracey Hannah (AUS), standing next to her brother Mick Hannah (AUS) in the finish corral of the Crankworx Rotorua Downhill presented by Gull.

Tracey stated it’s because they love Crankworx, but the results also speak for themselves.

Between the two of them, dozens of Crankworx podiums across the World Tour over the years. Today, a shared win.

“We’re stoked,” said Mick. “This is the biggest race we’ve won together.”

Tracey took the first win as the Pro Women charged down Mount Ngongotaha at Skyline Rotorua on the final day of Crankworx competition in New Zealand.

“It’s crazy, I wasn’t expecting that,” she said of her smoking fast 3:32.44, +24.38 seconds faster than second place finisher Jill Kintner (USA).  “I didn’t do any other events so I saved myself for this one.” 

Tracey both won this race last year and is the reigning Crankworx Downhill Champion.

“It’s huge to start off with this race and do well. It kind of boosts you on into the next few races…I’m super excited and definitely a good confidence boost. It shows that I did the right thing in the off season.”

“This is an amazing start to the season,” echoed Mick, who dropped in 45 minutes later, clocking a 3:00.16, beating Sam Blenkinsop by just +1.41. “It’s a huge confidence booster for me. And it’s good to see Tracey’s work paying off. She’s been working hard this off-season. We’ve done a lot of runs together this off-season and it’s good to see it wasn’t a waste.”

According to Tracey, stamina and strength was the order of the day today on the track that’s kicked off international racing season for the past six years. She said this year was the most challenging, thanks to drought conditions after an incredibly dry February.

“It’s unbelievably physical, and the holes are huge. It’s extremely hard to hold on and your legs get exhausted.” She added that she did a lot of bike set up over the week with her mechanic. “It’s always adjusting your bike, conserving your energy and smashing it on race day.”

“My race run was good,” said Mick. “I felt like it was actually kind of, not a slow run, but definitely conservative. But I was able to execute all of my lines really well. This track was really hard to do a clean run on so I think that was exactly what was needed today.”

RESULTS: Crankworx Rotorua Downhill presented by Gull 

1 Mick HANNAH (AUS) 00:03:00.160

2 Samuel BLENKINSOP (NZL) 00:03:01.570

3 George BRANNIGAN (NZL) 00:03:02.540

1 Tracey HANNAH (AUS) 00:03:32.440

2 Jill KINTNER (USA) 00:03:56.820

3 Vinny ARMSTRONG (NZL) 00:03:57.170

FULL RESULTS: Pro Men and Pro Women

After the DH action wrapped, one final podium wrapped up the week took place, as the leaders of the 2020 battle for the titles of the King and Queen of Crankworx were recognized.

Kintner increased her lead with the points earned from today’s second place finish and said she was “over the moon.” 

The American, who’s won the Queen title on the World Tour three times in the past five years, podiumed in five events over the past five day.

Next to her, Bas van Steenbergen (CAN), whose current position proves consistency sometimes trumps podium-topping results in the season-long battle. 

“I’m super stoked. At the start of the week I didn’t feel all that confident or all that good,” said the Canadian, whose top results this week included a second place finish in the 100% Dual Slalom Rotorua. “I was kind of questioning myself, so I didn’t quite expect to come out of here with the lead, which is obviously awesome. It sets me up good for the rest of the season.”

OVERALL STANDINGS:

King and Queen of Crankworx

Next up, the Crankworx World Tour rolls on to Innsbruck, for the only European stop of the season, June 10-14.

Photos: Flickr

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About the Crankworx World Tour
Crankworx is the ultimate experience in mountain biking. Born in Whistler, B.C. in 2004, Crankworx has evolved into a multi-stop international festival series. The Crankworx World Tour brings together the best mountain bike athletes to compete in elite-level competitions in a variety of disciplines. Crankworx World Tour festivals also host races for amateurs, CWNEXT categories for next gen athletes, Kidsworx contests for young riders, participatory events, and celebrations of mountain bike culture, all while showcasing amazing destinations. For additional information, visit crankworx.com.

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Media Contact
Julia Montague | Communications Manager, Crankworx World Tour
julia@crankworx.com