Tue 10 Jul 2007
Australian world champions win world cup downhill double
Reigning Australian world champions Tracey Hannah and Sam Hill won the elite women’s and men’s downhills at the fourth round of the World Cup in Schladming, Austria Sunday.
Racing her first season in the elite ranks, Hannah became the youngest Australian to win a World Cup event. Hannah, 2006 junior world champion downhill racer, just turned 19 just three weeks ago.
After qualifying second fastest, Hannah went on to beat hot favourite and current world champion, Sabrina Jonnier (Iron Horse / Monster Energy) from France. Hannah rode an impressive 4:41.50 beating Jonnier by more than one second on the 2,100m course. Marielle Saner (Bikepark.Ch Tui) finished third.
Hannah moved up into fourth position in the World Cup overall standings, but Jonnier looks certain to take the series with only one remaining event.
Women Final
1 Tracey Hannah (Aus) 4.41.50
2 Sabrina Jonnier (Fra) Iron Horse / Monster Energy 0.01.56
3 Marielle Saner (Swi) Bikepark.Ch Tui 0.02.71
4 Tracy Moseley (GBr) Kona Les Gets 0.04.57
5 Celine Gros (Fra) 0.08.69
6 Vanessa Quin (NZl) MS-Intense Factory-Racing Team 0.11.50
7 Emmeline Ragot (Fra) 0.17.77
8 Fionn Griffiths (GBr) 0.19.09
9 Helen Gaskell (GBr) 0.19.59
10 Petra Bernhard (Aut) 0.21.77
Making it an Australian double, world champion Sam Hill (Iron Horse / Monster Energy) won the elite men’s event with a massive margin over his nearest rival, Gee Atherton (Animal Commencal) from Great Britain. The 21 year-old rode a blistering 3:51.44 over five seconds faster than Atherton with both riders being the only two competitors to break the four minute barrier.
“Sam was pretty impressive today,” finished Minnaar. He deserves to be in the black jersey right now.”
Hill now leads the series with a comfortable 807 points, 168 points ahead of Britain’s Steve Peat. Hill looks set to take the series with one remaining final round in Slovenia in September.
With just two months until the World Championships, riders will now prepare for the challenging course in Fort William, Scotland.
Men Final
1 Samuel Hill (Aus) Iron Horse / Monster Energy 3.51.44
2 Gee Atherton (GBr) Animal Commencal 0.05.14
3 Greg Minnaar (RSA) Team G-Cross Honda 0.05.52
4 Matti Lehikoinen (Fin) Team G-Cross Honda 0.05.57
5 Steve Peat (GBr) Santa Cruz Syndicate 0.06.37
6 David Vazquez Lopez (Spa) MSc Bikes 0.06.49
7 Brendan Fairclough (GBr) Team G-Cross Honda 0.06.69
8 Nathan Rennie (Aus) Santa Cruz Syndicate 0.08.83
9 Marc Beaumont (GBr) Team Mbuk Santacruz 0.09.95
10 Ben Reid (Irl) 0.10.38
Check the podium pics it seems you have to be a midget to go fast.