Fontana Southridge USA 2016 - Round 1 DH Recap
The Southridge USA series, presented by KMC, kicked off this past week end at the classic Fontana venue. After a significant amount of rainfall leading up to the event, the usual loose and dusty conditions were absent and riders were welcomed with conditions that were prime for racing. Southridge is always an interesting off-season series with a lot of the big brands and riders choosing it to test their new bikes and gear against the clock. We always expect to see new prototype bikes and the occasional World Cup and EWS level pros, practicing their race craft for the upcoming season.
![ODI sponsored the start box of the first round DH Race in Fontana. The line seemed to go on forever as over 300 riders participated in today s event.]()
![Annette Beerten and Team Mate Ronnie Renner riding a ridge line that really shows the amazing trails that exist in the city of Fontana.]()
![Beerten takes a quick second for a bike check with her new GT Sanction Team bike. She says she is trying to do more North American events this year after a strong European event tour last year on the Specialized team.]()
![Renner on the GT Sanction had a great look with the Orange flowing everywhere. His flow on the trail however was just off pace of the podium finishing 6th in the Vet Pro Category.]()
![With Anneke switching to GT this year from Specialized is was great to see the bike fit and form to her style. She finished first in the Pro Woman Category. Expect big things from her this year.]()
![Joe Lawwill returned to DH racing after taking a season or two off. Racing Vet Pro he was the favored rider with Technical Prowess and fitness for days. He pedaled the Yeti SB6c to the top of the Podium in his class.]()
![Joe is no stranger to Southridge racing here for seemingly decades he looked in great form navigating the rocky terrain. He just missed beating out Joe Lawwill finishing in second by less than half a second.]()
The Pro Men Category in years past has included incredible talent, with many World Cup Level Pros showing up, including Aaron Gwinn, so it was no surprise to see a good collection of some of the big names in the sport.
![Warren had his first outing this weekend to the Southridge terrain. He was put on Palmer s Prototype bike and seemed to be doing well on it during practice. He finished 6th today a great finish for his initiation in Fontana.]()
![Bruce comes off a strong showing in 2015 where he attended two World Cup events and Nationals. He had a top time finish at Kamikaze and starts 2016 with a 4th place finish finishing less than a second from 2nd.]()
![Kevin went with a more traditional set up vs his counterpart. He finished third behind Charlie Harrison by the narrowest of margins.]()
![On his final Practice Run Early Sunday Morning Charlie was in top shape. He would finish the day just off the top step.]()
![Logan makes the trek from St. George every two weeks to compete in Fontana. His bike was a unique set up to compete on what he describes as a unique course. Essentially a 6 KHS bike with an 8 fox 40 up front. An angle-set slacks out the front fork a full degree. The set up seemed to work well as he finished in First Place for the Pro Men Category.]()
![Southridge USA Round 1 2016 Pro Men s Podium]()
![Southridge USA Round 1 2016 Pro Woman s Podium]()
![Southridge USA Round 1 2016 Vet Pro Podium]()
Full results here.
MENTIONS: @calledtocreation
ODI sponsored the start box and the line seemed to go on forever with over 300 riders participated in the event...
Annette Beerten and GT team mate (and FMX star) Ronnie Renner, riding a ridge line that really shows the amazing trails that exist in the city of Fontana.
Beerten takes a quick second for a bike check with her new GT Sanction Team bike. She says she is trying to do more North American events this year.
Renner, also on the GT Sanction, had a great look, but his flow on the trail however was just off pace for the podium, finishing 6th in the Vet Pro Category.
Anneke finished first in the Pro Woman Category. Expect big things from her this year.
Joe returned to DH racing after taking a season or two off - racing Vet Pro, he was the favored rider with technical prowess and fitness for days. He pedaled the Yeti SB6c to the top of the podium in his class.
The 'battle of the Joe's' had Lawwill competing agains Joe Picchiottino, who is no stranger to Southridge, racing here seemingly for decades - he looked in great form navigating the rocky terrain. He just missed beating out Joe Lawwill finishing in second by less than half a second.
The Pro Men Category in years past has included incredible talent, with many World Cup Level Pros showing up, including Aaron Gwinn, so it was no surprise to see a good collection of some of the big names in the sport.
Warren Kniss had his first outing this weekend to the Southridge terrain. On Palmer's prototype Intense bike and he seemed to be doing well on it during practice, finishing 6th today - a great finish for his initiation to Fontana.
Bruce Klein comes off a strong showing in 2015, where he attended two World Cup events. He had a top time finish at the Kamikaze Games and starts 2016 at Southridge with a 4th place finish, less than a half a second from 2nd place.
Kevin Aiello raced his enduro bike, finishing third behind Charlie Harrison by the narrowest of margins.
On his final practice run, Charlie was in great shape and he appeared to be ready for the win. He would finish the day just off the top step, by nearly 5 seconds.
Logan, who makes the trek from St.George every two weeks to compete in Fontana, was also running a unique set up to compete on. Running what was essentially a 6" travel bike with an 8" travel Fox 40 up front with an angle-set to slacken the front out by another degree. This random set up seemed to work well for Logan as he finished in first place in the pro men category.
Southridge USA Round 1 2016 Pro Men's Podium 1. Logan Binggeli 2. Charlie Harrison 3. Kevin Aiello
Southridge USA Round 1 2016 Pro Woman's Podium 1. Anneke Beerten 2. Amanda Wentz 3. CJ Selig
Southridge USA Round 1 2016 Vet Pro Podium 1. Joe Lawwill 2. Joe Picchiottino 3. Chad Hubbard
Full results here.
MENTIONS: @calledtocreation
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