Video and Race Report: Vittoria ESC Atlantic DH, Round 2 at Plattekill Mountain

Gravity racers converged on Plattekill Mountain, deep in the Catskills of New York, over the Memorial Day weekend for the second stop of the Vittoria Eastern States Cup Atlantic downhill series. The race was held on the same track as last year's series finals and would yield some surprising results by the time the dust settled on Sunday afternoon.

Sunny and dry weather ruled throughout the weekend. There had only been a few tenths-of-an-inch of rain since the mountain hosted the ESC Enduro Cup two weeks prior, and the trails were bone dry, making the race a loose and dusty affair.

The course started at the top of the triple chair and featured an entertaining mix of natural and man-made elements, offering plenty of opportunities for air time.

Soon after leaving the starting gate, racers had their first chance to leave the ground, as the track took riders over a small road gap immediately followed by a high-speed sender exiting a berm.

A fast traverse through tight woods defined much of the top section of the course. Nimble bike handling skills, like those of Junior-X runner up Ben Bodycoat, pictured here, allowed racers to carry speed through the relatively flat upper portion of the track.

The pedaling power of enduro ace Seamus Powell surely benefited him on the top section of the track.

Being Plattekill, the easy grade could only last so long. The middle section of the course was the steepest, featuring drops and rock gardens straight down the fall line. A sneaky line around a drop was just beginning to get burned in at last fall's race. This year it became an obvious line choice and was selected by many racers, including pro Lauren Peterson, as it offered a better set up for a tricky exit turn at the bottom of the chute.

Another drop lower on the course led to a steep, straight section that had racers' speeds approaching the sound barrier. Here, pro Jason Memmelaar points his Yeti off the drop.

The lower section of the track was pure, buffed, bike park bliss. The highlight was a big drop between berms that pro Mary Elges launched with style while taking the runner-up spot by a mere 32-hundredths of a second.

Kaylen Ballantyne got air through a section of jumps, rollers and berms. Ballantyne took the win in only his second start since moving up to the Cat 1 19-29 division.

Deep, machine-made berms, a new look for Plattekill, were plentiful at the bottom of the track. Speed Legion pro Chris Mari nearly disappeared in the belly of this beast.

Cat 2 19-29 winner Ryan Wolstenholme left a rooster tail of dust in his wake as he railed one of the final turns.

The final drop on the track, taken here by Ben Hibbitts, spit racers out into the open for a final sprint to the finish.

The biggest surprise of the day came in the men's pro category. Dakotah Norton, in his first ESC start as a pro, bested a stacked mens field. 23-year-old Norton hails from Atlas, Michigan and is a senior at Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky. While new to the downhill scene, Norton has deep roots in motocross and expert-class BMX racing. Norton says, "I've wanted to race downhill for quite some time, but just recently had the opportunity. It really is the most fun ever! This season a friend was able to help me with a program to get me out racing. We went to Sea Otter and this race so far." Asked about his experience at Plattekill, Norton said, "I thought the track was great. It was fast and loose and really suited me. Truth be told, I didn't feel that fast in practice and was hoping to crack the top ten for my first real pro DH race. I was beyond stoked when I realized I had won." Norton, riding for JLM Racing, is jumping into the downhill scene big time this season. He plans to ride the rest of the ProGRTs, some more ESC races, and Crankworx Whistler.

On the pro women's side, Canadian Kristen Courtney with AdrenalineRacer edged last year's overall champion, Mary Elges with Speed Legion. Courtney has won her last four starts on the ESC tour and has a huge amount of North American racing experience under her belt.

Another big result on the day came for Danny's Cycles racer David Kahn. The high school freshman has been a dominant force in Cat 2 for the last few years, winning the overall title in both the ESC Atlantic and ESC New England series last year. In his first start since moving up to the Junior-X category this season, Kahn bested the field by more than a second. Of his run, Kahn said, "The course was pretty blown out and beat up by the time I came through. I was feeling really fast in practice on Saturday and was having a ton of fun!" The Kahn family has been a big presence on the ESC tour for years but will be absent for some races this season as they take their crew on an extended bike road trip this summer.

John Nicholson continued his string of podium appearances, winning the Cat 1 40-49 division by more than two seconds.

Brandon Cassell, another fast Canadian with the AdrenalineRacer team, took the Cat 1 30-39 division by a whopping five-second margin.

A young racer to keep an eye on is Zach Gareis, who took the 14-and-under category by 12 seconds. Gareis has finished first or second in his last 13 downhill races.

Riley Weidman was the top amateur female on the day, putting seven seconds on runner up Vicki Koch.

The mens pro podium. From left: Chris Higgerson, 4th, Mauricio Estrada, 2nd, Dakotah Norton, 1st, Max Morgan, 3rd, Shane Leslie, 5th.

The ESC Atlantic series heads to Mountain Creek, New Jersey this coming weekend for a combined event with the ProGRT Spring Classic, then returns to Plattekill in mid-June.

FULL RESULTS HERE
https://www.rootsandrain.com/race3300/2015-may-24-vittoria-esc-atlantic-cup-dh-2-plattekill-gravity-open-plattekill-ny/


2015 VITTORIA ESC Schedule

Atlantic Downhill
May 3 Duryea Urban Downhill – Reading, PA
May 24 Plattekill Gravity Open – Roxbury, NY
May 31 Mountain Creek UCI ProGRT – Vernon, NJ - USAC State Championship
June 21 Plattekill Mountain – Roxbury, NY - USAC State Championship
July 19 Windham Mountain World Cup Track Test Race – Windham, NY
Aug 9 Windham Race the World– Windham, NY – World Cup Weekend
Sept 13 Blue Mountain – Palmerton, PA- USAC State Championship
Oct 11 Plattekill– Roxbury, NY - New England and Atlantic DH Finals

New England Downhill
June 14 Pats Peak MTB Bike Festival – Henniker, NH
July 5 Killington East Coast Showdown #1– Killington, VT- USAC State Championship
July 12 Jiminy Peak – Hancock, MA
Aug 1 Mount Snow East Coast Showdown #2 - Dover VT
Aug 23 Sugarbush East Coast Showdown #3 – Warren, VT
Aug 30 Attitash Mountain - Bartlett, NH- USAC State Championship
Sept 27 Thunder Mountain– Charlemont, MA- USAC State Championship
Oct 11 Plattekill– Roxbury, NY - New England and Atlantic DH Finals

East Coast Super DH Championships
Oct 18 Mountain Creek – Vernon NJ

Enduro
May 10 Plattekill Mountain – Roxbury, NY - USAC State Championship
June 7 Blue Mountain – Palmerton, PA - USAC State Championship
June 28 Attitash Mountain - Bartlett, NH - USAC State Championship
July 4 Killington East Coast Showdown #1– Killington, VT - USAC State Championship
Aug 2 Mount Snow East Coast Showdown #2 - Dover VT
Aug 22 Sugarbush East Coast Showdown #3 – Warren, VT
Sept 6 Killington Enduro Finals – Killington, VT

Super D
May 30 Mountain Creek Super D – Vernon, NJ - USAC State Championship

Triathlon
May 2 Killington Triathlon – Killington, VT

BOX Components East Coast Showdown Series
July 5 Killington East Coast Showdown #1– Killington, VT- USAC State Championship
Aug 1 Mount Snow East Coast Showdown #2 - Dover VT
Aug 23 Sugarbush East Coast Showdown #3 – Warren, VT

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