COPA TICA...BAZIL TAKES THE FIRST STOP
With an atmosphere of anticipation and excitement this past Sunday, the costarican downhill cup 'COPA TICA 2012' kicked off at the well known track named El Bistek in the mountains of San Antonio, Escazu, where all the gravity lovers got an adrenaline rush and a new competitor registration record...154 entrants!
A 30 minute delay was the only fly in the soup to an event that, in the end, will be remembered as the best race at this location to date. The organizers calculated around 700-800 people cheering and screaming at their favorite riders along the 1.2km trail. At the finish line the families gathered around coolers and food to grab a bite for what it was a long day of downhill action.
![The drop...about 100meters to get to the finish line...]()
The anxiety did not fade from the racers with the delay, which the organizers appointed to be the largest entry list ever in the history of the sport in the country; by Thursday (last day cut off) the racer list was at 154 racers registered, far away from the old days when registration barely broke the 100 mark. This undoubtedly put a lot of wood to the fire for the hundreds of cheering fans that got ready with drums, bells and even their mom's kitchen pots...anything was good to make them feel like you were cheering to them.
Ingus Herrera, number 331, with no rear suspension, had the opening run and with this, kicked off the 2012 season. And what a job was on his shoulders; at this track most of the racers were impressed by the work done by some locals and the organization- very fluid and fast, (and we mean fast) with more technical sections than the 2011 version.
![The middle section jump thats the take off and the landing is on the bottom of the photo...]()
One of the most technical sections had to be the only small jump, kind of step-down in the very middle of the trail. As the riders approached the jump they had to deal with a wide left turn at high speed right after landing. Control is a must as they take on a rock garden and a very small yet tricky whoops section; many riders didn't make it though. Even though Ingus didn't make it to the top 3 in his category, he did manage to get a decent 5th place and with this give the people the "fiesta" they were waiting for this 2012.
In the Elite Category, the challenge was set between Bazil Cambronero (2011 champ) and a reborn Roberto Castillo, the latter who had suffered a serious knee injury that kept him away from the podium last year. Nevertheless, this season he returns with a renewed hunger for the title. Not for a long time has someone put much pressure on Bazil; not until Roberto's performance yesterday. But Cambronero managed to hold on to the bike and put his driving skills on top of the podium to prove once again why he is the best rider in the country, stopping the clock at 1:48.9. Roberto Castillo was close behind at 1:49.6 and coming in 3rd place, Alvaro Hidalgo with 1:53.5.
![The finish line drop]()
In terms of cheering on the riders, all the people gave their respect to the first 2 ladies to ever race downhill in the country. They got all the other riders' respect as well as the fans', Marcela Canet and Kalina Leon stepped up and broke the paradigm of the country; they both showed they can ride as any other boy out there. At the end, Canet stopped the clock at 3:03.3 and Kalina in 3:50.15.
Among the other categories, important to mention is Jose Vasquez, with a no rear suspension, just starting out the downhill races and very young, put on a show Sunday by stopping the clock at 2:03.45, just a insane time for a rider with that bike. This, above all, speaks to the level of the incoming riders in Costa Rica.
![Last tecnical section...about 300mts to the finish line..]()
From Panama, a small crew came to race, and they had it rough because in their country they don't have develpoed trails on the same level as the ones in Costa Rica (YET!!!). However, conscious of the disadvantage, they raced to gather more experience and take it to their country and help to further develop the sport, but they did not leave without putting up a fight, and the best rider, Panama's current Winter Cup champ Carlos Villareal, stopped the clock at 2:26.25.
The public witnessed the best riding ever in the country, a memory that will remain as the Copa Tica moves on this season. What happened on Sunday will only be getting better as we move along.....
![Rider line to pick up the timing chip]()
MORE INFO... http://crfreeridedownhill.com/
GENERAL RESULTS....http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/79889625?access_key=key-db06dyrnl2obhg3aqbf
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS... http://video.mpora.com/watch/blb8VtppW/
A 30 minute delay was the only fly in the soup to an event that, in the end, will be remembered as the best race at this location to date. The organizers calculated around 700-800 people cheering and screaming at their favorite riders along the 1.2km trail. At the finish line the families gathered around coolers and food to grab a bite for what it was a long day of downhill action.
The anxiety did not fade from the racers with the delay, which the organizers appointed to be the largest entry list ever in the history of the sport in the country; by Thursday (last day cut off) the racer list was at 154 racers registered, far away from the old days when registration barely broke the 100 mark. This undoubtedly put a lot of wood to the fire for the hundreds of cheering fans that got ready with drums, bells and even their mom's kitchen pots...anything was good to make them feel like you were cheering to them.
Ingus Herrera, number 331, with no rear suspension, had the opening run and with this, kicked off the 2012 season. And what a job was on his shoulders; at this track most of the racers were impressed by the work done by some locals and the organization- very fluid and fast, (and we mean fast) with more technical sections than the 2011 version.
One of the most technical sections had to be the only small jump, kind of step-down in the very middle of the trail. As the riders approached the jump they had to deal with a wide left turn at high speed right after landing. Control is a must as they take on a rock garden and a very small yet tricky whoops section; many riders didn't make it though. Even though Ingus didn't make it to the top 3 in his category, he did manage to get a decent 5th place and with this give the people the "fiesta" they were waiting for this 2012.
In the Elite Category, the challenge was set between Bazil Cambronero (2011 champ) and a reborn Roberto Castillo, the latter who had suffered a serious knee injury that kept him away from the podium last year. Nevertheless, this season he returns with a renewed hunger for the title. Not for a long time has someone put much pressure on Bazil; not until Roberto's performance yesterday. But Cambronero managed to hold on to the bike and put his driving skills on top of the podium to prove once again why he is the best rider in the country, stopping the clock at 1:48.9. Roberto Castillo was close behind at 1:49.6 and coming in 3rd place, Alvaro Hidalgo with 1:53.5.
In terms of cheering on the riders, all the people gave their respect to the first 2 ladies to ever race downhill in the country. They got all the other riders' respect as well as the fans', Marcela Canet and Kalina Leon stepped up and broke the paradigm of the country; they both showed they can ride as any other boy out there. At the end, Canet stopped the clock at 3:03.3 and Kalina in 3:50.15.
Among the other categories, important to mention is Jose Vasquez, with a no rear suspension, just starting out the downhill races and very young, put on a show Sunday by stopping the clock at 2:03.45, just a insane time for a rider with that bike. This, above all, speaks to the level of the incoming riders in Costa Rica.
From Panama, a small crew came to race, and they had it rough because in their country they don't have develpoed trails on the same level as the ones in Costa Rica (YET!!!). However, conscious of the disadvantage, they raced to gather more experience and take it to their country and help to further develop the sport, but they did not leave without putting up a fight, and the best rider, Panama's current Winter Cup champ Carlos Villareal, stopped the clock at 2:26.25.
The public witnessed the best riding ever in the country, a memory that will remain as the Copa Tica moves on this season. What happened on Sunday will only be getting better as we move along.....
MORE INFO... http://crfreeridedownhill.com/
GENERAL RESULTS....http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/79889625?access_key=key-db06dyrnl2obhg3aqbf
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS... http://video.mpora.com/watch/blb8VtppW/
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