Saracen British Downhill Series Round 1 - Full Report

We were woken up to racing in a big way this year with the first round of the Saracen British Downhill Series. Big ruts, lots of mud and an incredible level of racing from so many riders.

Rachel Atherton kicking up the dirt on her race run. Photo by Paul Cram Photography.

With riders, team support and media turning up on Friday, the pits got busy pretty quickly and were soon buzzing with excitement with the start of the national level racing season in the UK. Prior to the race weekend, the conditions on the high speed Combe Sydenham track were near perfect. The track boasted a lot of line choices for a national level race and had something to suit and challenge everyone; tight wood sections, big jumps, rock gardens and a great deal of pedalling. It was set to be a very enjoyable track until that is, the British weather came to the party!

Matt Simmonds getting some practice in whilst the rain came down. Photo by Barney Samuel.

By Saturday morning, the clouds had set in and from then on, it rained on and off for the whole day. Windows in the deluge gave riders false hope that the track would have a chance to dry out, but it wasn't to be. Although the track held up in the morning, as the day went on - with rain pouring down - the hill, along with riders on their practice runs, began to tear up and became seriously rutted. With some ruts almost axle-deep, riders were grinding to a halt with their pedals digging in. The ruts and newly exposed roots meant clearing the large step-down into the field became increasingly difficult!

Brendan Fairclough giving his Scott Gambler a mud-bath during practice. Photo by Barney Samuel.

British uplifts are a special experience, bikes in one trailer, riders in another. Photo by Barney Samuel.

Sam Hill getting some practice in whilst the sun came out. Photo by Ben Skinner-Watts.

During practice, riders were pulling up and stepping back to survey the changing landscape and discussing line options with each other. These line-side discussions enabled both riders and spectators to get a real look into how the professionals manage the track during the practice session. Most competitors were running full wet weather tyres to tackle the slippery conditions, and by the end of Saturday's practice, everyone was feeling worn out, after averaging six runs in the gruelling conditions. A well earned night's sleep was in order.

Time to clear mud-caked bikes. Luckily there was plenty of water around to help with the job! Photo by Crankloose Media.

Sunday started early for some, particularly for Dave Walker Blair, who was up at 5am to dig out the ruts for the race. Meanwhile, Combe Sydenham woke up to teams and riders preparing for the day ahead in their own way; getting their focus on and setting their sights on achieving their personal goals. For some, Round 1 was their first ever national race whilst for others it was a chance to see how their bikes faired in true British style racing conditions. Despite the hard work of the trail fairies, the track was still ankle-deep in mud and ruts in some places and would take no prisoners, forcing riders in whatever direction momentum was feeling like taking them at the time. With that in mind, most riders decided to do only one or two practice runs in the morning, instead saving their energy for the seeding and race run.

Close up of the rider's focus...and the mud. Photo by Chris Davison.

Riders were challenged both technically and physically at Round 1. Photo by Chris Davison.

The seeding run was the first chance riders had to test whether their winter training had paid off. With everyone pushing hard, it was easy to make mistakes costing precious seconds on the slippery track, and many did. If you managed to put together a clean run you were doing well. After seeding it was all down to the race run. The level of competition in the UK really shone through at this point and you saw the level of commitment necessary to do well at the BDS. Mechanics, whirring turbo trainers and focused riders sat at the top of the track. The first category to really get on the gas was Youth, with Frazer MacCubbing putting down the winning time, which was worthy of a top three in the Expert Men’s category. The Elite Women’s category saw Rachel Atherton make a storming start to the season, winning by over 8 seconds to Manon Carpenter and Tahnee Seagrave. Next, the Junior Men’s category, which really impressed, with Taylor Vernon’s eye-wateringly fast winning time that beat Mike Jones by 2.6 seconds, and George Gannicott, who clinched third by 3.51 seconds. Taylor also took overall joint fastest through the speed trap with his team mate Marc Beaumont. In his first ever national level race, Darren Evans took the Senior Men's win and fellow South East rider, Josh Lowe, took the win in the Expert Men's category.

Al Warrell catching his breath in the hot seat. Photo by Barney Samuel.

All eyes then went back towards the hill and the excitement rose, waiting for the Elite Men to tear down the Combe Sydenham track. Could GT round off the podium again with Elite Men? All eyes were on that new GT prototype bike that was being kept under wraps.

Gee's stealth looking GT prototype taking a well earned break. Photo by Barney Samuel.

The pressure was on as Taylor had taken top honours in Junior Men, Rachel in Elite Women's, so it was all down to Gee now. Having qualified first, could he do the same for his race run or would Sam Hill take the win so far from home?

Ben Reid taking in the view on the way down. Photo by Ben Skinner-Watts.

Sam Dale getting stuck in. Photo by Ben Skinner-Watts.

Sam Hill in foot-out familiar fashion. Photo by Chris Davison.

Sam Hill came down, bagging second place behind his team mate Joe Smith, with the pair soon knocked back to forth and fifth by Marc Beaumont and Matt Simmonds. With Matt in the hot seat, tensions were high as Gee sprinted down the final straight towards the line. All questions of whether he could beat Matt’s blistering time were smashed as he crossed the line 2.11 seconds up, landing the top step of the podium.

Gee flying over the road gap, which was tough to clear, given the soaking conditions. Photo by Richard Tucker.

So there you have it. GT Factory Racing comprehensively took the win for Elite Men, Elite Women and Junior Men at Round 1 of the Saracen British Downhill Series. Can they do the same for Round 2 at Fort William on the 12th of May?

ELITE - Sponsored by Schwalbe
ATHERTON Gee GT Factory Racing 2:42.049
SIMMONDS Matthew Chain Reaction Cycles/Nukeproof 2:44.168
BEAUMONT Marc GT Factory Racing 2:44.265
SMITH Joe Chain Reaction Cycles/Nukeproof 2:45.609
HILL Samuel Chain Reaction Cycles/Nukeproof 2:47.415


ELITE WOMEN - Sponsored by Schwalbe
ATHERTON Rachel GT Factory Racing 3:06.029
CARPENTER Manon Madison Saracen 3:14.263
SEAGRAVE Tahnee FMD Racing/Intense 3:29.807
STONE Jessica Unior Tools Team 3:39.114


JUNIOR - Sponsored by Fox
VERNON Taylor GT Factory Racing 2:52.639
JONES Michael FMD Racing/Intense 2:55.336
GANNICOTT George Dirt Norco Race Team 2:56.156
GRAHAM Innes F8management 2:56.183
OWENS Thomas Team Skene/C.T.S. 3:01.855


SENIOR - Sponsored by Kore
EVANS Darren Aston Hill MTB Club 3:03.478
ANDERSON Brian Army DH Team/Specialized/Renthal/J-Tech 3:05.923
PRIOR Mark TF Tuned 3:06.455
HOWE Jonathan TF Tuned 3:07.271
JONES Anthony R.A.D. Racing 3:07.984


EXPERT - Sponsored by Shimano
LOWE Josh Blockhead Energy DH Team 2:57.969
BELK George Maxim Bikes 2:59.944
WHILES Nikki Team Skene 3:01.290
STOCK James 3:01.836
LEWIS Josh Steve Peat Syndicate 3:02.592


WOMEN - Sponsored by Shimano
GREAVES Jessica John Atkins Racing 4:28.667
HUGHES Charlotte Nema/Leatt 4:30.085
MATTHEWS Annie Pearce Cycles 4:34.359
BARNES Beverley Muddybumbikes.com 4:37.392
WHITAKER Emma All Terrain Cycles 5:05.504

JUVENILE - Sponsored by Pro-Tec
SEAGRAVE Kaos FMD Racing/Intense 3:22.882
PARFITT Joe Swift Racing/Orange/Sunset Cycles/Mojo 3:25.338
TENNYSON Jack Peddlers Cycles/R-Kade/NEFR 3:27.199
EDWARDS Kade Torico Morzine 3:28.089
MILLER Jack UK Bike Park 3:33.590


YOUTH - Sponsored by SixSixOne
MCCUBBING Frazer Lapierre Cadets 3:00.711
DICKSON Jacob Giant Factory Racing 3:05.784
GREENLAND Laurie Wideopenmag.co.uk 3:09.437
DORRITT Andrew F8management 3:09.507
SWINBANK Brad Steve Peat Syndicate 3:11.771

MASTER - Sponsored by Madison Clothing
SORRELL Rowan Orange Bikes/Mojo Suspension 3:01.976
TITLEY Andrew Ghost/Sombrio 3:03.328
FERRIS Duncan DMR Bikes 3:04.302
FORTE Kye Pro Cycle Centre/Red Bull/DC/MBE 3:07.947
HAINES Daniel Foes 3:08.303


VETERAN - Sponsored by Madison Clothing
LITTLE Peter PedalaBikeAway/FlyUpDownhill/FOD 3:12.735
CARPENTER Jason Dragon Downhill 3:19.547
SIMPSON Rich Supernova Cycles/Schwalbe/Iso2 3:20.230
HOWARTH Darren Grizedale MTB 3:20.426
WEIGHTMAN Mark 3:23.574

GRAND VETERAN
STUTTARD Howard Ride On/Slik Graphics 3:56.435
FORSYTH Dudley The Management 4:33.341

Full results available here.

With a stellar first round to the series over, and a lot of weary but happy racers on their way home, it's safe to say that this year, the Saracen British Downhill Series is going to be very fast and very competitive.

Nowt like a bit of banter on the way down the hill. Photo by Alex James Photography.

Words by Finn Tennant.

Posted In:
Racing and Events Saracen