Australian National Championships, Bright 2016 - Downhill Practice

As another Australian racing season comes to an end, eager competitors and spectators descend on the picturesque town of Bright for the MTBA Australian National Championships. Nestled in the Victorian Alps, Bright is home to an extensive trail network that weaves throughout the Mystic Mountain Pine Plantation. With world-class downhill tracks, it is home to some of the best and most technical riding in the country, which is always sure to bring an array of big name riders to the event. This year both Mick and Tracy Hannah have made the trip down from their home state of Queensland. Troy Brosnan and Sam Hill are also here to continue their friendly rivalry. Connor Fearon is back to rectify last year's close battle with Troy and Graeme Mudd, this year’s National Series winner, is hoping to continue his good form and earn himself a Championship jersey. Women’s series winner Tegan Molloy is, unfortunately, sitting this weekend out with a broken collarbone she suffered in a crash at the Bike Buller Festival last weekend.









Under a scorching Australian sun the competitors kicked off the weekend's events with registration and a track walk on Thursday, checking out new lines, track modifications and swapping stories about last year's race. With only a few major modifications the track looked set to be, once again, one of the toughest of the Aussie season.

Friday practice brought with it some inclement weather dropping 40mm of rain from midnight to midday. It was a slow morning with only a few riders braving the elements, but once the rain eased early in the afternoon many riders could be seen cutting fresh lines into the wet track. The damp conditions didn’t last long, by Saturday morning the track was already drying out and grip was at an all time high.










Seeding took place on Saturday afternoon with Fearon setting the fastest time on track this year, closely followed by Brosnan. Sam Hill, Dean Lucas and Josh Button rounded out the top five qualifiers in the Elite men’s field.

In the Elite Women’s, Tracy Hannah was quickest down the hill by 26 seconds over her closest rival Lisa Mathison. Dani Beecroft was third fastest ahead of Mondraker riders Sarah Booth and Kellie Weinert.
The junior men’s seeding had an interesting result with hot favourites; Jackson Frew and Remy Morton taking it easy due to some niggling injuries. Leaving Josh Clark, Harry Parsons and Baxter Maiwald to claim the top times.








Full results here.

Stay tuned for a full finals report soon.

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MENTIONS: @benstevens

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