YT Mob Announce Angel Suarez as Sole Rider & Open Competition To Find His Future Team Mates
PRESS RELEASE: The YT Mob
Today the YT Mob is excited to announce that together with title sponsor YT Industries, the team has a unique plan for the next three years, starting with a ‘World Tour’ of Young Talent Camps being held on all six inhabited continents. The team’s current young talent Angel Suarez will contest all 8 Rounds of the UCI World Cup, as well as travel to the six venues listed below, with Team Owner Martin Whiteley, to host the Young Talent Camps.
The Young Talent Camps will be held over a few days, some will be combined with races, and at each camp Angel will take the riders through a series of skill sessions, downhill runs and other practical classes. The camps are not only a great opportunity for young riders to meet a World Cup rider and learn more about the sport at that level, but it’ll give the team a chance to meet some of the up and coming riders of the future.
What makes the World Tour unique is that from these 6 camps, 8 of the best riders we find will be brought to Spain in October for a final camp at Mob HQ, and from that, at least 2 riders will join the YT Mob as professional Junior World Cup riders in 2020. They will ride alongside Angel Suarez and other top level elite riders yet to be announced.
 | I´m super excited for this coming year! Last year was my best season yet and I know this one can be even better, I feel amazing on the new TUES 29 and my training is going great. I want to finish in the Top 10 overall but always trying to be on the podium every race. I couldn't be more stoked about the YT Mob World Tour. It’s going to be an amazing experience and I´m so thankful that YT wanted me to be part of this. I like helping kids and I will be super happy if I could help them to improve in our sport and even more than that, welcoming some of them onto our team in 2020 as the next Young Talents. To be able to help someone experience what I’ve experienced these past 3 years will be pretty exciting. |
| The past 3 years have been filled with historic firsts, epic victories and a lot of lessons learned. Demonstrating that YT can succeed on a global stage and establishing the YT MOB on the World Cup circuit. While it was an honor to work with some of the legends of the sport, I feel it’s the right time to help a new, yet undiscovered, generation make their mark on the scene and we feel we’re in the right position to drive an ambitious project like this forward. With the help of strong partners and the insight of Martin Whiteley we’d like to take you on a journey across the globe to dive into the talent pool of Downhill Racing. For me personally this is why I started YT and what it’s all about. We are going back to our roots: identifying the next Young Talents whilst redefining the rules once again! |
| It was clear to me towards the end of last season that Angel is well and truly on his way to the top end of this sport, and he has a lot of potential at just 23 years of age. His path to this point is something that a lot of young riders dream of, and we want to give them that chance this year. In a way, it reminds me of my original reason for starting my first team, Global Racing, with riders from every continent; wanting to showcase talent from all over the world. Now we get the chance to discover new riders and offer them the chance to attend a Young Talent camp on their continent, enjoy training with a World Cup rider like Angel, and perhaps taking it all the way through to a pro contract in 2020. We’ll be documenting this throughout the year on the YT Mob YouTube Channel, with the same company that produced our popular Tales of the Mob series, Knowmad Productions, returning for 2019. |
The camps are open to everybody, but priority will be given to appropriate athletes born in 2002 and 2003, and spots are limited so people need to sign up early. An initial sign up form, a registration of interest, can be found on the team website or accessed here. Applications close 1 month out from each camp but may close earlier if over-subscribed.
The YT Mob is also thrilled to announce that along with YT Industries as title sponsor, most of its co-sponsors from last year have re-signed for this next chapter, and we are also excited to welcome on board some new ones.
Major Sponsors: E*Thirteen, TRP, Fox Racing Shox and Maxxis
Co-Sponsors: Renthal, SDG Components, Kogel Bearings, All Mountain Style, Motorex, Alpinestars, Crankbrothers, Feedback Sports, Flat Tire Defender and Works Components
All other information about the team can be found at www.yt-mob.com.
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People get so fan boy over this stuff, it’s like Gwin was your bro and big bad YT did him over and lied to us all about at team and now your upset that they are running a team of sorts.
Low pivot point? I’m not even dropping to your level of stupid on that one.
Amazing how fast you fanboys jump ship and declare your hate when your idol isn’t there anymore.
These companies are under no obligation to fund our sport. I was thankful for the opportunity as I couldn’t have done it without the “athlete grooming”.
It works both ways.
Any idea what a rider other than the top 5 earns?
No need to ‘groom’ riders for years when you can sponsor a lower end rider and pay them peanuts - not everybody gets a mil a year...
Even teams with heavy hitters that have Gwin, Minnar, Bruni, Pierron and Hart. Field 2 to 3 more riders for support. I hope Angel has a great season and finishes in the top 10 or better. But to field one rider for WC season does not make any sense to me. Just my opinion...
P"
Having said that I think this is an awesome idea. Who knows? The talent camps might unearth the next Gwinner.
Er, wait. No I'm not. I f*cking love my bike, love the value that YT brings to mortal men and love riding it. I also love the jaw dropping when people ask how much I paid for it
Keep it up YT. I like your moxie.
It has literally the best of everything. Well, it could have a Fox 36 instead of the 34 I guess.
I was looking at the Mondraker Dune this past week. It's 3200 for the bottom of the range alloy Dune.
YT is just incredible.
This is an awesome opportunity for anyone lucky enough to be involved.
They are looking for you people to develop to become the next top DH racers. Would you be good enough to enter and win anyway?
Great they are bring up new riders and that's needed in the sport, but those new riders don't have the same level of experience as far as giving feedback for the improvement of current or development of a new design.
We that made me feel old...
When YT signed Gwin, there were all the complaint so that prices will go up, Gwin wasn’t exactly a young talent and the question whether their bikes were WC worthy.
Now that they have proven their case and refocus on young (I.e. cheaper) talent this is wrong again?
I have never owned a YT and I do not consider myself a fan. But I do not get how every decision is hated so intensely. None of the people involved seem as emotional as some of the commenters here.
Take it easy or keep hating - your choice...
I see what you did there...
And will prices go down now that they don't have his salary? I wouldn't hold my breath.... 1 mill is still $200 over 5,000 bikes. Maybe not all the hate is unjustified.
However, I'm not sure how much they can move on pricing anyway considering what their bikes go for. And still a better value than most out there.
Kids on bikes costing thousands, don't realise they've got it made.
Or something else completely?
Talent is evaluated on site and you know it when you see it come by you trackside.
Also, can you be a Mob of 1?
I wrote it forgetting that you're the eyes in the background evaluating riders, so your eye is what matters.
Enjoy. You've always been good for the sport.
Funds for travel expenses, training and a basic race pit alone eat up a six figure for each rider and year.
That being said Cashflow from contributing sponsors which are needed to fund a proper team are hard to come by. UCI is taking their fair bite from some major players as so called title sponsors and the teams need to be on the creative side of things. No we are not like these soccer clubs, we are doing it for our own sake, because we love the sport, the people involved and because of what is in our soul - a bad ass ripper. It's also not only the teams obligation to pay the riders, we need to be more open to rider funded racing like it is done in the
WRX. The athletes management should be in place to bring patreons, sponsors and business opportunities together with a professional athlete who knows how to market himself. Unfortunately most riders haven't understood yet the fact that results don't count as much as their coverage in media. And these days the options to earn money by doing marketing (hang on they are called influencer nowadays, YouTube channels, media edits, catalog shootings,... ) are easier than ever.
Huge shout out to YT for developing a model where young riders can develop themselves. If one of you keyboard riders would have looked at YTs site and job board you would have been able to see that this unusual move is backed up by a huge invest in men power.
I would wish more companies would do this, but the big companies don't even support riders in a national team. "we run a wc team, so their is no need to support others"
You may think about the GWIN story what you like and I don't disagree with you on the fact that it wasn't the nicest divorce in our sport. But we are not in the position to judge any of them.
Best luck for all riders who compete this year in any given race format.
Let's not forget, either, that YT started out as a bike company for the everyman (or kid as the story goes). Top level kit at affordable prices. If they continue to buy million dollar athletes year over year, the ability of the company to absorb those costs and not pass them to consumers diminishes. At that point you end up with another Santa Cruz, Spec, Trek, etc.
Don't like how they do what they do? Fine. Don't buy their product. There are plenty of other big bike co's out there paying top dollar for riders and passing the cost to the consumer. If you are cool with it, then good on you, you can buy their product and feel good about it.
Aber ich bin sowieso kein Fan von YT und deren Art.
One person starts. Others join in.
Disappointed at the lack of “my friends dog walkers cousin bought a YT and it took like three days for a reply to my warranty inquiry” stories. Sad times.
good catch!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha-7SBykMvc
If they really invest in this strategy as a marketing tool it could reap huge rewards but only if they go all in.
EDIT: Actually now that I think of it they would be insane not to have a large fleet of demo bikes at every camp for the general public to use as well. And if YT is reading this I am looking for work in the business development field
www.bikemag.com/videos/video-rider-unknown
....
How old am I? Erm.. 12? ????????
Either way, why a business decision made by them would remove your ‘trust’ is beyond me, unless you are a potential employee of theirs that is?