Katy Winton, Jess Blewitt, Ryan Pinkerton & Cam Cole Join GT Factory Racing
Press Release: GT Factory Racing
New year, new team, same vibe. The GT Factory Racing squad is adding some fresh blood to the 2022 roster, and we’re fired up to get the season started!
2020 Jr World Cup Overall winner, Ethan Craik, will be moving up to accompany Wyn Masters in Elite DH World Cup, and Ryan Pinkerton will join the team as our Junior racer. Hailing from Aliso Viejo, CA, this young speed demon has been making quite a name for himself with his dominant performance in the US DH scene. Don’t let Ryan’s age fool you, this kid is wise beyond his years and ready to prove himself on the world stage.
 | Joining GTFR is the culmination of many years of hard work and is the realization of a long-term dream. I was selected to ride for the GT development team 2 years ago with the goal of being selected to join and represent GTFR and immediately enjoyed the family environment and support at GT. It is hard to put into words how excited I am to have achieved that goal and to have realized my dream. It has been an amazing journey to this point with ups/downs, broken bones and incredible (to me) success. I cannot express how excited and humbled I am to represent GT bikes on the World Cup DH circuit. It will be amazing and exceptional to be supported by a truly world class organization. I look forward to being with the GT team, including riders, coaches and staff and seeing where this part of my life journey leads me and what good times await. |
Kiwi race and freeride phenom, Jess Blewitt, will also be joining Ethan, Wyn, and Ryan on the DH team in her second year of Elite World Cup racing. Jess linked up with the team last year with the intention of attending a few World Cups, but the vibe was so good she stayed with the team for almost the full year. Although her season ended with a devastating crash in Snowshoe, Jess proved she was a force to be reckoned with, earning 8th place at World Champs and in Maribor, as well as a 3rd and 2nd in U21 at the EWS and an invitation to RedBull Formation. At 19-years-old, Jess is only getting started in her riding career and we can’t wait to see what she accomplishes with the GTFR team!
| I’m super humbled to have received the support I did throughout the 2021 season from GT, but I’m excited to now officially be joining GTFR for my first professional season. I've been a huge fan of GT bicycles ever since I started riding downhill, and I’m stoked to have the opportunity to ride and work with an amazing team. Can’t wait for some good times ahead! |
This year’s Enduro line-up will be led by two female powerhouses – Katy Winton and Noga Korem. Katy is looking to continue to add to her already impressive racing career. Together she and Noga will join Wyn on the EWS circuit. Last year, Katy ran her own program and ended up 9th overall in EWS. With the support of the GTFR team, she will have more time to focus on her riding and training, which will be a huge advantage. The Scotland native is an absolute weapon on the bike, and we cannot wait to see her and Noga dominating the Women’s EWS field!
| I am so excited to join the GTFR crew, to have a big brand supporting a female racer led enduro team was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. After a year running my own program, I realized for me to perform my best I needed a team setup and GT’s investment in ensuring there are good people and support around the athletes made it an easy decision. It’s good vibes already and I can’t wait to get stuck into racing! |
DH World Cup vet, Cam Cole, will also be joining GTFR as Team Performance Manager, supporting rider performance needs and elevating their physical and mental game. With six Elite DH World Cup podiums and a Jr. World Champion title under his belt, Cam knows a thing or two about what’s needed to succeed as a racer. His wealth of experience and down-to-earth mentality will be a priceless asset to the whole crew.
| I’ve come full circle, after 16 years working in various roles across the top level of the mountain bike industry, I’m essentially back where I started. Which is chasing peak performance on the international racing circuit - but this time as a staff member instead of an athlete. The success of GT Factory Racing is something that I am looking forward to contributing to and being a part of for the next two years. I’m extremely grateful to the team and wider GT family who have all welcomed not only myself but all of the new team members onboard and instantly taken us into the family. Looking forward to seeing everyone at all the races in 2022. |
| Big changes for the GTFR team for 2022! It has been a bit of an incubation process to bring up some fresh new talent that we have been nurturing along with quick-kids Jessica Blewitt and Ryan Pinkerton. Both have been under the GT wing for a while and we now get to enjoy watching them be unleashed with the full support of the program and our incredible partners. Also pretty damn pumped about Katy Winton coming aboard teaming up with Noga to make for an exciting enduro duo in the highly competitive lady's field. Katy has had to overcome a lot during the past year and love her tenacity while remaining humble and positive. A massive addition to the program will be Cam Cole coming on in a new role we created, Team Performance Coach. His race experience will be key in guiding and supporting the team to achieve their goals. Not sure how we are going to handle three Kiwis in the pit now? |
With the stacked crew of Masters, Craik, Korem, Winton, Blewitt, and Pinkerton, we already know it’s going to be a good year. Add in the fact that it is GT’s 50th Anniversary and you have got yourself a recipe for endless GOOD TIMES!
Follow @GTFactoryRacing on Instagram.
Thank you to our team partners, Shimano, Fox, Alpinestars, Michelin, OneUp, Stans, Tannus, FSA, Ethirteen, Krush, ODI, GoPro, Nezium, and Prologo for the incredible support.
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The sport is moving in the right direction on this topic
HAHA - Savage!!
"It sounds fast - because it is."
These awesome riders are joining GT sensation and all-around nice guy Phil Kmetz.
Also - why does no one else seem excited to see Cam Cole return to the world cup scene?!
I still own a 20 incher and cruise the skatepark with my nephew. But I can't take the risk of airing out concrete bowls with this arm anymore :/
No such conveniences in BMX. If you wanna get over somethin you have to clear it. You have to land right. rigid 20 inch wheels aint gonna do you no favors... Aside from bein easy to get away from if you roll out. I still love to cruise pump tracks and do a lil grounded lap in the bowl but I don't have a hope n a prayer of doing the size of jumps i do on MTB with 20 inches again. It's ok though. I had well over 20 hard years of 20 inch trouble makin. Got away pretty clean for a person who didn't wear a helmet 99% of the time. Just glad to still be on 2 wheels after all this time.
enduro-mtb.com/en/gt-force-carbon-pro-le-2022-review
Are there reviewers who don't know how to set up a bike? Genuine question.
A new, clean sheet high pivot frame should have moved the goalposts of performance, not struggled to keep up.
Ride some jagged, rocky trails at speed and you'll never run EXO+ on your rear wheel again. As for the Maxxis wobble, it's real but not that common. I burn through 2-3 DD rear tires a year and haven't had a single issue.
The gripe Enduro-MTB had was legit-actual enduro racers have to budget to buy stronger casing tires on the GT out of the box. That kinda sucks.
I still assert that a clean sheet design with a high pivot allowing for just about whatever kinematics and axle path the engineers could dream up should have been a game changer, and GT didn't hit that mark.
Did you son try some other bikes??? Did he have a choice about what he got to buy?? And....where is your son riding?
Pretty sure the limitations of this bike are near the limit, but when Trek, Specialized, Santa Cruz, Rocky Mountain, and Commencal (to name a few) make flat-out ripping enduro bikes that are good all the way to slamming off the bump-stops the GT is an outlier for how not-good it is.
And......the objection to flimsy tires isn't just a GT gripe. Trek also notably puts flimsy tires on their trail and enduro bikes.
For the consumer, when bikes cost this much performance matters in context. When so many other companies are making good enduro bikes, it's a shame that GT didn't move the goalposts when they developed an all new frame.