South Korea: Hattie just 0.3 off the podium
We started the season with one of the best-ever team results! Star of the week was, of course, Hattie with victory in the qualies and 4th place in the finals, but the boys did great as well. Reece was 20th, meanwhile Stan set his personal best with 7th place in the juniors race.
The race in South Korea, officially named after the venue Mona Yongpyong, has given us the confidence we needed after all the hard work in the off-season and a motivation boost ahead of the next rounds in Europe. All four riders did extremely well, with each of them having a different story to tell. Hattie made headlines with the top spot in the qualifications and another superb performance in the finals. She was 4th with just 0.301 seconds between her and the podium. With all of that, she is now sitting in 3rd overall!
Stan also set his best ever, taking P7 with a strong and confident run, better than at any point in the last season. Reece was on pace as well, with a top-20 finish in the season opener, which is a great place to be in these competitions.
Henry was our only rider who had to watch the finals from behind the tape. He had such a strong run in the 2nd qualifications before deciding to go full speed—without braking—into the rock garden. He missed the line by the smallest of margins and hit the rocks with full force, cracking both front and rear rims and ending up with double flat tyres. Despite that, he pushed all the way to the finish line and was just 2 seconds off the qualifying time—proof that the speed is there.
AON Racing took 7th place in today’s team rankings, again their best ever in the Whoop UCI MTB World Series. All of these great results, plus the good vibes all around from the whole team, are proving that we are on the right path and that good times are ahead.
And what about the venue? It’s different from what we are used to, with cultural differences and friendly people, but also room for improvement. We can for sure look forward to coming back next year for an even better event.
Hattie Harnden: “P4! I couldn’t be more happy to start the year off with my best DH result to date. My finals run had more mistakes than I’d have liked, however I can’t be unhappy when I’m seeing the hard work from the winter coming through and know I’m on pace to be fighting for one of the top spots. Looking forward to continuing to learn and building from where we have kicked things off.”
Reece Wilson: “This week in South Korea was one of the best starts to a season I’ve had. That being said, I really struggled to find my groove and let it go when it counted. P20 is an amazing start, but I definitely feel I’ve got more to give. On the whole, the team has taken a huge step forward in performance since last year and I’m extremely proud of our squad. This is a great place to build from!”
Stan Nisbet: “I was really happy with my run and my riding. I made a couple of mistakes during my run, but rode the top and bottom of the track really well. Great weekend to start the season and a great track.”
Results – qualies / finals / overall:
- Hattie – 1st / 4th / 3rd
- Reece – 16th / 20th / 20th
- Henry – did not qualify for the finals
- Stan (juniors) – 17th / 7th / 7th
- Team rankings – 7th
Race Highlights: