Northstar DH series round 1 Vista short course

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First racer up for the day was Ignites Vet Pro, Jonathan Withrow. Withrow left the start box with a blistering pace. Flying through the upper Pro/Cat 1 section and sprinting the fire road portion before transferring onto the lower segment of the course. He was on pace for a victory when a huge upset occurred. Withrow punctured his rear tire while coming in to the final rock garden. Never one to give up, he sprinted the final sections of the course on a flat. Fighting to maintain control of the rear end of the bike as he gave it everything he had through the final turns. Withrow crossed the line only 10 seconds off the win. An impressive performance to say the least. Watch out for him at round 2, he will be out for redemption.

Mike Perez would be Ignites only cat 2 rider of the day to drop into the course. Competing in the mens 30-39 age group, he started strong off the start. Perez focused on caring speed through the upper portion of the Cat 2/3 course onto the fire road transfer. He made it to the lower section clean and continued to maintain a good pace to the finish. Perez crossed the line finishing in 10th place. 

For the Cat 3 mens 18 plus group, we had Jorian Reed on the box. You would have never guessed this was not only his first downhill race but also his first time at the Northstar venue. Reed quickly adapted to the course in practice and laid down a fast race run that would secure him a podium position, crossing the line finishing in 3rd place. Reed said that he was impressed by the challenging course and looks forward to some more racing at his next race. 

First rider to drop for Cat 3 mens11-17 would be Forrest Reed. Although Reed is no stranger to racing, coming off some impressive finishes in the NICA cross country series. This would be his first downhill race. Reed put on an impressive performance, displaying excellent bike handling skills over some of the jumps on course and maintaining a fast pace. Reed crossed the line finishing 7th, just over a tenth of a second off the 6th spot. He will definitely be a podium contender at the races to come.

Lucas Carroll was next to drop in the Cat 3 mens 11-17. Just a few short weeks ago Carroll sustained a bad injury to his right arm in a wake surfing accident. After getting cleared by his doctor just days before the event, he decided to show up for the race and give it his best effort. Carroll sprinted off the start and flew down the course with style, making quick work of the upper section. He carried good speed down the fire road portion and transferred on the the lower half of the course. He picked up the pace coming into the final few turns. Pedaling all the way down the final straight to the finish. Carrol crossed the line finishing in 1st place. 

Ryder Withrow would be the last of the ignite riders in the Cat 3 mens 11-17 division to drop onto the course. Withrow had been looking fast in practice the day before, showing some impressive speed. He was looking dialed on race day and showed up to the start ready to lay down a fast lap. Withrow left the start box sprinting down the hill into the upper part of the course, shredding through the first section of turns he made his way onto the fire road and then transferred onto the lower segment of the course. Withrow had caught the rider in front him but the course had narrowed at this point. He got around the rider as quickly as he could but had lost some valuable time. Fighting to make up time as he came into the last few turns. He sprinted hard down the final straight and pumped everything he could on the last stretch of the course. Withrow would cross the line finishing in 3rd place. A solid podium finish for the Ignite rider. 

Genesis Ascarrunz had a solid run. Riding for team Ignite in the Cat 3 women’s 11 plus division. She pedaled out of the start and headed into the upper section of the course making her way onto the fire road section without any mistakes. She transferred onto the lower section where she said she had made a few mistakes the previous year. This year she made it through clean and came into the last few turns with a good pace. Ascarrunz crossed the line finishing in 3rd place, securing another podium finish for Ignite.