Northstar round 3 karpiel

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Jonathan Withrow was first to drop again for team Ignite. Withrow left the start pedaling hard, nailing his lines through the jagged rocks down the first few straights. He then made it through the loose turns of the upper half of the course without any mistakes. Crossing the fire road onto the middle section, Withrow knew he would have to ride smoothly and minimize any potential mistakes so that he could conserve energy because the worst was yet to come. He made it to the the end of middle karpiel, sending it over the double as he crossed the final fire road coming into Fabio Falls. He slowed down slightly as he spotted his line to the left side and committed, making it down the falls cleanly as he carried his momentum through the rocks and into the Vietnam section. He opted for the inside line which can be seen in the pictures. Withrow was relentless as he came out of Vietnam and down the final chutes into the Daytona berms. He stayed low over the final two jumps, pedaling hard down the final straight as he crossed the line. Withrow would finish P4 for the day, a solid performance.

Michael Ascarrunz left the start box setting a good pace, putting his downhill bike to work over the rough first few straights. He made his way into the upper section where he focused on being smooth and conserving energy for the middle and lower portions of the course. As he worked his way through the the middle section he made a few mistakes that cost him some time. Ascarrunz quickly regained his composure as he headed toward Fabio falls, arguably the most challenging feature on the pro/cat 1 course. He made it down the falls smoothly and though the next rocky section into Vietnam where he opted for the outside line as seen in the picture. After exiting Vietnam he made it down the loose chutes into the Daytona berms as he came over the final jumps into the finish. Ascarrunz would cross the line P5.

Lucas Carrol had been looking good in practice on Saturday. After suffering from several flat tires due to the rough and rocky conditions of course, he installed a fresh tire on the rear for his race run. This would also be Carrol’s first Cat 2 race, a big step up from Cat 3. He left the start looking smooth, making it down the first few straights into the upper section of the course. Unfortunately he fell victim to one of the many the loose and soft corners and went down. Carrol quickly remounted the bike and got back up to pace, he realized his chain had also fallen off but he wasn’t about to let that stop him from giving it his best. He did everything he could to carry his momentum down the course and maintain good corner speed. He made it into the final section of the course, through the Daytona berms and across the finish. Carroll would cross the line P4, only 3 seconds of the podium in his first Cat 2 race. Definitely an impressive finish given all the challenges he faced and overcame during his run. 

Ryder Withrow had also been looking good in practice on Saturday, finding good lines through some of the loose terrain. This would also be Withrow’s First Cat 2 race. He set a fast pace off the start and carried good speed over the jagged rocks on the first few straights, making it into the upper section of the course. He was looking good and on pace with the top riders in his category. As he came into the middle section of the course he went down, washing the front end out in one of the many soft corners. Withrow quickly remounted his bike and got back on pace. He made his way down the lower and steepest parts of the course, making quick work of some of the most challenging sections. He came out of the Daytona berms, over last few jumps and down the final straight. Withrow would cross the line in P9. A solid finish in the stacked field of talented racers.

Mason Juergenson made it out for his first downhill race at Northstar. Although this would be his first downhill race at this venue, Juergenson is no stranger to racing. Coming off a very successful cross country season on the NICA circuit and also solid finish at the Sea Otter Classic earlier in the year, he was looking to put his skills and fitness to the test on the unforgiving race course. He looked good in practice as he dialed in his line choices with his fellow team mates. Juergenson left the start sprinting hard into the first sections of the course, setting a fast pace. Just before coming out of the upper section, he smashed his derailleur on one of the many jagged rocks, causing it to bend up into the cassette. This rendered the drivetrain useless, forcing him to continue his run without the ability to pedal. Juergenson focused on maintaining speed as he navigated his way through the rest of the course. He made his way through the final sections into the Daytona berms, carrying all the speed he could and pumping the backsides of the final two jumps. Juergenson would cross the line P4, less than one second off of 3rd. Another impressive finish for team Ignite. 

Forrest Reed made it up just in time, driving up the morning of the race. He quickly adapted to the rough course after only a few practice laps with his team mates. Coming off a solid finish at round 1, he was looking to challenge himself here at round 3 and see what he could do against the stacked field of racers. He left the start looking strong, hitting his lines as he worked his way out of the jagged rocks of the first few straights and into the upper section of the course where he would make quick work of the loose and steep corners. He made  into the middle section without any mistakes as he worked his way down into lower karpiel. As reed came into the well known Vietnam section, he made a mistake, washing out the front wheel and jamming his chain in between the chainwheel and bottom bracket. He went down hard but knowing he was loosing valuable time he quickly remounted the bike and fought his way to the finish line without being able to pedal. Reed crossed the line P5, just behind his team mate Juergenson. A solid finish for the young team Ignite racer.