Denmark and Albany riders claim victories in opening round of WA State Downhill Series

Great Southern riders shone at the opening round of the WA State Downhill Series in Denmark on the March long weekend.

Nearly 100 riders from around WA converged on the track on March 4 and 5, hosted by the Denmark Mountain Bike Club.

The Albany and Denmark clubs were strongly represented and they finished with a host of podium positions across the 13 divisions.

Denmark father and son Nathan and Flynn Devenport claimed victories on their home track, and Alistair Dickson and Ruby Beckett also had wins.

In the masters 3-4 class, Nathan Devenport had a thrilling win, stopping the clock at 1min. 35.33sec. to beat Ross McCarroll (1:35.73) in the race run.

Flynn Devenport’s 1:54.02 was enough to beat Seamus Contier by 3.07sec. in the under-13 category.

Beckett won the under-15 female division with a time of 2:10.51, and Dickson won the masters 5-6 with a time of 2:26.66.

Albany’s Hamish Wilkes also had a win in the hotly contested under-19 division in 1:24.97, narrowly missing the fastest time of the day, but too strong for his nearest rivals Lochlan Thompson (1:29.51) and Nicholas Regan (1:29.98).

Albany’s Abbey O’Donnell won the under-17 female race with a time of 2:03.69.

After just turning 13, Denmark youngster Jy Drummond performed strongly in the under-15 male race, placing third in 1:41.18 behind winner Cooper Dunlop (1:36.76) and runner-up Callum Chansbury (1:38.54).

Top rider Gus Kyme claimed the elite men’s division, stopping the clock at 1.21.72.

Other winners in the opening round were Eleanor Litterick (open women), William Frizzell (e-bike), Rob Gibbon (expert men), Dale Berry (masters 1-2) and Angus Nichols (under-17 male).

At the end of the race runs on the Sunday, those with the top 20 lap times across the categories went back up the hill for the Monkey Rock Top 20 Dash for Cash.

It was a tight finish but Kyme recorded the fastest time of the day win the cash in 1:21.11. It just shaded Wilkes with 1:22.84, while Austin Ridley was third in 1:23.89.

It was the third time Denmark had hosted a State event, and many riders were having their first crack at the sport, involving a point-to-point course with an emphasis on technical skills rather than pedal power.

DMBC president Brad Drummond said it was a great weekend of action.

“This event is a great opportunity to showcase Denmark’s mountain bike terrain to riders from across the State,” he said.

“Thanks to the property owners and sponsors, the event continues to grow from strength to strength.”

Albany Mountain Bike Club will host round two of the series on April 22 and 23.