Nelson, New Zealand (March 20, 2008) Kieran Bennett hit a major milestone in his short racing career, by capturing the 2008 UCI Oceania Championship Downhill Title this past weekend in front of his hometown crowd of Nelson, New Zealand.
The fast & rocky Kaka Hill course provided plenty of action for the cheering crowds, as it held its form throughout the weekend, regardless of the dry & dusty conditions. Halfway down the course, the seven-meter jump drew vast attention, as strong unpredictable winds played havoc on competitors; eliminating a few riders from competition, including junior World Championship medalist Matt Scoles.
Bennett started off the weekend by qualifying an impressive 3rd place in the Saturday's seeding run, even after sustaining a rear flat in the last corners of the course. With extremely fierce competitors just ahead of him, Bennett knew that he needed to bring a fast, but mistake-free run come race day.
"I was feeling pretty confident going into Sunday's race," said Bennett. "I didn't feel that great during morning's practice on race day. I was riding really tight and was starting to feel a bit of pressure."
Even with the pressure starting to build on Bennett, he knew he had a shot at the title. Bennett settled in and rode the perfect race. Hitting all his lines and staying true to form, Bennett bested his competition and took home the glory!
Only two riders were able to join Bennett in breaking the 3-minute mark during the finals. In fact, each of the three riders were within the same second of each other. Bennett clipped fellow countrymen Justin Leov's time of 2.57.20 by a scant 1-tenth of a second. Rounding out the trio was yet another New Zealander, Nathan Rankin, who was only 3-tenths of a second behind Leov with a 2.57.50.
Bennett stated, "It was great to have all of the top NZ downhiller's together at the race in the weekend as a build up to the international race season, the track was fast and rocky with barely any pedaling so staying off the brakes was a big part of having a good run. I'm really stoked to take the Oceania Title as it's a huge confidence booster heading into the world cup series!"
With his victory at the Oceania Championships, Bennett automatically qualifies for a spot on the New Zealand National Team for the UCI MTB World Championships held in Italy later this season. Bennett's schedule also consists of all the UCI World Cup rounds, select NMBS events in the US, and Crankworx.
Kieran Bennett is proud to represent his following sponsors: Iron Horse Bikes, Bell Helmets, Dean Optics, Gamut, SDG, Sun Ringle, Formula Brakes, Maxxis, Crank Brothers
Oceania Men's Final Results
1. Kieran Bennett (NZL) 2.57.10
2. Justin Leov (NZL) 2.57.20
3. Nathan Rankin (NZL) 2.57.50
4. Joel Daniels (NZL) 3.00.80
5. Mike Skinner (NZL) 3. 00.80