Trek World Racing is excited to announce its much anticipated lineup for the 2013 race season, a roster which sees a mixture of race winners, World Cup podium riders, as well as up-and-coming talent. All the riders selected for the program have the same philosophy and clearly have youth, talent and massive potential as key ingredients.
Headlining the team is the Kiwi duo of Brook MacDonald (pictured below right) and George Brannigan (below left). Brook MacDonald is the 2009 Junior World Champion and has recently scored his first World Cup win at 2012’s Round 6 in Val d’Isere, France, bringing his World Cup podium tally to four. George had his first taste of the World Cup podium when he finished 2nd at Round 7 last year in Hafjell, Norway, just missing the win by 0.4sec. His current UCI world ranking of #9 is a testament to his 2012 season of consistent results.
These two riders join American Neko Mulally (pictured below right) who enters his fourth year with the program, and his second as an elite rider. Last year was his most successful to date seeing him break into the World Cup top 15 and knocking on the door of the top 10. Even though Neko is still the youngest rider on the program, turning 20 next month, he carries a wealth of experience for his age as he enters the new season.
Making his debut onto a pro team ride is Scottish talent Greg Williamson (pictured below left) who has impressed a number of people with his recent results, most notably a number of top 20 World Cup placings despite very little support. His 15th in Hafjell after qualifying 19th, and a 17th in Fort William, shows he has strength on different styles of tracks and can earn points for his team.
Brook MacDonald says: “Being on Trek World Racing represents a fresh start for me and I’m looking forward to all the new things I’ll experience. I’m really excited to be joining this team for the next three seasons and working with my new teammates and new bikes. The combination of the Session 9.9 with Fox Shox and Shimano has been pretty lethal the last two seasons!”
George says: “I’m so excited to be a part of Trek World Racing. This feels like the opportunity I need to improve my results and still be consistent. I know any team run by 23 Degrees has produced real talent and I want to make the most of this opportunity to get where I want to be. The group of teammates will be great and I’m sure the support will be top notch. I can’t wait for this season!”
Greg says: “For me, joining Trek World Racing is a dream come true. I’ve been working hard for a long time to get onto a professional team like this. The roster this year is awesome, they’re all hard workers and don’t do anything half-heartedly, so I’m really looking forward to learning a few things and stoked to get back racing.”
The four full time downhill riders will be joining Justin Leov (NZL) who we recently announced as our Enduro rider. Justin will be doing selected downhill events as well as acting as a mentor to the team. At 28 years of age, 10 years on the World Cup circuit and entering his 5th year with our program, Justin is the perfect role model for the other 4 riders.
The team is proud to confirm the following sponsors who have committed to the program and the new lineup. Shimano (Brakes and Drive Train), Fox Racing Shox (Suspension), JBL by Harman (Sound Systems), Bontrager (Tyres and Wheels), Royal Racing (Competition and Casual Clothing), Seven (Body Protection), FUNN (Handlebars/Stems), MRP (Chain Guides), DT Swiss (Hubs), SDG Components (Seats and Seat Posts), SRM (Power Measurement), Motorex (Lubricants and Cleaning Products), Ryno Power (Sports Nutrition), ODI (Grips), Cane Creek (Headsets) and Alpinestars (Team Baggage).
The team was recently informed by the UCI that it had successfully completed the registration process for 2013, and will be informed on February 7 whether it has been awarded one of the 15 Elite Team spots, something we are quite confident of achieving with our current roster.
The team website currently has the profiles of all five riders in the Downhill section of the site. In the coming weeks we’ll be updating the site with a new Enduro section.
