The inaugural Red Bull Hardline Tasmania hit the jungle slopes of the Maydena Bike Park in Tasmania, Australia over the weekend. Some of the world's best downhill mountain bike riders battled it out for Hardline glory in the brand new downhill MTB event.
Hardline Tasmania not only kicked off the Red Bull Hardline tenth anniversary year and celebrations in style, but also saw Hardline tick off a couple of huge milestones for the Hardline story. Firstly, the new event saw Hardline take its first steps away from its traditional home in the Dyfi Valley, Wales and expand into a mini-series. It also saw female competitors make it to the finals for the first ever time. As the ladies showed they have what it takes to take on the challenge of the toughest downhill MTB event on the planet.
However, it would be Rónán Dunne who would take the glory in Tasmania. Cheered home by a massive crowd of 5,000 spectators, Irishman Dunne set an unbeatable time of 3:08.145, on the course that dropped 600m in just 2.3km. The incredibly fast jungle track also featured huge jumps with the largest being a massive 23m gap. There was a host of other technical features including gnarly rock gardens and 10m plus free fall drop.
The podium would be made up of three-time Hardline winner Bernard Kerr who took second spot in a time of 3:10.021. Kerr was the last man down the mountain as the top qualifier, but couldn't quite match the blistering run laid down by Dunne. The podium was rounded out by New Zealander George Brannigan in a time of 3:11.021.
Elsewhere, Red Bull Hardline (Wales) winner and pre-race favorite – Jackson Goldstone – started his run looking fast but crashed out in a high-speed spill that the young Canadian star described as one of the biggest crashes of his life. He damaged his left leg as he tangled with, but thankfully mostly missed, an unpadded tree. Jackson is now heading home for some recovery, and hopefully we will see him at Fort William for the first round of the UCI Downhill World Cup in April.
The women would take most of the headlines for their history-making achievements over the weekend. In particular, wildcard entry Gracey Hemstreet and Louise-Anna Ferguson who became the first-ever female riders to compete in the Red Bull Hardline Final. Gracey Hemstreet set the fastest time in the Women's field with a time of 3:56.586 and also took the Rider of the Week award. Tahnee Seagrave, Harriet Burbidge-Smith, Hannah Bergemann and Cami Nogueira failed to qualify for the Final.
Red Bull Hardline Tasmania is available for viewing on Red Bull TV now. Red Bull Hardline (Wales) takes place over the first weekend of June this year, with all the event information including ticket info available at Redbull.com.
Red Bull Hardline Tasmania full results
- Rónán Dunne, IRL, 3:08.145
- Bernard Kerr, GBR, 3:10.021
- George Brannigan, NZL, 3:11.021
- Matteo Ingiuez, FRA, 3:13.047
- Connor Fearon, AUS, 3:13.469
- Laurie Greenland, GBR, 3:14.177
- Sam Gale, NZL, 3:14.700
- Sam Blenkinsop, NZL, 3:14.721
- Theo Erlangsen, RSA, 3:15.807
- Gaeton Vige, FRA, 3:15.844
- Brook MacDonald, NZL, 3:16.607
- Baxter Maiwald, AUS, 3:18.072
- Adam Brayton, GBR, 3:18.508
- Thibault Laly, FRA, 3:18.727
- Kaos Seagrave, GBR, 3:20.832
- Vincent Tupin, FRA, 3:21.447
- Jim Monro, GBR, 3:22.525
- Dennis Luffman, GBR, 3:25.487
- Johny Salido, MEX, 3:36.340
- Remy Morton, AUS, 3:45.607
- Matt Jones, GBR, 3:54.107
- Gracey Hemstreet, CAN, 3:56.586
- Reed Boggs, USA, 3:59.562
- Thoomas Genon, BEL, 4:19.916
- Louise-Anna Ferguson, GBR, 5:08.412
- Dan Booker, AUS, DNF
- Jackson Goldstone, CAN, DNF
