The 34th running of the Geneva Supercross at the Palexpo Convention Center in Switzerland was nothing short of exciting for Canadian race fans this year. After a dominant season indoors and outdoors, the 2019 Canadian Triple Crown Champion, Dylan Wright earned himself an invite to the prestigious event to race amongst some of the world's best international riders in front of a sold-out Swiss crowd. The electric atmosphere and bar to bar racing is something every racer thrives on being a part of. The Geneva Supercross is a two-night racing format which crowns a King (SX1) & Prince (SX2) as the two division winners.
Relatively new to the Supercross discipline, Dylan Wright has been building momentum during the Canadian indoor series collecting wins North of the boarder and was all set to do battle in Switzerland. The minimal experience on supercross obstacles and lack of bike set up time proved to be a learning curve for Dylan during practice as he had his first major crash of the weekend in the whoops but would remount for session two and set the fastest SX2 lap time of the day.
On Friday night, Wright rode a smart and smooth Heat race finishing second place and advanced directly into the Main Event. During the Main Event, Dylan was in a comfortable podium position until he pushed the limits too far and crashed, bending the bikes front end which made it un-rideable for the remainder of the Main Event and he was forced to pull out.
After the bike repairs were completed and time to reflect on the positive and negative outcomes of Day 1, Dylan showed up on Day 2 ready to go again. Some setting changes by the team to the front and rear suspension of the bike helped Dylan stay on pace during the qualifying session and he would again top the leader board as the fastest SX2 rider on the track heading into the night show.
Lining up Saturday night hungry to prove he’s the fastest rider in a race setting, and not just in qualifying, Dylan was in control of the heat race waiting for his moment to execute the pass for the lead, but miss-calculation in the whoops again cost Dylan the chance for a heat race win and put him into the Last Chance Qualifier to earn his spot in the Main Event. A poor start in the LCQ showed Dylan’s race craft and passing abilities were superior as he quickly advanced from 5th place to the lead taking the win and a spot in night two’s Main Event.
With a less than ideal gate selection due to qualifying through the LCQ, Wright had his work cut out for him with an unfavorable back row starting spot. With a badly beat up body but the speed to win, Dylan put his head down and put on another show for the Swiss fans blazing his way around the track but the risks did not result in any rewards for Dylan as he crashed hard again and took himself out of the Main Event resulting in another DNF score. Unfortunately, Dylan’s results weren’t indicative of his speed and determination to win and the GDR Honda team left Geneva with many positives and small victories throughout the weekend.
Amongst the up and down weekend, the bi-lingual happy go lucky attitude of Dylan was able to win the hearts of the Swiss fans and quickly became a fan favorite for his ‘never give up’ riding style. Among the event exhibitors at Palexpo, the Fox Racing Switzerland distributor had an autograph signing session for Dylan to better connect with an international fan base.
Race Replay from Friday
Full Race Replay from Saturday
The 2019 Red Bull Rampage was an emotional event on many levels. The riders came into the event with heavy hearts at the recent passing of one of their own - Jordie Lunn, long-time Rampage stalwart and mountain bike community legend, who recently passed away from a riding accident in Mexico. Jordie’s spirit was never far away, however, as multiple tributes poured out of athletes and attendees alike. Jordie would have been proud to see the progression on display by the athletes, many of whom wore custom patches or sported custom stickers in honor of their fallen friend.
The riding got off to a slow start on Friday due to an hour-long precautionary wind hold but once the riders received the "ok", the fireworks started quickly. Fox athletes Brett Rheeder, Andreu Lacondeguy, and Ethan Nell had the luxury of going last on the first of two runs thanks to their first, second and third place podium sweep in 2018.
Ethan Nell Red Bull
When the dust settled, Ethan finished in a solid 7th place with two runs filled with some of the largest drops and biggest whips of the event. He led the contingent of young athletes bringing new blood and pushing progression to the 14th edition of the event.
Andreu Lacondeguy Red Bull
While Andreu’s scores only netted him a 17th place finish due to crashes in both runs, his rides were some of the most impressive of the day. Massive flips and tricks on nearly every launch had him riding on the ragged edge all day. His legendary skills and strength were the only thing which kept him from flying off course and into certain disaster. The crowds roared in approval as he showed his Catalan spirit from top to bottom with some of the biggest airs of the 2019 event. Always a fan pleaser, Andreu finished second in the people’s choice voting for his amazing performance.
Brett Rheeder Red Bull
Defending champ Brett Rheeder was riding at a level few thought possible on the terrain of Virgin, Utah. His mix of technical tricks, huge air, and unmatched style once again had him fighting for the top spot of the podium. His first run had some uncharacteristic mistakes on landings which cost him precious points. Heading into the second run he sat in seventh place, needing to clean up his run and find a few more points to get him close to the leaders. He did just that with one of the most impressive runs we’ve ever seen at a Rampage event, and his score of 91 came within 1.2 points of first place. In addition to his silver medal, Brett walked away with the Best Trick award for his massive can-can backflip off one of the biggest drops of the event.
Brett Rheeder Red Bull Highlights
Congrats to all of the riders at this year's Red Bull Rampage, including Fox Mexico’s own Johny Salido who suffered a training crash on Thursday. Despite his pain, he tried to push through for the finals on Friday, but after attempting two practice runs he decided it was best to not risk additional injury. His choice was the correct one as it was later learned he had ruptured his spleen during the previous day's slam. Johny is doing well, is on his way to recovery and no doubt looking to get another shot in 2020.
The 2019 Red Bull Rampage will go down as one of the most competitive in its 14-year history. Riders new and old pushed progression to levels thought unimaginable only a few years ago; now we start the countdown for the 2020 edition next October.
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La marque Fox Racing a été créée en 1974 et elle se positionne depuis en tant que leader sur le plan de l'innovation dans le secteur du Motocross, en concevant des équipements et des vêtements de motocross plébiscités par les meilleurs riders au monde. Cette entreprise, dont la philosophie s'inspire de l'état d'esprit des athlètes, a également développé des activités et des lignes de produits dans les domaines du VTT et du BMX, et elle crée également des lignes de vêtements novatrices inspirées de l'univers de la moto pour homme, femme et enfant.
