The 2020 Western Cape Downhill season kicked off with an absolute bang this past weekend, for the first time in a very long time, hitting triple digits in entries. With the event doubling up as a shuttle day on Saturday and race day on Sunday, and the inclusion the Enduro category, plenty new riders joined the party to start the year on a very positive note indeed.
Shuttles powered by SRAM.
By far the quickest, most scenic and least invasive shuttle on the WPDH circuit.
The Paarl landscape with ominous clouds rolling in to provide a few more drops of rain for the day.
We experienced all four seasons in one day, with rain the previous evening and during the morning, sunny and hot later in the morning to windy & gusty conditions as we headed through mid day. The track remained pretty much unchanged from previous years however there was a slight change in format for the racing with the best of both runs counting, instead of a quali run followed by the race run. This format was introduced to give everyone a more fair chance and not have everything come down to just one run that could potentially be spoiled by a mechanical issue or flat tyre.
Hendre De Villiers
Dylan Lamb & Cornel Swanepoel
Heiko Basson
Niko Velasco
Theo Erlangsen | Overall men’s winner
Theo Erlangsen
Chris Nixon
Sebastian Dudas-Smith
Johann Potgieter
Dayle Holmes
Frankie du Toit | Overal women’s winner
Frankie du Toit
Daniel Dobinson
Duran Van Eeden
- Theo Erlangsen 01:37.720
- Johann Potgieter 01:40.878
- Stefan Garlicki 01:42.079
- Adi Van Der Merwe 01:42.878
- Jasper Barrett 01:42.956
- Frankie Du Toit 02:13.114
- Gina Nixon 02:16.439
- Charlotte Wolfson 02:26.223
- Jess Gwynne-Evans 02:40.793
Full results can be seen here.
Enduro Youth Men / Enduro Veteren Men / Enduro Elite Men
DH Nipper Boys
DH Sprog Boys / DH Sub Junior Boys / DH Youth Men
DH Junior Men / DH Sub Veteren Men / DH Veteren Men
DH Master Men / DH Elite Women / DH Elite Men
A fantastic effort by the new WC DH commission, getting everything and everyone in place to put up a successful event. A big shout out must also go to our title sponsor SRAM, as well as Commencal, ION, and LYNE Components. Hopefully this is the start of a great year for DH in the Western Cape and that the momentum will carry on through the rest of the season.
Official race images can be purchased here.
We’ll see you at Jonkershoek on 22/23 Feb for the SA Champs. Don’t miss it!