Tight decisions in Unior Downhill Cup series final in Bike Park Pohorje and some overall title upsets. After placing second Miran Vauh announces an important decision…
Czech rider Stanislav Sehnal (Kellys Factory Team) and Slovenian Špela Horvat (BeFly World Team) are the winners of DH Visit Pohorje, the third and final round of 2018 Unior Downhill Cup in Maribor’s Bike Park Pohorje. Slovenians Luka Berginc (Blackthorn) and Katarina Primožič (BATT Team) win the overall titles.
Stanislav Sehnal
Czech champion Sehnal finished his final run with the time of 3:26,48 which was 86 hundred of a second faster than second placed Slovenian champion Miran Vauh (Blackthorn). Polish champion Slawomir Lukasik (Hiag Data NS Bikes) finished third just .02 behind Vauh. Slovak champion Adam Rojček (CTM Racing Team) followed in 4th place (that’s right, National Champions in top 4 spots) and another Slovenian Tomaž Oražem (BATT Team) in 5th.
Luka Berginc is men’s 2018 Unior Downhill Cup 2018 series champion
Luka Berginc finished second in the semi-final run and collected enough points to afford a crashed and 36th place in his final run to still take the overall series title.
Špela Horvat won the Pohorje final but was not an overall contender after missing a round
In women’s race Horvat was 8.77 faster than Primožič in second place, junior rider Naja Stipanič (Blackthorn) followed in third.
Žak Gomilšček
In men’s UCI category Žak Gomilšček (Sinter Brakes Team) finished as top junior in 11th place and so confirmed his overall title. Hungarian Marcell Ferenczi (Hypno Racing Team) finished 2nd and Croatian Noa Radolović (BK TNT Pazin) third.
“I made two mistakes in my final run. I’m really happy I still won,” said Sehnal who won the iXS European Cup in Špičak this year and finished 32nd in La Bresse World Cup race so he says this is his best season so far. “The conditions were different that in April’s iXS EDC race and some turns were also done differently so I can’t compare the times. I’m also here to train on the track which may host a World Cup race next year.”
Vauh was happy with his final run and also announced an important decision: “I was thinking of Monika at the start, this run was for her, for fast healing and for will to go on. I had a long season, 17 races I think. Working, training and resting don’t go together. I is possible that this was my last race. But if Maribor gets to host a World Cup round in 2019 and I get to train over the winter then I may consider another one.”
From L to R: Rojček, Vauh, Sehnal, Lukasik and Oražem
In other categories
Marko Niemiz (Sinter Brakes Team) won another U17 race in front of teammate Žan Pirš, Croatian Robert Kišak (KK Jastrebarsko – WD40 Bike) was third. Niemiz thus defended his spot on top of the series ranking.
But there was a change in the lead in the U15 boys category where Črtomir Svetec (ŠD Supersnurf) finished in front of leader Tomo Joksimović Terpin (Sinter Brakes Team) in both runs to win the overall title. Austrian Nikolas Kolle (Giant Stattegg) won the race in front of Svetec and his teammate Maj Kuhar.
More Giant Stattegg team win in masters and hobby category with Philipp Podbrecnik and Alexander Pall while Urban Napotnik (KD Lignit) won the amateur category.
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Next in Unior Downhill Cup…
The Unior Downhill Cup overall trophies will be presented at Slovenian Cycling MTB event later this year. Place and time have not been announced yet.
DH Visit Pohorje – Final Results
Miran Vauh in cover photo. All photos by Klemen Humar.
More photos in report on www.uniordownhillcup.com
