This past weekend, pirates descended (Literally) on a trail in Southern California. For the initiated you know exactly what we are referencing, while neophytes are scratching their heads. Gravity Pirates is a Downhill focused organization in California that has a passion for riding and invests in growing the riding culture.
On Saturday 03/23/13 they held a jump clinic for riders looking to grow their skillset and followed that up with the GP2 Race at Skidz. In the past they have held races attended by World Cup pro’s and beginners looking to take it to the next level. Turnouts have traditionally been 40+ riders deep with 3 classes offered to suit varying rider skill levels. Recent UCI enforcements and Corporate Team rulings may have kept the PRO field smaller this year but for those that showed up it was a great day. The weather was California perfect and provided a great opportunity for competitors to get some practice in before upcoming races at PRO GRT and SEA OTTER 2013.
Gravity Pirates has an ever growing footprint and has garnered support from a lot of top notch sponsors and grassroots partners. Check out full race results and photos below, and stay tuned for a more in depth look at Gravity Pirates and their trail building, rider improvement/support, and access advocacy efforts.
Riders receive the 411 from CAP'N about course rules and start times.
The top three Pro class riders were all within 5 seconds of each other, with class favorite Dave Seaquist experiencing some wardrobe malfunctions that lead to the events only gnarly offs.
"My race run today was average, it started rough but I finished nice and flowy and I was fast enough to get the win today. I have been racing Vet Pro for over a year now and plan on trying to compete in the PRO GRT events this year. My goal is to just have fun and get as fast as I can." JEROME LACOTE 1ST Place Pro GP2
We were reassured that these 40oz trophies may or may not be lemonade. To the winner goes the spoils
"Racing is only a small part of what Gravity Pirates is .... Yesterday we had a jump skills clinic with over 30 riders from various sites and riding abilities. We as Gravity Pirates are always out there digging and riding, it's what we do.". RYAN McANINCH 1st Place EXPERT GP2
"My main goal was to stay smooth and prepare for the race season coming up. This was a good low key event because I was competing with a lot of friends, I tried to focus on my breathing and cardio for Sea Otter which is coming up ... a lot of riding is a mental game ... " JEREMY HILL 1ST Place OTHER GP2
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