Short Track Champs Cancelled

Unfortunately, due to a lack of entries we have had to make the very sad and frustrating decision to cancel the race.

We had been very excited about this event, it is a cracking little course at a great venue and a lot of time has been spent in preparation for a top days racing.

This has not been an easy decision, but in a packed calendar there will always be some casualties.

We hope in the future there will be more support for this new style of racing.

Rapid Racer Products Come on Board as Title Sponsor

Keen to show their support for this exciting format of XC racing, Rapid Racer Products are very pleased to announce their title sponsorship of the event

Craig Bromley, head of Rapid Racer Products told us “When we heard about the UK Short Track Champs we were compelled to get involved, we see this as one of the new formats for the future of racing as it has a wide appeal suitable for athletes from many disciplines like; Downhill, Cross Country, and Endurance racing.”


Alongside Rapid Racer Products, the event is also being sponsored by:

Torq Performance – Nutrition sponsor of the event.
Moda Bikes – New UK bike brand with a strong presence on the race scene.
Elite Tech Mechanics – will be on hand to provide neutral technical support.
BETD Cycle Components – local manufacturer of shiny things and purveyor of top quality bikes.
Pro-Vision Clothing – sponsors and manufacturers of the custom designed winners jerseys.
XCracer.com – the no.1 place and voice of mountain bike racing in the UK will be helping with the ‘special features’ on the course...

British Cycling Ranking Points for the Short Track Champs

Another reason to enter the Mtb Short Track Champs - BC ranking points for all you points chasers!

Short track is usually ranked as a 'category F' event, for the champs we will have 'category E' points on offer! With the senior race containing the junior, sport, expert, masters and elite categories, it means that if you finish for example 8th overall, but are the first sport rider, you'll be awarded rankiong points for finishing 1st. Sounds good to us!

Season opening short track at the XX Maremma Mtb Cup

Great video of one of the short track races from the 2010 XX Maremma Cup. Eva Lechner (Team Colnago) and Andy Kugler (Team Merida Multivan) take the wins at Massa Marittima in sunny Italy.

Love the start ramp! Not so sure about the music!

Bike Week 2010

It may have 'championships' in the title, but UK STXC 2010 is also part of Team Green Britain Bike Week, the biggest nationwide cycling event in the UK.

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With a duration of only 30 minutes, short-track is a great way to dip your toe into the world of mountain bike racing and the short lap means it'll be very spectator friendly, plus there'll be lots to see in the arena.

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Also, with Stoke-on-Trent being a cycling city, there's no reason why you shouldn't ride over to watch or take part in the race!

Race Categories

We've had several emails about the categories for the short track champs, so here's some more details to avoid confusion:

Everyone gets to do the 1 lap sprint qualifying. Not just because it'll be ace fun, but because it'll determine your gridding and give you the chance to compare your time with everyone elses. Prizes of some sort for the fastest male and female laps will be awarded!
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Why no fun category? With lots of entries for the senior men expected and a limited amount of space on the course, there will be an 'A', 'B' and maybe even 'C' final... If you qualify in the top 40 you'll be in the 'A' Champs race, the 'B' final will then determine places 41-80 etc etc etc. So if you're only taking part for fun (is there any other reason?) you'll get to qualify at the same time as other people your age and then race with people of a similar ability.

Under 10's and 12's races. You'll only be able to enter on the day for these highly anticipated races. The under 12's will race over the full lap and the under 10's over a shortened lap of the course.

Site visit

A beautiful winters day blessed us for an afternoon off work to visit Park Hall and recce the trails for the short track champs. Lots of sweet sinuous singletrack, with climbs and descents that could be really steep - depending on how cruel we feel... Only downside was no XC line down a big sandstone outcrop - Red Bull Rampage style hucking only!

As we stood at the top of the course, looking down the hillside with a panoramic view of the Potteries in the distance, Kev from Goldtec commented "We always thought this would be a top venue for a race" - on the 26th June, it'll become a reality. Clang!

UK Short Track - Entry Now Open!

Entry for the 2010 UK MTB Short Tracks is now open. Online entry is available at xcracer.com and an entry form can be downloaded here if you prefer to enter by post.

The format for the day is a 1 lap sprint qualifier (to determine seeding) followed by an afternoon of racing. Youth and Women will progress straight to their race, with the Veteran Men and Senior Men split between A and B finals, determined by their qualifying times. Races will be a set number of laps, with the winner of each race taking approx 25 mins (Youth 20mins).

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Race Day Timetable:

*Youths must be minimum 12 years on race day

There will also be racing for the Under 10's and Under 12's, entries for which will be taken on the day.

Entries will be limited, on a first come first served basis, and all entries must be received by 14th June; however entries may close earlier if the race fills up.

Short track tips & tactics from the Subaru Gary Fisher pro riders

First up is the lovely Willow Koerber - Bronze medallist at the 2009 World Mountain Bike Champs (short track highlights include 2nd place at the 2007 US National Champs).

Any good advice for us Brits? "As far as tips and tactics go, try to be in 2nd or 3rd place most of the race, know where you will need to attack on the last lap for the win, and when you do attack, make it count!" And just how fast is the racing? "I think short tracks have really helped the US racers prepare for the intensity of a world cup start. Good luck!" Thanks Willow!

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Next up is top rider Sam Schultz - Silver medallist at the 2009 Continental Champs and winner of the short track at the 2008 Sea Otter Classic (taking the win with a ballsy last lap, last turn uphill pass on Ryan Trebon after battling with him all race long).

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You're a fan of short track aren't you? "Yeah, I really like short track because it adds another race to the weekend, making the travel more worth-while"... (US riders put us Brits to shame with the amount of travelling they do to get to races) ..."and allowing racers to 'make up' for a bad race the day before. It is different enough from XC that it feels unique and it's a perfect opportunity to suffer more in 25 minutes than you ever thought possible!" Any tips? "Short track is often a pretty tactical race and if you go at just the right time often you can kind of 'fake it' and pull out a good result as long as you're willing to dig really deep. All in all I think that Short Track does nothing but add to the racing experience." Thanks Sam!

Entry Available Soon!

Online entry will be available from 1st February on www.xcracer.com.
To ensure that the day runs smoothly, the race will be strictly pre-entry only, with the closing date for entries 2 weeks before the event. However, please note that entry may close earlier than stated if the maximum number of entries is reached.