Team G Cross Honda Wins World Cup Overall - Again

23 year old Matti Lehikoinen (FIN), in his final race for the team before leading another team in 2008, put in a classy performance riding a controlled semi final and final to garner enough points to move from 3rd to 2nd overall. Younger team mate Brendan Fairclough (GBR) overcame a puncture in the semi final to put in another top ride and boost his ranking to career best 12th.

The track in Maribor is a classic from the late nineties, with the first half of the track in it's original form, including the notorious rock garden, and the second half of the track being a brand new super technical high speed forest section that demanded the very best from the world elite downhill racers. The track claimed quite a few riders, notably 2 time World Champion Fabien Barel (FRA) who was hospitalised after crashing hard, and suffering a deep concussion.

Injured team leader Greg Minnaar (RSA) was on hand to support his younger team mates, and after walking the course with his broken shoulder, praised the course for its technical content.

In the semi final Matti lost a bit of time at the start when the super low ceiling of the start house caught the visor on his helmet and stopped him in his tracks. Readjusting his helmet and goggles, Matti went on to score 6th place. Brendan was 8th place through the intermediate split but then punctured in the rock garden. The UCI rule allows a top 20 rider to start the final if a mechanical issue is experienced in the semi final, so Brendan was placed in the start list for the final.

The final saw a high rotation of riders in the hotseat, as times got faster and faster and kept the 23,000 fans on hand entertained throughout the afternoon. Brendan ripped up the course and came in 4 seconds faster than the previous leader and sat comfortably for next 15 minutes. When Steve Peat failed to arrive on schedule, and time ticked away, it was clear that the 64 points that Matti needed to pass Steve, were a certainty and the 2nd place overall was his to keep. With that information on board, as well as a broad Finnish grin, Matti took to the course and rode as fast as he needed to get down safely, and earned a credible 7th place, just ahead of Brendan. Sam Hill took another win and the World Cup overall, after a season that had him pretty much on top from the outset. -Honda