Crankworx Rotorua : Maxxis on Every Podium
Seven Wins for Maxxis at Crankworx Rotorua; Johansson smashes Slopestyle while Kintner and Van-Steenbergen Lead the Chase for Crankworx Crown
Crankworx Rotorua was an unqualified success for Maxxis, with Jill Kintner and Bas Van-Steenbergen holding the lead for the King and Queen of Crankworx and Maxxis’ riders taking 7 wins and 15 additional podiums. The first event of the Crankworx World Tour was held March 1-8 in New Zealand.
The Maxxis Slopestyle in Memory of McGazza on Saturday is not only the main event, but a colossal win for Emil Johansson, whose first run left other contenders in the dust. Moments after Johansson stomped his final move, this era was dubbed, “The Age of Johansson” by none other than announcer and freestyle legend Cam McCaul himself. In addition to its major sponsorship of the entire World Tour, Maxxis sponsors the Rotorua slopestyle contest in honor of the late New Zealand mountain biker Kelly McGarry.
Maxxis swept both the men’s and the women’s top three in the TOA Enduro, with Ed Masters and Rae Morrison taking the wins, Cole Lucas and Kate Weatherly in second place, and Matt Walker and Georgia Astle in third. This year’s course was a dry dust-fest compared to the mud-laden singletrack of 2019.
Maxxis’ riders were all over the podium in other events as well. Van-Steenbergen and Walker took second and third place in men’s Dual Slalom. Kintner and Verbeeck were second and third in women’s Dual Speed & Style, and Kintner and Blenkinsop each took second place in their respective downhill races. Kintner and Verbeeck were second and fifth in women’s Pump Track, with Van-Steenbergen taking fourth place in the men’s event.
Kintner, who made the podium in every event she contested at Rotorua, took victories in women’s Air DH and Dual Slalom, with Vaea Verbeeck, 2019’s Queen of Crankworx, in third place in both events.
Sam Blenkinsop led a Maxxis sweep of the top three in men’s Air DH, with Tomas Slavik and Matt Walker in second and third place.
Rising star Jackson Goldstone, age 16, won the Oceania Whip-Off Championship.
The second of this year’s three Crankworx festivals is scheduled for June 10-14 in Innsbruck, Austria.