Bike
MTB
Only seconds separated glory from defeat at Red Bull Hardline Australia
From first-timers to female firsts – this is how you make Red Bull Hardline history Down Under.
Part of this story
Over 5,000 excited fans celebrated Rónán Dunne as he took the top spot at Red Bull Hardline Tasmania at Tasmania’s Maydena Bike Park. He was joined by Bernard Kerr in second and George Brannigan in third to complete the podium at the first-ever Red Bull Hardline Australia. (Full results and times below.)
The event also saw huge progression and firsts as many women competitors rode the long, technical course across practice days and race day.
12 min
Top 3 runs – Australia
Check out the top three runs from the inaugural Red Bull Hardline Australia in Maydena.
Wildcard entry Gracey Hemstreet and Louise-Anna Ferguson became the first-ever women in the event's history to compete as riders in the Red Bull Hardline final.
Other women riders, Tahnée Seagrave, Harriet Burbidge-Smith, Hannah Bergemann and Cami Nogueira, all rode most parts of the track but did not qualify.
01
Riders
Participants
© Dan Griffiths/Red Bull Content Pool
Check out the full list of riders below.
- Bernard Kerr (UK)
- George Brannigan (New Zealand)
- Jackson Goldstone (Canada)
- Gaetan Vige (France)
- Darcy Coutts (Australia) - pulled out
- Matteo Inguez (France)
- Adam Brayton (UK)
- Rónán Dunne (Ireland)
- Laurie Greenland (UK)
- Brook Macdonald (New Zealand)
- Kaos Seagrave (UK)
- Sam Blenkinsop (NZL)
- Dan Booker (AUS)
- Sam Gale (New Zealand)
- Thibault Laly (France)
- Jim Monro (UK)
- Vincent Tupin (France)
- Theo Erlangsen (South Africa)
- Connor Fearon (Australia)
- Baxter Maiwald (Australia)
- Johny Salido (Mexico)
- Thomas Genon (Belgium)
- Matt Jones (UK)
- Reed Boggs (USA)
- Remy Morton (Australia)
- Dennis Luffman (UK)
- Louise Ferguson (UK)
- Gracey Hemstreet (Canada)
02
The track
Sam Blenkinsop and Brook Macdonald play follow my lead
© Dan Griffiths / Red Bull Content Pool
The Red Bull Hardline Tasmania track was a behemoth, with 2.3km of carefully curated trails from top to bottom. Throughout practice and race day, riders were pushing 70kph plus in some areas.
Check out some facts about the track below:
- Track length - 2.3km
- Vertical elevation - 575m
- Largest gap jump - 75ft/23m
- Largest vertical drop - 10m+
- Estimated course race time - 3.5min
- Highest elevation point - 925m above sea level
- Geology on the course changes three times, which results in totally different rock and soil types throughout the course
The course preview was a perfect way to watch the thing being tackled from top to bottom.
4 min
The Red Bull Hardline Australia course preview
Jackson Goldstone and Laurie Greenland take us down the course for the inaugural Red Bull Hardline Australia.
03
The crowd
Theo Erlangsen and Sam Gale drop in
© Dan Griffiths
Hats, or helmets, off to the crowd! It was the best energy from gates open to close, with spectators filling every single section of the track, cheering on their favorite riders.
Bells were heard when the second wave of competitors hit the track, with whistles and cheers clearly audible as they rode down the hill.
They braved the sun, rain, dirt and dust to make the first-ever Red Bull Hardline Tasmania one to remember, and for that, we thank them!
04
Practice/seeding
Tahnee Seagrave is ready to go
© Dan Griffiths/Red Bull Content Pool
Jackson Goldstone gives the track a thumbs-up
© Brett Hemmings
Rider testing took place across the week, with competitors being able to walk through and test-ride various parts of the track. A load of great content captured, which you can check out on the Red Bull Instagram.
The weather did take a turn on Friday, with rain and heavy winds testing some competitors and shortening practice times, raising the stakes for race day.
The great thing about having a few days leading in were the daily pre-shows, which were a perfect way to get to know the riders, their set-ups, and all the parts of the track, including the speedy Baxters Highway section, the hefty Road Gap, the high-flying Shark Fin, and the final, 70-foot kicker to finish.
Check out the Friday show below.
6 min
Ready to drop in Tasmania
Riders are ready to roll ahead of finals at the inaugural Red Bull Hardline in Australia.
05
Race recap
Remy Morton makes the jump
© Brett Hemmings
The day opened with perfect weather, which meant the track was drying out throughout the day and getting quicker and quicker.
Riders left in opposite order of their seeding, with the slowest qualifiers starting first.
When it came down to it, there wasn't much in it, with only 3 seconds between the first-place rider, Ronan Dunne, Bernard Kerr in second and third-place rider George Brannigan. This is wild considering riders were completing the course on average a little over three minutes, meaning a turn could have been the difference in placement.
On the podium – Bernard Kerr, Ronan Dunne George Brannigan
© Graeme Murray
Rider of the week went to Canadian rider Gracey Hemstreet, which got a huge cheer from the crowd and her fellow riders.
Gracey Hemstreet wins rider of the week
© Graeme Murray
Check out the full list of riders and their times below.
Rank
Rider
Country
Time
1
Rónán Dunne
IRL
3:08.145
2
Bernard Kerr
GBR
3:10.021
3
George Brannigan
NZL
3:11.021
4
Matteo Ingiuez
FRA
3:13.047
5
Connor Fearon
AUS
3:13.469
7
Sam Gale
NZL
3:14.700
8
Sam Blenkinsop
NZL
3:14.721
9
Theo Erlangsen
RSA
3:15.807
10
Gaeton Vige
FRA
3:15.844
12
Baxter Maiwald
AUS
3:18.072
13
Adam Brayton
GBR
3:18.508
14
Thibault Laly
FRA
3:18.727
15
Kaos Seagrave
GBR
3:20.832
16
Vincent Tupin
FRA
3:21.447
17
Jim Monro
GBR
3:22.525
18
Dennis Luffman
GBR
3:25.487
23
Reed Boggs
USA
3:59.562
25
Louise-Anna Ferguson
GBR
5:08.412
26
Dan Booker
AUS
DNF
You can watch the full broadcast below for free on Red Bull TV now.
Livestream – Australia
The world’s toughest downhill MTB race is dropping into Australia for the first time. Watch it on Red Bull TV.
Part of this story
