They rode Maxxis to the podium throughout the season – and now they’ve taken the brand of champions to overall titles. Riders sponsored by Maxxis took seven NORBA championships as the series wrapped up for 2006, with the final races held August 10-13 in Snowmass, Colorado.
Team Maxxis’ Geoff Kabush became, as velonews.com called him, “the winningest rider in NMBS short track history” with his third straight title in the category. "The top guys have been so consistent this year. It's been a good battle between me and JHK (Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski) the whole year," he told velonews.com. Kabush also took second place overall in men’s cross country.
Winning the race at Snowmass in the last lap, the LUNA Chix’ Katrina Nash took the women’s short track title, her second in a row, while teammates Georgia Gould and Shonny Vanlandingham were second and fourth overall, respectively. Vanlandingham got her own championship with the women’s cross country title, with LUNA’s Jimena Florit taking third overall.
Sam Hill, of Monster Energy/Iron Horse, won the men’s downhill championship, with Greg Minnaar of G-Cross Honda in second place overall. Tracey Hannah of Orange/Utopia nabbed the women’s downhill title, with Monster’s Sabrina Jonnier in second place and Morewood’s Lisa Myklak in third. Yeti’s Rich Houseman won both the men’s mountain cross title and a race victory at Snowmass, while in the women’s dual slalom, Joanna Petterson claimed the championship.
Maxxis scorched the competition at the finals, taking six wins and multiple podiums. Highlights included race wins in downhill and dual slalom for Minnaar, a downhill victory for Jonnier, and first place in cross country for Florit.
Photo: Susan Candee
