A New Era of American DH Racing 1

Neko Mulally won the U.S. Open in the Amateur classic in 2008, and now, nearly a decade later, has won the U.S. Open as a Pro. “I really wanted to win," he said. Mountain Creek is his home turf, having grown up racing on the rocky tracks during the years the park was known as Diablo Freeride Park. The local fans remember him from before the time he had a drivers license and the support from the crowd was palpable on race day. With a strong gathering of family and friends, Neko had a personal crowd of spectators. He was the second-to-last man down the hill, and with only his teammate Aaron Gwin still to ride, there was a subtle tension in the finish arena. As Gwin gave it his all crossing the finish line, the time showed that Gwin hadn't quite done it; there was a new winner of the U.S. Open. - by Zach Faulkner

NEKO MULALLY

JILL KINTNER

On the Women’s side, Jill Kintner put in a stellar performance, taking her second USO title, holding onto her title from 2011, and remaining the running Women’s champion for another year. Her partner Bryn Atkinson also holds two USO titles (the very first one in ’03 and ’07), with Sabrina Jonnier joining them in the 2x winner's bracket (’05 and ’07), and Sam Hill the only 3x winner (’04, ’05, and ’09)! Jill is still on another level with her talent on a bike, and she’ll be certainly defending this title with some tenacity next year!

THE BAND

RYAN BURNEY

GEORGE RYAN

CAROLINE WASHAM

DAKOTAH NORTON

RAFAEL GUTIERREZ

MAGNUS MANSON

In its return, the U.S. Open has shined a light upon US DH and its potential. With proper organization, a healthy Pro Purse, and plentiful family and kid-friendly activities and events, domestic racing can be a thriving and welcoming scene. It’s never easy putting on a new event and people weren’t quite sure what to expect (from either side of the tape), but on a whole, the weekend was a grand success. Racers, riders, and spectators were already talking about “next year!”, and that is telling enough for how things went!

JASON MEMMELAAR

MAURICIO ESTRADA

IVANNA ESTRADA

AARON GWIN

HUGH REYNOLDS

JOHN NICHOLSON

CLAY HARPER

CLAY HARPER ON NEKO'S WIN

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