At only 15 years of age Owen Tooley was the youngest ever winner in the Shimano MTB Grand Prix 4 hour solo men’s general classification in June 2019 at Glenrock in Newcastle. The talented mountain biker is racing with the Mobius Attaquer Racers and we had a chat to their manager Bernard Chan about the team that has been racing the series for more than 4 or 5 years now.
The team seems to grow from strength to strength, what are your goals for this year?
Chan: This year has really flown by and now that we’re in the second half we are aiming to position Luke and Nick into the World Champs team. The boys are in Canada and South Africa for the next few weeks building UCI points and gaining some more experience. The second goal would be to finish consistently in the Shimano GP with a huge smile on everyone’s faces.
How do you/did you ‘recruit’ racers?
Chan: There isn’t really a recruiting process or specific criteria for recruiting riders in the team. The most important aspect for us bringing on new riders is making sure they suit the culture of the team. We believe that the core strength is beyond outright performance and winning for us it is about being around a great culture and a close knit team environment.
What makes the team so special?
Chan: We think mobius-Attaquer is special because we have such a large mix of differing strengths and abilities but we still operate as a unit. Everyone is very supportive of the sport as a whole and each other whether it be world cup, world champs or the local clubby. We have an interest in being a part of the growth and development of the sport and having fun whilst doing it.
What do you/the team like about the Shimano MTB GP Series?
Chan: We love the Rocky Trail Shimano GP because it is just pure fun. It’s a fantastically well organised event and is a very inclusive event. We really appreciate and love the fact that these events are designed to welcome everyone and for everyone to enjoy in so many different places. It’s an event that the team can attend and race with the fantastic like-minded community.
Cheers, see you at the next Shimano MTB GP!
You must be logged in to post a comment.