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UFC Sweet 16 Announced |
Race Face Performance Products along with Giant Bicycles and Manitou Suspension today announced the Sweet 16 finalists for the 4th annual Race Face Ultimate Freeride Challenge (UFC). The 16 finalists were chosen by an all-star cast of mountain bike icons and will now compete in the unique on-line, peer-powered video contest for a professional sponsorship contract worth more than $25,000.
The Sweet 16 finalist’s videos have been divided into four groups
with the first round of viewing and voting set to begin on Friday, March 4th.
Over the following six weeks, Race Face’s online community will vote for their
favorite riders and the winners will advance to the next round until only two
riders remain.
Then we’ll fly the two finalists down to the Sea Otter Classic mountain bike
festival in Monterey, California, and on April 16th at the BIKE Magazine Video
Awards, we’ll announce the winner and sign them to a sponsorship contract with
Race Face, Giant Bicycles and Manitou Suspension worth more than $25,000 USD!
So, here they are in order of appearance, the Sweet 16 finalists for the 4th
annual Race Face Ultimate Freeride Challenge:
Round 1 (March 4th 11th)
• Dave McLaughlin 19
• Jesse Meerkerk - 19
• Jadyn Welch - 21
• Dustin Bryant - 21
Round 2 (March 11th 18th)
• Garett Buehler - 13
• Matt Leitch - 22
• Derek Peltzer - 26
• Kurt Sorge - 16
Round 3 (March 18th 25th)
• Matt Brooks/Jared Gatzka 19/27
• James Doerfling - 18
• Ryan Berrecloth - 26
• Darrell Knelson - 19
Round 4 (March 25th April 1st)
• Joe Perrizo - 20
• Derek Alexander - 18
• Jonas Green - 24
• Steve Tuchiwksky - 19
To whet your appetite, we’ve had our good friends at Pist-N-Broke productions
put together a teaser video to showcase all 16 competitors. You can view it
at www.raceface.com/ufc. Enjoy!
The sixteen competitors were chosen by a judging panel which included pro riders
Andrew Shandro, Tyler Klassen and Corey LeClerc, filmmakers Derek Westerlund
and Ambrose Weingart and pro photographer, Sterling Lorence, along with representatives
from Race Face, Giant and Manitou.
In addition to the $25,000 grand prize, Race Face, Giant and Manitou will also
be awarding product prizes to all UFC competitors who had stand out sections
of their video. Once again conducted by online voting, awards will be given
in the following categories:
• Best Line
• Best Air
• Most Creative Stun
• Best Urban Assault
• Breakout Performance by a Grom (13 and under)
• Worst Crash
The UFC contest, which spawned the pro riding careers of Tyler Klassen, Matt
Hunter and Wayne Goss, along with UFC II runner up, Cameron McCaul and UFC III
runner up, Carlin Dunne is now set to pull another talented rider from the amateur
ranks and deliver them to superstardom.
Congratulations to all riders and good luck in the competition! Now, to whet
your appetite, we’ve had our good friends at Pist-N-Broke productions put together
a teaser video to showcase all 16 competitors. Enjoy!
Check em out here.
