Chris Kovarik takes the win at the 2nd round of the Aussie National Series. Looking down the results list there’s a few big names missing from the first round, but a wins a win.

Here’s the report:

The 2nd round of the Australian National Series happened this past weekend at Illinbah in the Gold Coast hinterland. And thanks to the storm season, it was a muddy one!

The world class track drops 520m over it’s 1.7km length and had everyone fighting to stay on their bikes through the absolutely greasiest conditions in the rocky and rooty woods. The rest of the track was fast, wide open and exciting for spectators as riders thundered down at super high speeds to the finish arena.

The weather has been pretty unstable over the past few weeks here on the east coast of Queensland and hopes of the tricky woods drying up were shattered after a short but violent storm rolled in Saturday afternoon. The rest of the track held up fine but the best of the best were finding the woods pretty much unrideable.

“Every time you entered those woods it was a gamble if you were gonna make it through without crashing but I’m happy that I pulled it off although my final run could have been a bit faster in sections”, says Chris.

So it was a question of who could stay on their bike in the woods and put the rest of the track together and we saw a lot of riders coming through the finish covered in mud, a sure sign of a crash, like a disappointed Mr. Jared Graves.

But Chris was on fire this weekend, qualifying almost 20 seconds faster than the rest of the field and repeating a good performance in his final for the win.

Claire Buchar also managed to take the win over the women’s field despite an awkward crash in those damn greasy woods but the couple were stoked to take home a good hunk of cash-a successful weekend!

ELITE MEN Qualifier Final
1 40 CHRIS KOVARIK 3:57.12 3:46.73 team chain reaction cycles, intense
2 6 JOSHUA BUTTON 4:10.34 3:51.57 mongoose, sram, rock shox, dee why bike hub, lovelife-photog
3 44 DEON BAKER 4:08.81 4:02.23
4 43 RICKY BOYER 4:18.60 4:05.37 orange, pinstripe, rock shox, smith, sram, fox clothing, sanuk, ogo, avid, truvativ
5 9 JAMES MALTMAN 4:17.88 4:07.97 Chumba, Bike Hub
6 99 AARON BASHFORD 4:16.46 4:08.46 Onja bike, Civic & Belconnen
7 66 RYAN ANDREWS 4:14.32 4:09.33
8 109 Shane Wode 4:19.22 4:11.53
9 56 DARCY MURRELL 4:07.20 4:12.62 super sports, tomac australia, oakley, sram, hicks signage
10 65 STUART MALDONALD 4:17.90 4:13.22
11 19 CODY EICHORN 4:10.27 4:14.73 ogio, gamut, scott, spearman cycles
12 85 HARRY ARMSTRONG 4:26.92 4:16.28 Derrico Cycles
13 82 AMIEL CAVALIER 4:05.47 4:17.03 Giant, Spearman Cycles
14 59 LINDSAY KLEIN 4:20.32 4:17.54 Santa Cruz, For the Riders. Com
15 74 SEAN McCARROLL 4:29.12 4:17.99 Cove Bikes
16 87 CHRIS WHITELOCK 4:29.66 4:18.37 Yarra Valley Cycles
17 11 DAMIEN BOGATEK 4:30.65 4:20.86 dhdirect
18 10 KAINE CANNON 4:36.61 4:21.43 mcbain cycles, monza, 4shaw, gary cannan electrical
19 93 BROCK NEWLING 4:36.74 4:21.67 IXS Gravity, FSA, Giant
20 102 JESSE BEARE 4:31.33 4:22.21
21 4 BEN CORY 4:12.70 4:22.69
22 31 DANIEL HALLAM 4:27.65 4:24.65 giant, mikes bikes miami, qld acadamy of sport
23 103 BRODIE STURGESS 4:41.41 4:28.12
24 75 MILES MEAD 4:29.73 04:30.3 Kona Bikes
25 57 TIM EATON 4:37.24 4:30.70 banshee bikes, xxiv, sram, gamut
26 24 SAM TREVOR 4:41.68 4:33.38 ashgrove cycles
27 94 RHYS ATKINSON 4:07.15 4:34.56 Gamit, Straitline
28 15 RICKY LEE 4:41.16 4:34.96 iron horse, monza imp, fox, sram, rock shox, avid, walking clinic
29 20 STUART KEEP 4:30.95 4:35.05 sram, maxxis, 4shaw agencies
30 14 MICHAEL MANNING 4:41.73 4:36.68
31 2 BEN BELL 4:06.77 4:38.65
32 90 AIDEN WALKER 4:43.40 4:39.24 go left inc.
33 69 BEN GOFF 4:38.12 4:40.23
34 30 JOCK FARRINGTON 4:38.13 4:43.71
35 72 LUCAS KUNCEWICZ 4:27.43 4:45.48

ELITE WOMEN Qualifier Final
1 13 CLAIRE BUCHAR 5:14.86 5:35.63 intense, sram, maxxis, sombrio
2 2 LEIGH DOUGLAS 6:04.47 5:40.12 4shaw agencies, treadlies bike shop, the training fix
3 11 CAROLINE BUCHANAN 5:57.18 5:41.82 khs bicycles, actas, unit, crank bros., oakley, leatt neckbrace, bike shed, cbr
4 1 CLAIRE WHITEMAN 5:49.43 5:53.71 onyabike, belconnen, civic
5 3 SARAH BOOTH 6:10.70 6:21.23 cryme cycles, mace, netti, atom
6 4 CARA SMITH 6:26.46 6:31.33 onyabike, civic & paton performance
7 5 EMMA LEWIS 6:34.24 6:35.07 arrow racing
8 10 SHANNON CHUGG 6:53.80
9 9 JAYNE RUTTER 7:29.38 byomechanics cycles and repairs
10 12 SAMANTHA GAMBRILL 7:34.54
11 6 LEONIE PICTON 8:03.61 mallard cycles

world cup down hill mountainbike rider Chris Kovarik wins round 2 of Australian National Series