PRESS RELEASE

The Santa Cruz Syndicate is excited to welcome Greg Minnaar onto the Syndicate for the next two downhill racing seasons! We expect the addition of Minnaar to raise the bar even higher for the Syndicate and are eager to get the new Santa Cruz V-10 underneath him. Having Steve Peat, Nathan Rennie, and Josh Bryceland work and train together with Minnaar should elevate the playing field to new levels in the downhill arena.

Rob Roskopp (owner, Santa Cruz Bicycles), has had an eye on Minnaar for a few years now, and when Honda made the decision to end their involvement in downhill racing, Roskopp saw this as the chance he was waiting for to add Minnaar to the successful Syndicate program. Having talented bike racers with big personalities is a prerequisite for the Syndicate, and Minnaar brings his professionalism, engaging personality and dedication to his craft to the squad. Something that impressed Roskopp the most was Minnaar’s performance at the World Championships in Fort William, Scotland, when in his race run, he crashed and continued on to a successful 4th place finish with a dislocated shoulder and broken scapula suffered in the crash! Witnessing that type of mental determination and control was compelling for Roskopp to aggressively pursue signing Minnaar.

Roskopp comments, “I’m very excited to have Greg on the Syndicate. I admire his talent, professionalism and work ethic and have wanted him on the Syndicate for some time. The Syndicate will now have a broad range in the downhill squad from young, up and coming Josh, to seasoned pros and legends, and will truly be a very international group. Having Greg will be amazing, and I look forward to seeing him race on the V-10.”

“The most important factor for me in choosing a team I race for is the level of support, and the ability to race at my best. It’s clear that the Syndicate is driven by people who love to race. To have a race winning bike beneath me as well as team mates that will continue to push me, makes me very excited about the upcoming season. We are going to be a pretty tough team to beat!” says Minnaar.

Something we strive for in the Syndicate is to create an environment where each rider can express their unique individuality and develop their personas in the sport. Supporting and maintaining the momentum Minnaar has attained in his career will be a feature of his program.

Steve Peat remarks, “Greg is going to be a huge asset to the Syndicate. He and I have been friends since he first visited the UK, a long time ago, and I can see how his drive to win along with his professionalism will be a huge plus for us on the circuit. Welcome aboard Greg!”

Josh Bryceland excitedly says, “That’s awesome news! I can’t think of a much stronger group with Steve, Nathan and Greg! I have looked up to Greg as much as I have Nathan and Steve the whole time. His style and his consistency will just make the Syndicate even stronger! Also, we can both be newcomers together, ha-ha!”

Nathan Rennie welcomes Greg to the team with his sense of humor, “Looks like there are going to be three naked 6’ 3” men in the back of Steve’s van this year. I had enough trouble understanding Steve’s accent…. Welcome, and oh, by the way, that’s my sandwich Greg.”

Once again, it is with great pleasure that we make this announcement and welcome Greg to the Syndicate!

Kathy Sessler
Santa Cruz Syndicate
Team Manager
[email protected]
http://www.santacruzmtb.com/

ANOTHER PRESS RELEASE

In arguably the most anticipated signing for the 2008 Mountain Bike race season, 26 year old former World Champion and 2 time World Cup Champion Greg Minnaar (RSA) has today announced he has signed with the Santa Cruz Syndicate for the next 2 years.

After four years of racing for Team G Cross Honda, Minnaar has decided to race the Santa Cruz V10 next year, alongside fellow World Cup race legends Steve Peat and Nathan Rennie. Honda announced the end of its G Cross program last month.

Much speculation has been brewing over the past 5 weeks as to where Greg would race next, but for the South African, the decision was logical: –

“The most important factor for me in choosing a team I race for is the level of support, and the ability to race at my best. It’s clear that the Syndicate is driven by people who love to race. To have a race winning bike beneath me as well as team mates that will continue to push me, makes me very excited about the upcoming season. We are going to be a pretty tough team to beat!”

Many of Greg’s co-sponsors have been awaiting the announcement of his next team ride and will be confirmed in the coming weeks. However, Greg wanted to pay special tribute to his former major sponsor, Honda: –

“Racing for Team G Cross Honda for the past 4 years was an amazing experience. I had more wins and World Cup podiums on that bike than any other, and the support and friendliness of the whole team made for a very sad day when the announcement came down that it was ending. In this game though, you hope that there is always a new and exciting chapter around the corner, and I’m sure that the Syndicate is going to be an awesome experience for me.”

Owner of Santa Cruz Bicycles and founder of the Syndicate, Rob Roskopp says about Greg: –

“The Syndicate, and our approach to it, engenders massive passion for racing and we have built the Syndicate chemistry with a cultivation of athletes that embody a similar appreciation of the family we have built. We believe that Greg will fit into the “family” wonderfully, even though he will be leaving an equally wonderful family behind.

Clearly…Greg has immense passion for his craft, which is evident in his demeanour and race results throughout the many years he has been racing. We strive to support each athlete as an individual under the umbrella of the Syndicate, in order that they may express their individuality in a manner that they feel most happy and have their personal integrity expressed through their sport. We are delighted to have Greg on the Syndicate.”

Martin Whiteley of 23 Degrees Sports Management welcomes the news: –

“Our primary focus with our clients is to find them a home that really suits their character and allows them further growth in their racing. Greg has expressed to us several times that he would like to eventually race for the Syndicate so when this opportunity arose, it seemed logical. This team will become an amazing force on the circuit, with Greg, Peaty, Nathan and Josh.
It’s all very reminiscent of the Sunn Team days where they had several riders who could climb aboard the top box any given weekend. We wish Greg well in his new team.”

Greg’s first event appearance for the Syndicate will be the Sea Otter Classic, next April.