Enduro World Series Team/Sponsor Round Up.

It’s that time of year when the sponsorship musical chairs tune stops and we get to see who’s going to be riding for which team this season. Here’s a round up of news so far.

First up it’s looking like an exciting year ahead for the Enduro World Series which has a record number of teams announced for 2015…

The countdown to the 2015 Enduro World Series is gathering pace – and this year a record number of teams will be fighting it out for the title.

Twenty nine official teams have been selected to compete for the coveted team world title – up from 24 last year. With new teams joining the series and some big changes to their rosters, the upcoming series looks set to be the most exciting to date.

For the first time in 2015 there will also be the chance to get up close and personal with our Gold Supporter Teams – as we bring you a series of exclusive behind the scenes films. Dropping throughout the year, these edits will offer a rare insight into some of the sport’s biggest teams including GT Factory, Specialized Racing, Canyon Factory Enduro Team, Cube Action Team and Santa Cruz. The films will form part of a completely new style of coverage for enduro this year – details of which will be released very soon.

Another new addition this season will be the introduction of an Under 21 age category in both the men’s and women’s competition, which will replace the junior men category. This new category is designed to highlight the incredible talent that is emerging in the 17-20 age group and give them a platform to showcase and develop their skills over a four year period, rather than the traditional two. It’s hoped that by creating an Under 21 category for young women, more girls may be encouraged to try their hand at racing enduro. Full details of the new category will be included in the updated 2015 Rulebook, which will be available from January 19th.

With less than two months until the first race, entries open for Crankworx Rotorua on January 22nd, followed by a rolling entry system for the rest of the events. Full details available on www.enduroworldseries.com.

Chris Ball, Managing Director of the Enduro World Series, said: “This year is going to be amazing – more events featuring more teams means even more exciting racing. We’re blown away by the level of support we’re received from the industry and I’d like to thank all the teams who have committed to the series this year.

“The addition of the U21 category is going to throw the spotlight on to the next generation of racers and hopefully encourage more to try enduro. And the new way we plan to film and cover the races is going to really shake things up – roll on New Zealand!”

Enduro World Series 2015 Official Teams (renewed); BMC Factory Trailcrew, Cannondale Overmountain Team, Canyon Factory Enduro Team,  Cube Action Team, Devinci/Alltricks.com Enduro Racing Team, Giant Factory Off-Road Team, GT Factory, Ibis Cycles Enduro Race Team, Lapierre Gravity Enduro, MS Mondraker Team, Polygon UR, Rocky Mountain Urge BP Rally Team, Santa Cruz, Scott SR Suntour Enduro Team, Specialized Racing, Trek Factory Racing Enduro Team, Yeti/Fox Shox Factory Racing Team, Yeti Belgium – Urge BP Enduro Team

New Teams for 2015; Chain Reaction Cycles, Commencal Vallnord Enduro, Dert Down Under Enduro Race Team, Endura Bergamont Factory Team, Hope Factory Racing, Radon Factory Racing, SB Gravity GT, Team 23 Degrees/Trek, Lac Blanc-Scott.

Next up is Jerome’s move to Alpinestars as clothing and protection sponsor, following leaving long time sponsor Mavic at the end of 2014.

Alpinestars welcomes Enduro World Series star Jerome Clementz to its already strong Enduro MTB program.

Jerome will be working closely with Alpinestars as he aims to recapture the EWS, which this year takes place at eight venues across the globe, including Crankworx in New Zealand and Canada, as well as the United States, France and Italy.

The Alpinestars Development Team will provide performance riding products, from class-leading apparel to innovative protection to the Frenchman, while working closely together as part of Alpinestars’ continuous performance development program.

And finally Ibis

For the 2015 Enduro World Series, Ibis Cycles, Inc is pleased to announce the return of the winningest mountain biker on the planet, Anne Caroline Chausson. Anne will be contesting the EWS for Ibis and a number of independent sponsors.

In addition to ACC, we are proud to announce the founding of the Ibis Enduro World Series Team.
Joining the Ibis Enduro Team will be:

• Gary Forrest – age 28, Scotland | 10th at Round 2 of the 2014 EWS
• Conor LaVelle – age 17, Ireland | 3rd ranked Junior in the EWS for 2014
• Anita Gehrig – age 27, Switzerland | 6th overall in the EWS for 2014
• Carolin Gehrig – age 27, Switzerland |11th overall in the EWS for 2014
• Cody Phillips – age 21, USA | 4th at the Bend round of the Oregon Enduro Series
• Jake Law – Team Mechanic

Team members will be riding Ibis’s new Mojo HD3 and their 741 wide carbon wheels.For the first time in 2015 there will also be the chance to get up close and personal with our Gold Supporter Teams – as we bring you a series of exclusive behind the scenes films. Dropping throughout the year, these edits will offer a rare insight into some of the sport’s biggest teams including GT Factory, Specialized Racing, Canyon Factory Enduro Team, Cube Action Team and Santa Cruz. The films will form part of a completely new style of coverage for enduro this year– details of which will be released very soon.