We talked about it on rides, in the pub and even in our Team Rumours story, and now the news is 100% official! Aaron Gwin, Neko Mullally and Jack Moir will ride for Intense Factory Racing in 2019!
The news broke this morning on the official Intense Instagram account which features images of the trio riding the full carbon Intense M29 downhill bike along with the text:
“Racing is our True North. Introducing the 2019 Intense Factory Racing team. @jackmoir_ @aarongwin1 @nekomulally
#intenseforlife #letsrace #M29″
Aaron Gwin has also confirmed the move with social media posts picturing himself in the new Alpinestars Intense Factory Riding kit and Intense M29, built up with Fox Suspension, TRP brakes and what appears to be a partial TRP drivetrain too.
At the time of writing the U.S version of the Intense website has also been updated with images of Aaron Gwin and Neko Mullally, however, there are no links to an official statement or press release.
We’ve reached out to our contacts at both Intense in the UK and U.S already and hope to have the official word soon, and will update this article once the details come in.
Update: Intense has now sent out the official press release.
Press Release: INTENSE ANNOUNCES 2019 FACTORY RACE TEAM
INTENSE proudly announces the 2019 Intense Factory Racing (IFR) Program. The new roster includes
returning IFR team member, Jack Moir (AUS), American National Champion, Neko Mulally (USA) and
multi-time World Cup medalist, Aaron Gwin (USA).
“As a brand, we’ve spent the last year doing a lot of soul-searching. It became clear that what made
INTENSE great in the beginning was our commitment to racing. Our biggest benefit was derived from
having top riders competing in the most challenging conditions as a part of our R&D process” says
INTENSE founder and CEO, Jeff Steber. “We made a promise to ourselves and to our company, that we
would reclaim our spot at the top of the World Cup circuit. As soon as we did that, choosing the roster
was easy.”
It’s not always as simple as choosing a roster, though. With so many teams and only a handful of riders
capable of bringing home top results on any given weekend, it’s a seller’s market on the World Cup
these days, and top riders have their pick of solid programs to choose from.
For Aaron Gwin, though it wasn’t a hard decision. “I’m stoked to begin this new chapter of my career
with Intense Bicycles and my fellow teammates Jack and Neko. I’ve been buddies with the owner Jeff
for a while and having the opportunity to work together now is super cool. We share a lot of similar
passions and our love for racing and riding-developing fast bikes has been a big part of both of our lives.
As a rider and team owner, I’m excited to run such a legendary race program. We’ve put together an
awesome group of people and I’m looking forward to the years ahead.”
Neko Mulally was another top pick for INTENSE. Gwin and Mulally were teammates in past years and
bring a solid working relationship to the team. “As an American racer, I’m excited to race for an American
brand with such a strong heritage in downhill racing,” commented Mulally.
Jack Moir is an IFR veteran, and 2019 will be his fourth year with the program. At 24, Jack is the team’s
youngest rider, and rose to stardom under the IFR flag when he played a pivotal role in developing the
M29. In 2017, Jack spent the entire season on a different prototype at nearly every race.
“Prototyping in public isn’t for everyone” says Steber. “Anything can happen with prototype bikes. Jack’s
ability to ride the bike for its strengths and really embrace the development process during the World
Cup Series showed his true professionalism.”
The team will be managed by long-time trainer of Aaron Gwin, Todd Schumlick and Cathy Zinck. The
duo has a long history of working with athletes and running successful race programs at both the
privateer and factory racing levels. The IFR Technical Team will include John Hall for Aaron Gwin,
Daniel Paine for Jack Moir and Sam Yates for Neko Mulally. Brock Van Heel has been hired as the team
videographer.
“As Aaron’s trainer the past 6 years, we’ve had a chance to develop a strong relationship,” stated
Schumlick. “We agree that for a race team and its riders to perform at their best, there needs to be
confidence in everyone involved. For this reason, I was thrilled to come on board as Team Manager
and take on this new challenge. I’m very excited to start the season. I believe the INTENSE M29 is an
exceptional bike and I am eager to get the ball rolling for the 2019 season and help our team reach new
levels and milestones for the INTENSE brand.”
Comments (3)
Comments Closed
Is it just me who thinks “multi million dollar contracts, they could’ve done better than a few iron on transfers on the shirts”?
Which Team does Gwin own?
Pretty big hitting team. Jack will definitely keep Aaron honest, and Neko is no slouch! Can’t they stray the season early?