Intense doubles down on World Cup team with Gwin and Mulally
Americans join Jack Moir on beefed up Intense Factory Racing downhill squad
Intense Factory Racing has been known for its racing program since the 1990’s. For 2019, Intense has stepped up its commitment to the World Cup downhill scene, signing American’s Aaron Gwin and Neko Mulally for the coming season. The two top-ranked downhill racers join Australian Jack Moir, who will start his fourth year with the program.
“Racing is our True North,” the company said in an Instagram post announcing the team. After focusing on developing its “Direct to Consumer” model, founder Jeff Steber has steered Intense back toward its racing roots over the past several seasons.
The American brand recommitted to racing in 2017, introducing 29″-wheeled the M29 downhill race bike in aluminum, then in carbon fibre.
In a press release following the social media post, Intense CEO Jeff Steber said “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,” adding, “We made a promise to ourselves and to our company, that we would reclaim our spot at the top of the World Cup circuit.”
With his remarkable consistency, which carried him to five World Cup overall titles, signing California’s Aaron Gwin is a strong move towards getting back to the top of the World Cup standings. “I’ve been buddies with the owner Jeff for a while and having the opportunity to work together now is super cool,” said Gwin of the move. The American, who it appears will have some stake in running the team, not just racing for it, added “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.”
Joining Gwin and Moir on Intense Factory Racing is Neko Mulally. Gwin and Mulally raced together up to 2019 for YT Industries, and the pair will continue together at IFR going forward.
