12th April, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
Riding in conditions that couldn’t be any different from home, Gee Atherton of team Animal Commencal took home 5th spot at the opening round of Nissan World Cup series. The long and dusty track of Pietermaritzburg in South Africa pushed the riders more physically than any other track in the World Cup’s history.

Older brother Dan was up first in today’s finals. He pushed himself hard making only a fiew small mistakes. His time of 3.55.61 was good enough for 13th place and shows the work he’s been doing over the winter is starting to pay off.

Qualifiying in a solid 5th spot, Gee needed to ensure he improved on that time to make a impression on the finals. Pushing the pedals hard and letting the bike hang on the corners Gee was making every second count. As he hit the tripple coming into the final straight he bukled, forcing him to lose a few valuable moments.

Crossing the line he slipped into 2nd spot behind Australian Sam Hill but it was local man Greg Minaar who made his local knowledge count. The 10.000 strong crowd embraced the South African as he took the top spot ahead of Australian Mick Hannah.

Gee and brother Dan now look to Round 2 of the Series whic sees the campaign head into France for the first of five European rounds.

Keep track of The Athertons at www.athertonracing.co.uk.