STRICTLY UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 10AM GMT FEBRUARY 8th, 2023.
POOLE, 07.02.2023: Muc-Off, the global leaders in bicycle and motorcycle care and performance are proud to announce the launch of their latest campaign: Muc-Off Young Guns Academy.
Muc-Off and their Downhill Youth Race Team Muc-Off Young Guns are offering an exciting opportunity for UK-based riders aged between 12-15, to compete for three places on their academy team for the upcoming racing season, with one of those then being selected later in the year to move up and race as one of their fully supported athletes in 2024.
To get involved, the parents of aspiring racers need to complete a questionnaire and submit a video highlight reel to show off their kid’s skills on a bike and demonstrate why they deserve a spot on the team. From all the video submissions, a panel of judges from the team and Muc-Off will select an eight-strong shortlist of the riders who most impressed with their entries. Those shortlisted will all be invited to attend an all-expenses-paid* day at Bikepark Wales on April 13th, 2023 to show off those skills in person. The session also will be an opportunity for the riders to get to know the team and spend some time riding with them and the coaches. This will help decide who are the best fit for three highly coveted academy team spots.
Entries are not limited only to youngsters who currently race downhill or even own a mountain bike, the team are open to submissions from riders of all disciplines; from BMX to road; trails to track, what’s important is to show an enthusiasm for cycling and raw talent on a bike.
Alex Trimnell, CEO of Muc-Off says "Currently, not all kids have proper access to mountain bike racing; it's an expensive sport and sadly inaccessible to many. This not only disadvantages kids who don’t have the opportunity to experience the incredible opportunities that the sport offers but also disadvantages the sport itself missing out on potential talent and the benefit of improved diversity and inclusivity. We are stoked that we are in a position where we can help try and change this.”
On joining the team, the three successful riders will be kitted out from head to toe in full team kit, including protection from Leatt, a full suite of bike care and maintenance products from Muc-Off, tyres from Schwalbe, casual wear from Stance and a host of other kit and components from team sponsors. They’ll even receive support and coaching from Downamics and Fit4Racing.
The riders will have the opportunity to train and race with the other riders at various events around the UK for the remainder of the 2023 season, after which one of the three will be given the opportunity to move up to become a fully supported rider, with training and racing bikes from Mondraker and the chance to work towards racing at World Cup level.
“We already have some incredible talent in the team, and we’ve worked hard to develop a group of young riders who we know, whenever they hit the dirt, will do their very best to be friendly, welcoming and inspire every other rider that they meet. The Muc-Off Young Guns Academy is about discovering new talent; and to provide them with a fantastic opportunity to improve their skills and begin their racing journey with the best support possible.” Paul Bolwell, Muc-Off Young Guns Team Manager.
To learn more about the campaign and to submit an entry to the team, head to: https://muc-off.com/pages/young-guns-academy
Press Contact:
Steve Fearn, Senior Marketing Communications Manager
T +44779 547 3002 | E sf@muc-off.com
About Muc-Off:
Back in 1991 Rex and Marilyn Trimnell got things started with X-Lite UK. After designing and manufacturing the world’s first twin crown bicycle fork, Rex created a perfectly pink spray to clean his kit. To make a long story short, Rex’s cleaner was the best thing since sliced bread, and it wasn’t long before word got out and Muc-Off was born.
Fast-forward to now and Muc-Off is now the go-to brand for top riders. And, in case you haven’t noticed, they do a bit more than our original pink cleaner these days.
About Muc-Off Young Guns:
The foundations of the Muc-Off Young Guns were unknowingly laid back in the late 80’s and early 90’s when Paul Bowell (Team Founder) threw his leg over a mountain bike for the first time. Paul went on to race in his youth and then began working in the industry and became one of the original founders of Wiggle. After whipping the sheets of his mountain bike and embarking on a two-wheeled trip of a lifetime in places like Nepal, Morocco and Europe, he began reminiscing about the good old days of racing as a young gun and decided to set up his own Youth Team with support from his own network, and that’s when the concept of the Green Snow Collective was created.
Just a few years later, they have an ever-growing team of some of the best UK talent in the MTB youth scene now. And with that, one of the first sponsors to put their hand up back in 2019: Muc-Off stepped up in 2022 with support to help drive the team forward under the current name ‘Muc-Off Young Guns’.
