It’s no secret that we like our fair share of ‘factory’ bling here at Factory Jackson and where better to get your fill than wandering the pits at a World Cup race. While you’re confronted by sick bikes and gear where ever you look, it’s all the cool and quite random things you see going on around you that really makes it special. Pro’s doing odd things when they probably least expect a lens in their face and mechanics readying their rides in anticipation of one of the years most prestigious events all make the world cup experience what it is. Nathan Carvell put his lens here there and everywhere and offers up a great insight into what it’s like wandering the pits at the Fort William world cup. Hope you enjoy the pics…

Justin Leov getting ready to do battle with Sunday’s sudden decline in temperature and the worst Scotland had to offer from above. Check the Raven goggles and handlebar remote – I wonder how they faired? I know I wouldn’t want to take my hands off the bars to rip a tear off down that course!

The prototype Gamblers are a real grower for me on the aesthetics front. I wasn’t sure at first (and I know I’m not alone…), but the flat yellow and black finish just made these look understated without being drab and the linkage, which at first looked like “too much going on”, actually looks really impressive in the flesh and dialed on course. I’m certainly hoping this finish makes it through to production! It’s also worth saying that the Scott 11 team has to have one of the coolest set ups going with a huge and very sweet looking team bus, finished in flat black with white graphics, a very slick pit area and a generally clean and well thought out appearance to everything that was around them. Very Euro, but we all know what happens when ‘Euro’ is done right – think VW, Audi, POC, Ikea, etc…

We missed the Saint show in Whistler (next year maybe…) but we got to see it dotted around on various bikes like this Scott. Really looking forward to getting some time in on this stuff ASAP! Check out the wheel base adjustment on the frame too. Smart aye?

First Ride is to Schwalbe what BlackBox is to Sram and an important part of Schwalbe’s commitment to racing and developing products of the highest quality. These were on a few bikes at the fort including Scott 11, Devinci, Giant Factory and CRC – the mechanics were all very secretive as to what was going on, but hazarding a guess, it’s all about prototyping new and very custom, perhaps to the venue itself, rubber compounds. Rad!

Needles getting his race prep on. Check out the custom blue and white Giant Fox 360 jersey and Push pants Danny and Needles are wearing this year – proper factory! We’ve got the regular stuff on review and it’s killer. Full review coming real soon…

Hello, what’s this then? Needles giving his Vans the Sharpie treatment, but why? Fixing a scuff or OCD? Either way, the top guys are where they are because they’re pro both on and off the track and they don’t leave anything to chance, especially with 30,000 of the most ‘DH’ educated fans in the world screaming your name.

Mr Hill caught in the act of nose mining. The Monster team truck is the bollox if your wondering.

The GT Factory pits were flat out all week end, constantly buzzing with fans peering in and witnessing the inner workings of one of the most pro teams out there. The mechanics and management team do an awesome job of keeping the show going and the fans stoked when they come up to the pits. The new GT Fury’s are frickin sick in the flesh too!

Air shocks were everywhere, but strangely not from the one brand with an existing air shock for DH. All the Sram boys were running Vivid coils, but quite a few of the Cane Creek riders had the new long travel air Double Barrel and Julian Camellini had this big BOS air can on his V10. These guys also looked rapid on what has to be said, is one of the roughest tracks out there.

Boxxer break down in full effect! Some of the pits are there to serve their riders and some also serve the fans with free stickers, rain ponchos and good banter. Sram wrote the rule book on this and still lead the way, keeping everyone stoked and dry all week end – not to mention their team of riders pinned on the course!  I won’t mention names (Mavic), but there were some grumpy gits in the pits too!

Ah, the Mavic pits…. Luke Strobel’s Pivot Phoenix is a beast and good looking beast at that. We had one earlier this year for testing and miss it dearly now it’s gone. Like a good movie, you know it was good when your thinking about it the day after and a good bike is the same, especially one you get to shred for a few months to have to hand it back. Check out Luke’s proto Kenda tyres – you get a free Sharpie with each tyre!

Call me bias, but there ain’t a pedal out there like a Burgtec and keeping up with the ‘factory’ theme, they hooked their team up with these one offs. Luke got the Top Gun effect on his – so rad!

The Unior Tool team were consistently smashing out runs all week end and loving it. Great tools and great people – what a mix!

This was a neat addition over on the Yeti pits and especially cool was the fact that Myles Rockwell was there too, all be it working for Trek World Racing. They had a carbon DH bike too, but hey, who hasn’t?

Wonder how this would have faired up on the course? Check the size of that ring!

More air shocks, this time on the CRC Megas. Another product we’ve got on test right now, the Nukeproof Mega is a certifiable smile machine. Check out Matti’s logo – wonder if he’s into the Misfits? (Google Misfits if you don’t know your punk rock)

Mental! Guess whose van this is?

Everyone was getting stoked on this and so were we. Looks to die for and classic Orange goodness for the gravity lover – can’t wait to take one for a spin!

Airoh’s new DH lid takes a lot from their MX line and should be available soon, but I wonder how popular it will be away from mainland Europe? Pretty unique looks.

Stevie Smith and the Devinic factory team were rocking some sick new proto Fox threads all week end to match their dialed bikes; bikes which I heard one pro refer to “as the best privateer bike out there” – can’t say who said that unfortunately. Stevie binned it in the finals and the team promptly made him hit the floor in the restaurant that evening and bust out the press ups. Stevie is gonna win one of these and really soon…

He might pick his nose when he thinks no one’s looking and has a thing for pink kit every now and again (for a good cause of course), but there’s no denying one thing about Sam Hill, and that he’s the coolest mother fucker in downhill racing.

Everyone was amped to see this guy back on the big bike.

Check those lines – pretty in pink! Hopefully you can make it out through the mud, but Hill’s new moniker has tattoo gun in it. The attention to detail Specialized and the team do to these bikes is unreal.

Factory! Check out the way Sam’s mechanic Jacey has cut the number board and the custom THE fender. This is how it’s done kids!

Renthal’s lock on grips were everywhere and in their final stages of testing so expect them on the shelves real soon. Sam’s running the softest compound, which feels amazing – more on these in a future article…

Almost Marc, almost. Expect big things from this Shropshire lad this year. Two words, ‘on’ and ‘it’.

God save the queen? The Santa Cruz Syndicate pits were chilled, friendly and constantly buzzing with rad bikes and the sports nicest peeps doing what they do best. Getting podiums!

And that was Fort William, round three of the 2012 World Cup, done and dusted, but one last shot and of the guy who threw the sickest ride in of the day – Sam Dale who got that first top ten and with the speed he’s always had and now the confidence behind him, well, roll on round 4 and more of the same please.

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