Rajnish Kumar Rides His Way To Become Red Bull Pump Track India Champion

• Rajnish Kumar Rides His Way To Become Red Bull Pump Track India Champion, Will Go On To Compete In The World Finals In Switzerland

• Rajnish Kumar wins the India qualifier of Red Bull Pump Track World Championship

The second edition of the  Red Bull Pump Track World Championship- India qualifiers took place at The Wall Ride Park in Hyderabad on  Sunday, 8th September 2019. A field of riders took to the Wall Ride and skate park, the country’s first pump track; to try and secure their spot at the World Final in Switzerland later this year. The series has already taken pump track racing to a new level and is again bringing a fresh face to bike racing all around the world from Italy to the USA, Chile to India and Germany to South Africa.

Battling it out in the heat, the best riders from India and internationally were racing for tickets to the World Championship Final. Ahead of the knock out heats, riders completed timed seeding runs.  It was competitive on the race track as Hamza Khan and Rajnish Kumar fought it out in the finals. As the finals approached, it was no longer just about the rider's skill on the track but also their fitness and stamina. Rajnish eventually edged out his competitors in the finals with a lap time of 19.56 seconds, leaving behind Hamza Khan from India, Arif Jufri (last year’s winner) and  Muhammed Abdul Rakim both from Singapore who came in second, third and fourth respectively.

Rajnish Kumar, after winning the second edition of Red Bull Pump Track said “I am delighted to win this competition. Hamza put in a tough fight. All the riders were competitive and it was a very close race. I am passionate about cycle racing so I’m thankful to Red Bull Pump Track for giving me wings to showcase my skills. I am thrilled to participate in the World Championship in Switzerland. I will have to race much better as the best in the world would be competing there.”

Results:

Winner timed run /  Qualification

Men: Rajnish Kumar/ India- 19.56

Women: Sarah Murray/ GBR- 22.83

Fastest time of the race:

Men: Hamza Khan/ India- 19.08 in 1/4 Finals and Rajnish Kumar India- 19.33 in 1/2 Finals

Women: Sarah Murray/ GBR- 22.83

Race format:

Qualification: single run time trial (2 runs each)

Finals:

1/22 and 1/16 finals: Pursuit (2 riders start at the same time but from a different starting position, the one with the better time in qualification could choose starting position)

1/4, 1/2 and final: single run time trial

Total number of riders

22 men and 4 women participants

About Red Bull Pump Track World Championship:

The second edition of Red Bull Pump Track World Championship took place in India at the iconic Wall Ride Park in outskirts of Hyderabad on Sunday, 8th September 2019. Velosolutions, globally recognised for their leading pump track and bike park construction, have teamed up with Red Bull to launch the exciting series. Qualifier events are taking place around the world ahead of the grand final on 19th October 2019 in Switzerland to coincide with the UCI MTB World Championships where the official Pump Track World Champion will be crowned.

Pump tracks are being built all around the world and bringing a new bike sport to countries that don´t have great mountains or smooth roads to ride on. This sport opens the door also to underprivileged communities – as all you need is a bike that more or less works.

The Red Bull Pump Track World Championship is truly accessible and open to anyone to compete for the World Championship title. For more information on the Red Bull Pump Track World Championship and to register for the event, visit: redbullpumptrackworldchampionship.com

About Wall Ride Park, Hyderabad:

As India moves away from being a one-sport nation, it is seemingly getting more adventurous. Another pointer to that trend came in 2017 when the country’s first pump track was unveiled in the city of Hyderabad. Envisioned by avid rider Hamza Khan and built by global pioneers Velosolutions, the Wall Ride Park was opened to the public in September. The Wall Ride Park and skate park, which is spread over 11,606 square feet, was built on a family-owned land on the outskirts of Hyderabad. This is the pump track where Red Bull Pump Track World Championship took place in India on 21st April 2018.