Bennett leads new squad focused on American gravity racing
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New Zealander Kieran Bennett won the downhill(Image credit: Dylan Dean)
Dean Racing Development logo(Image credit: Dylan Dean)
Industry veteran Dylan Dean is behind the creation of a new professional mountain bike team, Dean Racing Development (DRD). The program is aiming to help top athletes while guiding younger talent toward future careers. The new team will include pro racer Kieran Bennett of New Zealand and three Americans: Robin Baloochi, John Keep and junior Brad King.
"It's a well balanced team," said Dean. "We have experienced riders, whom I have had the privilege of working with in the past, and a couple of young talents who can be developed in the perfect environment."
"Our focus will be here in North America, primarily the Pro Gravity Tour, where I am confident that we can perform extremely well. I look forward towards this inaugural season and working with our new sponsors!"
Bennett offers the team a competitive force and riding style which are highly visible on and off the track. As former New Zealand and Oceania Champion, Bennett will be a force to reckon with on the GRT circuit.
Baloochi returns to competitive mountain bike racing after a small hiatus to further his schooling. He brings a wealth of knowledge in downhill and four cross, having been competitive on both the national and World Cup circuit.
Keep and King are two young riders who will benefit from the experience of their teammates. Keep is a highly regarded downhill racer, having already accomplished his goal of winning the California State championship in his first year as a professional. With great success at a variety of nationally recognized events, King will be acontender in the junior category and make a strong bid for the US National junior downhill team.
Official team sponsors and supporters will be announced at a later date; however, Tomac Mountain Bikes will be providing the team with its frames.
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"I am a big fan of gravity racing, but there are so few programs that we want to be involved in," said Tomac's Joel Smith. "Dylan's team is definitely the exception and we are excited and proud to be a part of it. It's a great group of talented riders and we expect them to do some damage on the circuit this year."
The DRD Tomac team will make its official debut at the 2010 Sea Otter Classic, in Monterey, California.
2010 Dean Racing Development / Tomac Team Kieran Bennett Robin Baloochi John Keep Brad King
Sue George is an editor at Cyclingnews. She coordinates all of the site's mountain bike race coverage and assists with the road, 'cross and track coverage.
