CLICK FOR ON THE SIDE BAR Don't call it a comeback: Chris O'Driscoll who, as a self-supported downhiller with his own homemade bike, took 11th after finally healing from injury. The verdict on the course? The downhill was well-received, even though the green course is a total mess with blown out turns and little semblance of a line. Crowds were way down for the weekend, only a few thousand spectators making it up to the mountains even though admission fees were eliminated. Maybe it was the extreme heat, or maybe people are tired of driving five hours to see a friggin' mountain bike race.

Scott Sharples

"I'm gonna win this one," said Scott Sharples (AUS, Trek Volkswagen), the "Thunder from Down Under," just hours before indeed taking his second NORBA victory on a brand-new course Saturday afternoon. Beating a strong field of Americans, Aussies and Canadians, Sharples won the third stop of this NCS series in style two years after winning in Deer Valley, and just hours after Cheri Elliott dominated the women's field.

A steep and technical mess of rocks, sand and dust, this new downhill course at Mammoth Mountain runs for two miles, dropping 1300 ft from a high, thin 9,600 foot elevation. Recently built to replace the legendary and outdated Kamikaze freeway, the "Bullet" received positive marks from all the racers we asked. Its super-challenging turns and drops were a hit with the downhill crowd's appetite for destruction. "I love this course," explained women's winner Elliott. "It totally suits my style." Sharples agreed, adding "You have to think about it, relax and ride for smoothness and perfection."

DH Points Leaders

A short chairlift ride from the new Canyon Lodge venue, the new course delivered racers back to the finish line approximately five minutes later, its final turns and jumps crossing right through the large expo area. While several top riders like Brian Lopes, Mike King and Dave Cullinan flatted on course, Sharples stayed smooth and rode to a two-second victory over New Zealander John Kirkcaldie who had qualified eighth fastest.

Sharples had the second fasted semi-final run behind Kirt Voreis (USA, Mt. Dew/Specialized), but won by conserving energy at altitude and saving the strength necessary for this physical course.

"I tried not to pedal at the top but got to the middle and noticed I was way, way tired — just from standing up to absorb the bumps," Sharples said. "I then tried to relax and ride smoothly and tidily." Sharples used his strength to finesse his way down the course and nail all his lines. "You can't fudge results in conditions like this. You've got to be riding so intuitively and instinctively. You can't push it, you can't get reckless, you can't thrash it."

Kirkcaldie, who posted a time of 4:44.45 on his run, was almost beaten by top- qualifier Voreis, but held onto second by the narrowest of margins; .01 of a second. According to Kirkcaldie, he could have done better. "I had a front flat, so the last two jumps and the last turn I took it really easy."

Voreis and Holt

In contrast to the pacing of today's winner, Voreis spent much of the race out of breath. "The final run I made a little mistake and tried to make up for it on other sections," he explained. "I took a lot of energy just pedaling out of the corners. Sometimes when you're doing your run you lose your brains, wanting to go faster and smoke everyone... you make mistakes. It's a fine line between out of control and hitting all your lines."

Earlier in the day current U.S. National Champion Cheri Elliott completely dominated her field with a 7.6 second win over second place Kim Sonier. Using superior upper body strength and handling skills, Elliott put her BMX background to good use and simply overpowered the course's brutal sections.

"This course is extremely tough because it's rocky, dusty and very soft," Elliott said, adding "It's very power-oriented and I'm short and stocky. I knew all I had to do in the final was hit all my lines. I was able to use my upper body strength to my advantage."

Second place went to Kim Sonier, who spent last season in recovery mode and this season building up to a strong finish. After taking 5th in Snoqualmie, Washington's world cup, Sonier wasn't surprised to finish so well here, stating "I'm definitely coming back. I'm finally healthy and getting the kind of results I used to get."

Leigh Donovan is used to strong finishes; both in the U.S. and abroad. But after five crashes in as many races, the former champ wrecked again, losing valuable time. After being startled by a spectator on course, Donovan crashed on one of the steep drops, cursing the whole way down. "It's been frustrating and tough, ever since Les Gets. But I couldn't have beaten Cheri — she dominated."

— Ari Cheren, Mountain Zone Correspondent