Video & Race Report: Eastern States Cup DH Finals – Jiminy Peak

LAST LAPS Maxxis ESC Intense DH Finals – Jiminy Peak, Massachusetts

This past weekend we sent off the 2024 Maxxis ESC Intense DH season with a bang in the Berkshires. Known for its steep, raw and natural terrain, there’s no more fitting venue to test a rider’s skills than Jiminy Peak. With 125% points on offer for finals, everyone was hanging it out to win the coveted champions jerseys and a slew of prizes from our sponsors. As classic a New England DH weekend as they come, we’ll be remembering this one all winter.

What we’ve been racing all year for, the top eight out of ten races count toward the overall points battle for each class.

No place does fall better than New England, we enjoyed sunny skies and temps in the 60’s for practice day.

Unfortunately fall weather in New England can also be unpredictable. Overnight rains and temps in the 30’s kept things interesting for Sunday morning practice. Gotta keep those feet warm and dry.

Thankfully the rain took a break for race runs and as the track burned in more there was actually some dry dirt under the moist stuff, making tire choice a real puzzle.

Last time in the Intense DH start gate this season with 125% points on the line, gotta make it count!

There’s a lot of racers battered and bruised this time of year. Parker Downing fashioned some extra stability for his broken pinky, he was able to hang on for third place this weekend along with the 18U Expert champions jersey.

David Verwys is keeping American downhill great, running his 2007 Turner DHR with the USA overalls in seeding.

Chase Ulmer tackles the steep roots at the top of the course, he would wrap up the season with another win and the 8U Brat class overall.

The garbage bag didn’t slow down Ayrton French, he bested the 16U class by 9.28 seconds on the trail bike.

Kate’s Kids 12U class racer Joey Pimentel entered all ten Intense DH races this year and won seven of them. After a dominant performance like that he deserves the white jersey.

Andrew Gilbert matching the foliage, finishing out the season strong with a win and the Amateur 30-39 title.

Banner weekend for Mason Colf as he flies parallel to the charlift on the way to the Amateur 19-29 win and the overall.

Karlynne Siverling has really found the speed this year, taking her fourth win of the season by a monster margin of 1:37.

Andrew O’Donnell saved his best performance for the last race, earning his first Expert 18U win by just 0.60s.

Tight racing all around this weekend, but especially in the 30-39 Expert class, with Mario Cornejo taking the win by just 0.17s.

Fourth win of the season for Mike Garbacik as he sends it over a slick snowmaking pipe, good enough to take the 50+ Masters overall title.

Grass corners have become a Jiminy tradition. Dan O’Connor has been racing them for years and it showed this weekend, fourth place in a stacked Pro men’s field with everyone swinging for the fences.

P3 for first year Pro Emma Jarl, enough to land her second in the overall with plenty of speed heading into next season.

Mazie Hayden lead the third split and would end the weekend in second place. When that’s your worst result of the season you know you were on a tear, securing her third Intense DH Pro women’s class title in a row.

Kale Cushman carried the momentum from her first World Cup podium at MSA right into Jiminy, taking her fourth Pro women’s class win of the season by 5.67s.

Pro Women: 4th – Sarah Hamlin, 2nd – Mazie Hayden, 1st – Kale Cushman, 3rd – Emma Jarl, 5th – Michelle Guy

The last few hundred feet of course is rather flat, so Nick Frazier channeled his inner Loic Bruni and reached down to lock out his shock to not lose any pedal power. While it was a strong tactical move, he would land in third place in the race and second in the Pro men’s class overall.

Very few people had a perfect run on race day, including Dylan Conte, who had a few bobbles and surprised himself by landing in the hot seat. He’s been on both sides of close racing fortune this year, but this time he would miss the win by just 0.01s. It would still be enough to win his third Pro men’s class overall in a row, no doubt he’ll be back for more next year with plenty of speedy youngsters to fend off.

Despite coming to a complete stop in the first split, Lucas Dedora had enough speed everywhere else to squeak out the win by the narrowest of margins with a final run time of 2:43.36.

Pro Men: 4th – Dan O’Connor, 2nd – Dylan Conte, 1st – Lucas Dedora, 3rd – Nick Frazier, 5th – Cooper Pleva

The famous Maxxis ESC prize toss as we wait for series points to be calculated and posted on Roots & Rain.

Your 2024 Maxxis ESC Intense DH series champions!

Pro Women’s Series Overall: 4th – Michelle Guy, 2nd – Emma Jarl, 1st – Mazie Hayden, 3rd – Sarah Hamlin, 5th – Kale Cushman

Pro Men’s Series Overall: 2nd – Nick Frazier, 1st – Dylan Conte, 3rd – Cooper Pleva, 5th – Luca Catalano

Congratulations to everyone who raced hard all season and landed on the overall podiums.

Time flies when you’re having fun and we had an absolute ball this season. Thank you to everyone who makes the the Maxxis ESC racing community such a special one to be part of. Haven’t had enough of racing yet this year? Join us this coming weekend at Arrowhead for Stan’s Enduro Finals for one last helping of loam!

Words and photos: Andrew Santoro
Video: Seth Merritt

Full Race Results
Series Overall Results
Easternstatescup.com

2024 MAXXIS ESC PRESENTED BY KATE’S REAL FOOD SCHEDULE

INTENSE CYCLES DOWNHILL SERIES
May 19 Powder Ridge, CT
June 23 Jiminy Peak, MA
June 30 Killington, VT
July 21 Thunder Mountain, MA
Aug 11 Mount Snow, VT
Aug 18 Sugarloaf, ME
Aug 25 Powder Ridge, CT
Sept 15 Blue Mountain, PA
Sept 22 Thunder Mountain, MA
Oct 13 Jiminy Peak, MA Finals

STAN’S NO TUBES ENDURO SERIES
May 5 Powder Ridge, CT
June 9 Glen Park, PA
June 23 Jiminy Peak, MA
June 30 Killington, VT
July 14 Arrowhead, NH
July 21 Thunder Mountain, MA
July 28 Burke Mountain, VT
Aug 18 Sugarloaf, ME
Sept 8 Woodstock, VT
Sept 22 Thunder Mountain, MA
Oct 5 Monteau, NH
Oct 20 Arrowhead NH

THULE SHOWDOWN SERIES
June 23 Jiminy Peak, MA
June 30 Killington, VT
July 21 Thunder Mountain, MA
Aug 18 Sugarloaf, ME
Sept 22 Thunder Mountain, MA

CANNONDALE EBIKE SERIES
May 5 Powder Ridge, CT
June 9 Glen Park, PA
July 14 Arrowhead, NH
July 21 Thunder Mountain, MA
Aug 18 Sugarloaf, ME
Sept 8 Woodstock, VT
Sept 22 Thunder Mountain, MA
Oct 5 Monteau, NH
Oct 20 Arrowhead NH