Two-time World Downhill Champion Sabrina Jonnier has been racing in New Zealand during the NZ National Series. She joins a growing number of overseas riders choosing to spend their off season down under, and deciding that NZ rules for the variety of trails, lack of dangerous bugs and bushfires, and the fact that Aotearoa has some serious mountains unlike Australia!

Sabrina in Nelson, 2009.
Photo: Rita Langley

Sabrina has been in NZ for a month, starting out in Queenstown, every DH’ers paradise. Unfortunately she crashed in practice and was unable to race the Coronet round of the Nationals, but was back on the bike to take the win in Blenheim. Nelson was her favourite track even in the wet, and along with Emmeline Ragot’s stellar performance she proved that the fast French chicks are almost in a league of their own.

This season, Sabrina is swapping her black and pink Ironhorse Sunday for a new Rocky Mountain, and is still riding for Team Maxxis at the world cups in their new guise as Maxxis-Rocky Mountain. In New Zealand she’s been having an awesome time travelling with Amy Laird and team-mate Cameron Cole – in fact, such an awesome time that she doesn’t want to go home!

Check out our video interview with Sabrina below:

Older: Australian Nationa Series Final - Hobart

Fresher: Martha Hucker interview with Katrina Strand

Published on 06/03/2009 by Martha Hucker.