Parton is crowned Scottish Champ on home course
Fort William downhill mountain biker Mikayla Parton has been crowned Scottish Champion after she stormed to victory at the recent Scottish Downhill Association Series and the Scottish Championships at Nevis Range.
The 21-year-old Nevis Range team rider recorded two incredible race times to comfortably clinch victory in front of a home crowd on Sunday August 2, cementing her reputation as one of the brightest talents in the country.
Parton was followed closely by fellow Fort rider Louise Anna Ferguson, who finished in second place.
In the men’s racing, Joe Barnes won the expert men category while Lochaber duo Lachlan Blair and Fergus Lamb finished fifth and sixth respectively in the elite men category.
Veteran Lochaber biker Alastair MacLennan took second place in the Scottish Championships over 40 category.
A downhill race at Nevis Range always has a great atmosphere and it was no different when Nevis Range played host to a double header of the fourth round of the Scottish Downhill Association Series and the Scottish Championships.
With the addition of a new natural section on the top half of the track for the race, riders were kept on their toes from the off.
This was also the first home race for Nevis Range’s team rider and Fort William local Mikayla Parton since the company announced their partnership in June this year.
Parton has shown some incredible potential and talent over the last few years and this season she has begun to notch up some podium finishes after injury setbacks earlier in the year.
Feeling strong and looking fast all weekend, Parton was being tipped for a good result on her home course, however, the ever-unpredictable nature of downhill mountain bike racing means predictions are
only as good as the next race run.
With some unexpected showers throughout Saturday and with the addition of a new natural section on the course, riders were being pushed to their limits. Racing started just after 11am on Sunday with riders taking on their first of two runs.
After the first run Parton was in the lead by more than 10 seconds. For the second run she held her pace and cruised comfortably into first position again with a 10-second lead. Those impressive race times meant that Parton finished top of the podium and was crowned the Scottish Downhill Champion.