Danny Hart And Mondraker Part Ways

At Mondraker we are fully committed to Racing. Downhill Racing is in our roots, in the blood that runs through our veins since the very first day we were born as a MTB brand. MS-Mondraker is the best representative of our spirit, the team that shows and shares our same vision and DNA.

It’s with great sadness that we have to announce the departure of Danny Hart from MS-Mondraker Team. It’s been a very successful three year journey filled with incredible emotions where we shared the same passion to winning races, the same commitment for becoming the best that led to a 2016 season that will forever remain in the history books as one of the most thrilling -and the most successful one for MS-Mondraker becoming the number 1 Team in the overall ranking, Mondraker, Summum Carbon and Danny Hart himself- winning the last 3 World Cup races and the World Championships in the most challenging and demanding track of the season, Val di Sole, claiming the top spot of the podium and Mondraker making a clean sweep with Laurie Greenland 2nd and Florent Payet 3rd. A unique and a once in a lifetime achievement that no other brand had ever accomplished. A second to none success for us as a brand. 

Some of the most incredible Danny runs will forever remain in our mind and in our hearts, as his first ever World Cup win at Lenzerheide or the World Championship winning downhill run. The undefeated Danny Hart & Summum Carbon duo of the second part of the 2016 season ending up in bright World Champion rainbow jersey stripes. We are very grateful Danny, that’s how we will remind you! Together we achieved something we could have never ever dreamed of.

A new exciting 2018 season has already started with many surprises and MS-Mondraker Team riders will fight again to clinch as many podium finishes as possible and deliver their best performances!

Same way as we do at Mondraker every year. 

2015 MS Mondraker Team

It got a bit quiet around the MS Mondraker Team since the big success in 2012, where the team was competing for the top spot in the UCI worldcup team ranking. For sure we had some good results, but we were missing the big victories we had in the past.

We run our team because we are race driven and hungry for victories, but we needed to set back for reorientation after the leaving of the two top team riders. We knew where we wanted to be, but we had to wait till our stars align for building our new line up.

We are happy to announce that worldchampion of 2011 Danny Hart will join our program and we welcome back worldchampion of 2009 and 2011 Emmeline Ragot, who was one of the main reasons for our success in 2012. Both will join our long-term member Markus Pekoll and our rookie Innes Graham.
The main focus of the team will be the 2015 UCI mtb worldcup as well as the 2015 UCI MTB world championships in Andorra. Furthermore we are going to attend selected races of the BDS series and the European IXS cup series.

Markus Stoeckl: “2012 was our best year, the team was fighting to get the top spot in the world cup team ranking and our riders developed impressively. After 2012 we had to let 2 of our riders and friends go, we focused on supporting Markus and Damien and started to look for new riders to built a new and fresh team which would be able to be on the top of the ranking again.
Now after years of talks and negotiations we are happy to welcome Danny Hart and all team members are looking forward to work with Emmeline again, she is a guaranty for great races and lots of fun while traveling and in the pits.”

The whole team will compete on the new Summum CARBON with the support of Marzocchi suspension- the further sponsor lineup will be released soon.
Now we are going into our off-season, which will be busy with testing new bike setups. We are looking forward to get prepared for the 2015 season. Stay tuned for news, videos and pictures of the team.

Danny Hart Podiums at Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup!

Giant Factory Off-Road Team rider Danny Hart of Great Britain scored his second World Cup podium of the season Saturday, finishing third at Mont-Sainte-Anne on a prototype Giant Glory 27.5 team bike.

Hart, the 2011 downhill world champion, qualified with the seventh fastest time on a tough, physical course at the Mont-Sainte-Anne ski area near Quebec City, in eastern Canada. His teammate Andrew Neethling of South Africa, also riding the Glory 27.5, had a super strong run to qualify third.

In the finals on Saturday, Hart put in a near flawless run, taking the leader’s position from Sam Blenkinsop with a time of 4:12.205. In the end, Hart was edged out by Australian winner Sam Hill and fellow Brit Josh Bryceland in second.

Neethling was unable to match his stellar qualifying run, and finished 14th in the finals. The team’s third rider, Colombian Marcelo Gutierrez, crashed in his finals run and finished 47th. Gutierrez is now 18th overall in the standings.

Hart’s podium finish allowed him to retain his seventh place overall standing in the World Cup, with two rounds left to go. Round 6 takes place next weekend in Windham, New York.

Pit Pass: Danny Hart's World Champ Glory

You’ve probably heard about Danny Hart’s scorcher gold medal downhill run at the 2011 Mountain Bike World Championships in Switzerland.

Maybe you’ve also read a bit about the bike Danny has been riding during his rapid rise through the ranks of the downhill elite. It’s called the Giant Glory. The latest version of the Glory, the one Danny rode to that big win last month on a stormy, mud-soaked day in Champéry, Switzerland, was created this year for one purpose: to help Danny win races.

Those who have been following Danny have witnessed him redefining the possibilities of what downhill mountain bikes can do. With his signature no-holds-barred style, he’s blasting through boundaries and throwing in a whip just for fun. With riders like Danny leading the charge, the sport’s progression has suddenly sped up. This unassuming yet immensely talented 20-year-old from the seaside town of Redcar, in the northeast of England, is part of a new generation of riders who demand more. From themselves, and from their bikes.

A former BMX racer who regularly trains on a motocross bike, Danny knows exactly what he wants in his bikes. And before his second pro season he sat down with Giant engineers, product developers and Factory Team mechanics and articulated his ideas.

Giant is unique in its capabilities to fine-tune the ride qualities of professional-level bikes. It’s the only major manufacturer that literally builds its bikes from scratch—including producing its own aluminum frame tubing. Giant’s formula is simple: It brings together athletes and bike-builders, linking craftsmanship and performance.

With one season of racing the Glory under his belt—his rookie 2010 season—Danny knew exactly what was working for his attacking style on the world's most challenging DH courses. The super-strong, lightweight ALUXX SL frame material formed the perfect foundation. The Maestro Suspension gave him confidence and control. And going into 2011, he had a major new team sponsor, SRAM, that promised the lightest and most dependable components.

At that point Danny was looking for small adjustments that could make a big difference.

Over the following months, Giant engineered a modified race bike for Danny and his teammates Andrew Neethling and Duncan Riffle. The prototype Glory bikes were quietly unveiled at Round 2 of the World Cup series in Fort William, Scotland. The very first time he raced it, Danny scored a career-best second-place finish.

The rest is history: Danny went on to have a breakout season, getting on three World Cup podiums and laying down the run of a lifetime to win the World Championship in Champéry. Not bad for a second-year pro.

Here are the specs for Danny’s prototype World Championship Giant Glory, which will continue to be refined throughout the 2012 racing season. For more details on some of his race-day set-up secrets, click on the photos above.

Build Kit

Model: Giant Glory Prototype, size Medium
Frame: ALUXX SL Grade Aluminum with 8-inch Maestro Suspension
Fork: RockShox Boxxer with BlackBox internals and stanchions
Shock: RockShox Vivid R2C, custom-tuned for Champéry course; 350-pound RockShox Ti spring
Handlebar: Truvativ BooBar, 20mm rise, 780mm width
Grips: ODI Ruffian, non-locking type. Glued and wired
Stem: Truvativ Holzfeller direct mount 50mm
Seatpost: Truvativ Holzfeller straight
Saddle: Fi’zi:k
Pedals: Crank Brothers Mallet
Shifters: SRAM XO 10-speed trigger shifters
Rear Derailleur: SRAM XO DH 10-speed short cage
Brakes: Avid BlackBox Code calipers, 20mm disc front and rear
Brake levers: Avid BlackBox
Cassette: SRAM PG1070 11-23
Chain: SRAM PC 1091, hollow pin
Crankset: SRAM XO DH prototype with 38-tooth chainring, 165mm length
BB: Truvativ GXP 83mm
Rims: DT Swiss EX1750 white
Hubs: DT Swiss 240 red
Spokes: DT Swiss Competition
Tires: Schwalbe Danny Hart, custom labelled and custom compound (Dirty Dan)
Extras: Full titanium bolts (except stem bolts), RRP Fork splash protector, Carbon Kevlar caliper mud cover