Danny Hart Interview

 

Words & Pics by Joolze Dymond

What he lacks in stature he certainly makes up for in talent. This pocket rocket burst on the scene at the tender age of 10, getting special dispensation from British Cycling to race (you usually have to be 12 to start racing). 4 years later and Danny has been dominating the juvenile category in DH & 4X ever since, finishing his final year as a juvenile with 4 national mountain bike titles.

 

Danny Hart - star in the making

 

His haul to date includes the National DH championship, DH national points series, 4X national points series and 4X national championships - oh and for good measure he also brought home an outstanding silver in the XC National Championships too. Now in his first year as a youth rider Danny, faces his stiffest competition yet, racing against the likes of Josh Bryceland and Jo Smith, and yet he's not intimidated, in fact he's starting the season with eager anticipation.

So how did it all start, how did you get into DH?
I used to do motorcross with my Dad, but he got a bit fed up with the all the travelling and thought it would be better if we got into something a bit more local. I fancied a bit of BMX which I did from the age of 8, managing to get 2nd in the Nat champs in 2000, before I gave it up to concentrate on DH. Now of course we're doing even more travelling, all round the UK & Europe too!

You recently went out to race in the first round of the Maxxis Cup in Portugal, earlier this year, how did it go?
It was the best experience I've ever had. Will (Longden) had to persuade the organisers to let me ride, as I'm not quite old enough to race. Fortunately they granted me special permission to ride. It was good, I really enjoyed it and managed to complete a British 1-2 in the youth category picking up 2nd behind Josh (Bryceland)

Any more overseas races lined up this year?
Hopefully I'll be going to the Youth Euro Champs later in the year.

Danny Hart was a name to be feared in the Juvenile races over the last couple of years, now you've moved into Youth how do you rate your chances?
Competition is definitely gonna be harder, with Josh and Jo to ride against. I used to compare my run times with the youth races to see how I was doing, so now I'm doing it for real, it will be tough but I'm really looking forward to getting stuck in.

 

 

You got selected to ride on the Scott/MBUK talent team a couple of years ago, did that help you a lot?
It was good. We got a lot of mechanical help and advice especially from Will (Longden). He still keeps an eye on me, even now!

You've managed to get a really good sponsorship package, especially for one so young?.
Yeah I'm pretty lucky. Troy lee supply my helmets, (the only other factory supplied UK rider is Steve Peat..) Rockshok look after me, along with Tim Flooks, at Tftuned who looks after my forks, Axo sort my kit out and Easton supply handle bars etc I also got hooked up with Balfa last year, for bikes, and I'm riding them again this year, I really like the bikes, they give me more confidence when hitting the technical stuff. I'm pleased they are recognising what I can do, I hope I'll live up to their expectations, actually I'm sure I will!

With all those excellent results from last year, especially the great XC silver, you must be pretty fit. Do you put a lot of time into training?
I just ride my bikes. I do cross-country twice a week, then usually a DH race every weekend and occasionally I get to play on the BMX, just down the local skate park, but that's just for fun really. I'm too young for anything too structured yet.

If anyone wanted to give this sport a go what would you say to them?
Start with local races, have a go and just enjoy it.

Would you recommend Downhilling as a good way to spend your weekends?
Absolutely! It's much better than being stuck at home in front of the TV! I really enjoy the DH scene it so friendly, everyone knows everyone else, we all get on, there's loads of good banter and support. When I did BMX I found it a bit cliquey - DH is fun.