After a super successful 2015 season, including winning the German Championship and general classification in the European Enduro Series, the Focus Trail team is embarking on this new season with new sponsors, but the same competent group of riders. Find all information about their plans in this press release.
Fabian Scholz, Markus and Tobias Reiser are once more joining forces on the starting line for the FOCUS Trail Team in the 2016 season and proving that they are still the strongest riders in Germany. Tobias Reiser is back in full training now following his shoulder injury and subsequent operation, and he is raring for the new season to get underway. His brother Markus, reigning champion of the European Enduro Series, will be tending not only to his racing career, but also to the FOCUS Bike Park in Oberammergau this year. The Park will open in June. In the meantime, alongside his training Markus will also be busily wielding the shovel. The reigning German champion, Fabian Scholz, has put a lot of work into fine-tuning his physique this winter and will be doing everything within his power to defend his championship title. At the same time, he continues to channel his experience into cycle development in his role as a designer for FOCUS.
This year, the team will increasingly concentrate on the Enduro World Series (EWS). The FOCUS Trail Team will be on the starting line at all the EWS races in Europe as well as the one in Whistler, Canada. After the end of the European Enduro Series (EES), the team will switch its attention to other race series. Selected races from the Super Enduro Series, French Enduro Series and SSES are in the team’s race calendar. The FOCUS Trail Team will be contesting its first race of the season on 16/17 April in Treuchtlingen (Germany).
Fox Head has recently come on board as a major sponsor and is kitting the riders out with everything from jerseys and shorts to helmets. All three riders will be competing in the races wearing the new Flexair outfit and the Rampage Pro Carbon helmet. “The new kit is super-light, fits fantastically and looks mega-fast,” says reigning German champion Fabian Scholz with great enthusiasm.
Fox Head is also already looking forward to working in partnership with the athletes in the FOCUS Trail Team. “Fox head is really proud to welcome the Focus Trail Team in the Fox family ! The team is a great addition in order to push our enduro/ all mountain line all over Europe” explains Vincent Saccomani (MTB Sport Marketing Manager Fox Head).
Another new sponsor is Northwave. Shoes from this Italian company round off the fresh kit that the FOCUS Trail Team will be sporting. The team puts faith in Northwave’s newly-developed Enduro Mid shoes, which are particularly impressive given their light weight.
Florian Mayer is the new mechanic assisting the team and he will support the riders at all the races. To ensure that the bikes are maintained to the very highest standard, the team uses only Birzman tools and MucOff maintenance products.
As in the past, the athletes will compete on FOCUS bikes. The team places its trust in the tried-and-tested FOCUS SAM Carbon with stylish team paintwork. Considering that the race courses are becoming ever-more challenging, this year the team has decided to go for the new RockShox Lyrik fork that makes the chassis even more potent. In other respects, the team leaves no room for compromise and uses Sram components for the entire drive. The Sram XX1 gears are totally reliable and are used with a 34T or 36T chainring depending on the route. The Sram Guide Ultimate brakeset is used for braking.
As before, the team will ride on DT Swiss wheels. The Spline One EX1501 wheels provide extremely fast acceleration and are sufficiently sturdy for all the rigours of Enduro riding. Friso Lorscheider (PR DT Swiss) is also excited about the new season: “The collaboration between DT Swiss and FOCUS in the area of sponsorship has a history of success in the field of cross-country. As a result, we wanted to take advantage of the professional environment in the Enduro field as well. We are delighted that the FOCUS Trail Team is also riding and winning races on our wheels. We are always happy to receive feedback from riders as we can use it to continuously improve our products. We would like to take this opportunity to wish the team the best of luck for the 2016 season.”
This will already be the second season that the team has been riding on Continental tyres. The team has a choice of the tyre models Kaiser, Baron and Mud King depending on the route and conditions. As well as riding on these production tyres, the team also regularly tests new compounds and prototypes. Their feedback is then taken into account in the development process. “The Focus Trail Team was only formed in 2014, but it has already gained a considerable reputation in the scene. Finishing first, second and third at the 2015 German Enduro Championship in the Harz mountains made a statement to say the very least. Here at Continental we equip teams and athletes with our “Handmade in Germany” products to assist them considerably in attaining their aspired level. We are already looking forward to continued collaboration with the Focus Trail Team,” explains Sarah Hohmann-Spohr (PR Continental) in commenting on the close working relationship.
The cockpit from Acros complete with headset has also proved its worth. “Our cockpit is extremely light, but at the same time extremely strong. This allows me to concentrate fully on the racing side of things,” explains Tobias Reiser. The Popular carbon handlebar is one of the lightest handlebars on the market and is manufactured in Germany.
If you want to follow Focus Trail Team through their season, their Facebook page is a good place to start.
Text & Photos: Focus Trail Team PM
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