Red Bull Hardline Maydena gallery

Photographers: Graeme Murray, Dan Griffiths, Brett Hemmings

After Red Bull announced that Hardline was coming to Maydena Bike Park, Tasmania, all eyes have been on the bike park as they put a rapid build in to suit. So rapid, that it is clear that this sort of trail execution and event has been a long time coming. The features were identified, and the dig teams got to work.

What was created had all the international riders gobsmacked, with riders and commentators alike bewlidered that such a course could be built in just 3.5 months. And what a course it was. Dropping into fairly natural trails at first, the course quickly lost elevation, hitting some large drops, that got bigger, then into the tree gap, and through Baxter's Highway, towards the container drop, and then it was flat out on loose and off-camber trails with plenty of line options. Off the shark fin riders burst into the sun, with speed tucks swapping turns with big hits until the final 25m gap and the finish line.

Race week at Maydena 

Tasmania actually had extreme heat warnings for the event week, which can make the state uniform of a woolen flanno, beard and Blundstones a bit uncomfortable. But for the visiting riders, it was a tonne of fun working through the features under a warm sun, and playing in the loose powder.

As a race, Hardline still needs riders to get the track figured out pretty quickly, piecing together each section in complete runs, and then getting a qualifying run in. As an invitational race, the riders are all world-class (and more accurately, the best of the best) but they're not all World Cup racers. Some riders like Matt Jones or Kaos Seagrave are freeriders, and therefore putting whole race runs together may not be their current bread and butter. So while some riders had concerns about putting a fast run together, others were trying to just remember all the features.

It's still a condensed time to get a run together on what is known as one of the hardest downhill events in the world. A few riders were still relying on Saturday morning's practice to get a complete run in and qualify for the finals after lunch. But with a complete change of conditions on Friday, rain and cold temperatures and some wind meant that parts of the course were not safe to hit at race speeds, and a few riders therefore didn't make the Finals.

One rider who qualified incredibly high was Darcy Coutts, who lead a lot of the build team. Unfortunately, after breaking his collarbone a month earlier, the week had taken its toll on Darcy and he was unable to race. A huge disappointment for sure after being 5th in qualifying, but he showed his true colours in practice, and with how he dealt with it. We're looking forward to Hardline Maydena 2025 just to see Darcy race.

Finals at Red Bull Hardline Maydena

If you caught the coverage, you'd know that this was the first time two women qualified for the the finals. Gracey Hemstreet and Louise-Anna Ferguson both took to the start gate, as Tahnee Seagrave joined the commentary box. Tahnee hadn't hit the final gap due to the wind and slick conditions – but did an absolutely cracking job in commentary as well.

Hemstreet was first rider off – hitting every line and making history as the first woman to get a complete Hardline race run in. 

Next up was Ferguson, who had a couple of crashes. One on a catch berm that looked to still have a slick area. Another was an over the bars in front of the crowd. For those viewing at home, you may even notice it looked like she shared some words with two young girls on the sidelines as she dusted herself and remounted – and hit every massive feature between there and the finish line. It was incredible to watch how composed she remained, and the stoke she shared with Hemstreet was infectious. 

As riders kept dropping, the hot seat was changing. Baxter Maiwald moved into the hot seat, and in time he was kicked out by Connor Fearon who laid down a heater, his speed into the first section evidence of his racing pedigree.

Tasmanian hero Dan Booker was in the gate and on his new ride from Santa Cruz, but he became unstuck on the rocks before the first drop. This area caught a few riders out, as the higher part of the course was still a little damper than the rest. As someone many considere could run a top 3, or better, it was a shame for the whole country to see Booker cerash hard. Word has it he's ok, after getting checked out in hospital.

Riders hit the course pushing the times lower. Rohan Dunne stormed into the hot seat, and it's not like he had a clean run this week, with his bike only arriving on Friday he'd barely managed to get a run in – but clearly that wasn't fazing him.

No one was nudging his time, but fastest seeded rider Bernard Kerr was yet to put his run down. Kerr has won three Hardline events in Wales, and was not quiet about saying he wanted a fourth. He'd lost in 2022 and 2023 was cancelled due to weather. All week it was clear he was hungry, but on the day Dunne had the better run to win the race.

 Kerr was second behind Dunne, while New Zealander George Branigan was 3rd. Connor Fearon finished 5th! Gracet Hemstreet was the rider of the week. 

Maydena Bike Park really has built to this point, and with Hardline coming back to the bike park in 2025 and 2026 – we suggest you make sure it's in your diary.