The YT Mob World Tour: It’s Time!
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The YT Mob and YT Industries conclude their search for Young Talent with the final episode ‘Time’ of the YouTube video series. The World Tour witnessed six camps on six continents for which over 550 young riders applied. The unprecedented talent program created opportunity for 120 kids from all over the world to shine on a bigger stage, learn and develop their skills and passion for the sport we love. Eight Young Talents made it to the final camp at Mob HQ and are in the running for two spots to race as Juniors on the YT Mob team in 2020.
After six Young Talent Camps eight young riders were invited to Mob HQ by Team Owner Martin Whiteley: Dan Slack (GBR), Dante Silva (USA), Ethan Paar (RSA), Guy Johnston (NZL), James Elliott (GBR), Leonardo Becher (BRA), Luke Mumford (GBR) and Oisin O’Callaghan (IRL) all made a lasting impression at one of the preceding Young Talent Camps. Episode seven of the Mob World Tour shows the riders at Mob HQ in Granada, Spain, as they try to make a final push to get a ticket to be part of the Mob next year. Martin Whiteley and Angel Suarez set out at the beginning of the year to look for two Junior riders to join the team and the camp in Spain gave the crew the chance to get one last look at the talent they had found during their journey across the world.
“Time… He is like the cool guy at school. You want to be friends with him. He can with make your day or break your day.”
– Ethan Parr, Final Camp Participant
Time doesn’t lie, Time will tell
After ‘Obsession’, ‘Focus’, ‘Sacrifice’, ‘Racecraft’ and ‘Opportunity’ the seventh episode puts the element of ‘Time’ in the spotlight as the eight finalists are introduced as they ride for a spot on the team. In the following interview mentor Martin Whiteley speaks about the search, the development and the decision process ahead.
Martin, the past months have come and gone quickly, the 2020 season is on the horizon. When you look back at the World Tour and the six Young Talent Camps in 2019, do you think you were successful?
Absolutely, this project was a success on a number of levels. When Markus Flossmann and the crew at YT came to me with this concept, I was a little daunted by it at first. It might sound straight forward; host some camps around the world, identify some riders, and sign two new juniors to the YT Mob, but actually the planning and logistics that went into this was comparable to a full World Cup season in time and effort. In total we had 550 applications from 43 countries which was pretty astounding.
Success for me was not just that we ultimately identified eight of the best young riders in the world to come to Finals Camp, but that we visited some parts of the world that don’t see World Cup level racing and we were able to inspire the riders and families we met with. It will be hard to measure, but for sure there was a positive impact on everyone that attended that will be long lasting. I think overall the project opened a lot of eyes to the potential out there and the growing new generation of DH riders globally. For me as someone who has been lucky enough to watch talent grow from potential into world class reality, this was a very satisfying experience. I can’t wait to see the riders we saw at Finals Camp, and of course the 2 we will sign to the team, grow on the World Cup stage.
What was the most memorable moment?
Two main things stand out for me. The comments from the parents about how much they appreciated us making this effort to come to their part of the world and see their sons and daughters in action. It was sincere and heartfelt, and left all of us feeling quite humbled by the impact we can make. Secondly, there were a few of riders that when I saw them in action, I felt I was seeing something special for the first time, and some time before the rest of the world will. That’s always exciting, unearthing new talent.
The parents appear in one of the episodes talking about sacrifice. What backgrounds did the kids have?
When you’re looking at athletes that are junior age or younger, there is no escaping the fact that the family support network at that age is crucial. It takes many forms and this was also part of our assessment. Supportive and loving parents are the key. There are other types out there, but these are the main characteristics in parents I like to see. They take a supportive role in their child’s sporting career, not pushing it too far, not interjecting too much. Of course that’s not always easy as it can also depend on the athlete’s personality. There are dynamics that work better than others. The parents we met had all made sacrifices that, regardless of the family’s financial situation, were significant. Time off from work, family vacations that become racing holidays, driving vans all over the continent, buying spares and parts to keep the bike going, it takes a lot to keep the privateer show rolling.
When the time came to decide which eight talented young riders would join you in Granada, what were you looking for? What was the deciding edge?
When it came down to the final eight, I needed to be able to easily imagine any two of those eight as potential teammates. Team chemistry is key for me regardless of brilliance on the bike. When we finally had all eight of them together, the evening meals in Spain felt like team dinners, so in that sense I felt we were successful in identifying the right ‘characters’ for Finals Camp. Of course, skills on the bike, mental strength, family support and potential to grow were all key factors as well.
How do you approach the decision process you are confronted with now? All eight kids seem to be seriously dialled on the bike.
The more time we got to spend with those eight, we could make more of the assessments we needed for ‘off the bike’ criteria. Also, a rider can have a certain advantage if they are a first-year junior next year, not second year, as they provide us with two years to develop them in that category… BUT only if they were already competitive with the ‘older’ riders. A rider who is in his second-year next year, and is miles ahead of everyone else at camp, will definitely be very attractive to a team. The timing we did was more of a measure of their understanding of time, and not a race simulation. We use their results from 2019 at various competitions to inform us in that regard. A lot goes into this process.
What do you expect from the two riders you finally choose next season?
The main thing we need to do as a team is provide them with a platform for them to show their full potential. We need to be realistic and not place undue pressure on them in their first year, while at the same time, lay out realistic goals and help them achieve them, and then build new goals each time a target is reached. I’ve only ever had four juniors on my professional teams, and they’ve all gone on to be elite World Cup podium riders, three of them World Cup race winners, so we’re planning on maintaining that record.
Do you think this unprecedented talent search program can be a blueprint for future scouting operations?
No question, this was the most comprehensive way for us to do this. It’s not something you can do every year on this scale. You don’t expect to find gold on the footpath, you have to go in search of it, dig it out and polish and shape it. I’d be excited to do this again, as soon as it makes sense for us to do so.
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