Red Bull’s ‘Dark Knights Pakistan 2011’ enthuses youth

Fun, excitement and thrill were the keywords, when some of the partisans of a mountain bike show shared their experiences with the Pakistan Today on Sunday. For most of them it was a weekend to remember.
It was a chilly amid the pastures of Margalla hills but the exuberance of young participants and organisers turned it into cozy gathering.
The federal capital on late Saturday night witnessed the first-ever downhill mountain bike race in its history. The event entitled “Red Bull Dark Knights” was held at the scenic Margalla hills, on Trail 1. The show had begun by 6:30pm.
Participants aged 15 and above raced down a 250-meter track, full of challenging obstacles such as created ramps etc. The mountain bikers were divided into 3 categories – Open Men (for amateurs), Open Elite (for professionals) and Open Women (for amateur women riders).
As many as 60 participants took part and all had brought their own mountain bikes and protective gears. Groups of 5 to 6 participants in one go rode to the top of the 250-meter track. The organisers had put up 3 big screens to show live performances of the bikers.
As the participants heard a buzzer, they raced down the track one by one, and were timed as they crossed the last obstacle and the Red Bull gate (placed at the end of the track), where their time was marked by the time keepers.
After crossing the gate, the riders rode up a ramp to stop atop a stage where the host of the evening, Mohsin, spoke to each contestant about their experience on the track. The audience cheered every participant as they reached the bottom as each one of them had their eye on the prize and wanted to achieve the fastest time in their category.
The organisers had taken special safety precautions including a standby ambulance, paramedics and participants had to wear ‘head lamps’ and other safety gear.
In the end, the award ceremony took place. In ‘Open Women Category’, Hadia bagged 3rd Position covering the distance in 1 minute 4 seconds; Amna got second position with 1 min 3 seconds while Tehreem clinched 3rd position with 48.67 seconds. They each received Rs 5000 and a gift voucher from Red Bull.
In ‘Open Men’ category, Shahvaiz (42.69 seconds) stood on 3rd Position and received Rs 10,000 and a gift voucher from Red Bull, Saad Baig (42.37 seconds) clinched 2nd Position and received Rs 15,000 and a gift voucher, while Nawaz [41.69 seconds] bagged 1st Position receiving Rs 25,000 and a gift voucher from Red Bull.
In ‘Open Elite’ category, 3rd Position was achieved by Tayyab Malik (43 seconds) who received Rs 10,000 and a gift voucher from Red Bull, Qasim Khan stood second (40.38 seconds) but was penalised for missing a ramp and 2 seconds were added to his time making it 42.38 seconds), he received Rs 15,000 and a gift voucher from Red Bull while Raja Junaid (40.78) clinched the 1st position and received Rs 25,000 and a gift voucher from Red Bull. The event was a roaring success and was a treat for participants and spectators alike. The spectator area also resonated with music emanating from the Red Bull DJ Booth.
Participants were given a great platform to compete on and rewarded for their success. They hoped sports such as mountain biking would be taken seriously in Pakistan in future. They appreciated the Red Bull team and especially Fariha Rashed, one of the organisers.