Newnham Park July 25/26 2009

The Bontrager Twentyfour12 24 hour race will return to Newnham Park in '09. Bontrager will continue to sponsor the event and help with the details for the next 3 years.

The Twentyfour12 race began as a collaboration between InEvent and Bontrager in 2006. Keith Bontrager, a veteran of 70 or so 24 hour races, came up with a novel format to make the race as interesting and fun as possible for riders of all abilities.

In Keith's words: "Our goal was to create the best race possible for the competitors and their friends and families, so we focused on making a challenging mountain bike course along with a great atmosphere in the arena".

There were a few issues with the initial locations and, in the end, rain chased us away from both spots. The lesson was that a proven course with established, weather proof trails was what we needed, so we moved to Newnham Park in Plymouth in 2008...  What a good move it was! Great weather and a venue that has hosted 5 World Cups combined to create what was for many the event of the year in 2008.

With all this in mind we approached the Newnham estate to secure it for a further 3 years and, along with the continued support of Keith Bontrager, this has all been agreed.

Martyn Salt of organisers Inevent is delighted to continue the development: "We started with Keith and we were really keen to carry this on now that we have a venue that is about as close to perfect as you can get. The Newnham estate are so supportive and we are looking at what we can do together to improve what we feel is already a pretty unbeatable package..oh and the DJs will be back too".

The Torchbearer12 race will return (Midnight start) and there are some additional solo places allocated for the 24 as it sells out first. The course will be a lengthened version of last years to allow for more riders. Newnham have also agreed to open their doors the Thursday before so more can make a weekend away and enjoy the delights of Devon.