Oisin O’Callaghan, a 16-year-old downhill rider from Co
Limerick, has secured a two-year pro contract with a trade team after emerging
best in the squad’s global trawl for new riders.
The Irish teenager was among 550 riders who applied for a spot on the The YT Mob team when it ran an open competition to find a star of the future.
He got through every round as the pool of applicants from
all over the world was whittled down to just eight.
And though he suffered a wrist injury during the final week-long selection camp, he was given the nod as the successful applicant and has now inked a two-year deal; an incredible opportunity for him.
“When I was told that I’d been selected, I could only describe the sensation as overwhelming,” he said of hearing he was the rider chosen to join the team.
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“At the start of this process I guess it didn’t really
sink in when I got picked for the Fort William Young Talent Camp but I knew
it was going to be exciting to spend three days of riding with
Angel (Suarez, senior rider) and the team.
“It was unreal when my dad told me I was selected for finals camp. It was probably the first time that I really felt what it would be like to be a pro racer with mechanics, team truck, hotel. We were like kings for the week.”
However, while delighted to have made the cut, and done
it in a very competitive field of applicants, O’Callaghan is determined to now make
something of the opportunity and enjoy it as he goes.
“I’ll be aiming to get some good results next season with
podiums and to build on every race to get more experience,” he said.
“It’ll be important to try and soak up and enjoy all the
advice from the team and to become a better racer, and really enjoy
the atmosphere of World Cup racing.”
The application process was thrown up 12 months ago and
550 riders from across six continents entered; the pool initially whittled down
to about 130 riders.
With an average of 23 riders from each continent making it through at that stage, a further round saw the applicants down to just one or two per continent before the final eight were chosen.
That group then attended a team camp in Grenada, Spain, last October; which effectively acted as a testing ground and to determine how each rider would fit in with the team and its existing talent roster.
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