Matti Lehikoinen Joins The MS- Intense Factory Racing Team
- Thread starter Akula_7
- Start date
Yeah, me too. I've known it ever since it was all over RM this past week.
A lot of people thought that Kovarik leaving Intense was just a rumor, but one of our sponsored pros was at Maribor and confirmed that this was true.
Sad to see Kovarik go - hopefully he can get a new ride for 08'. He's definitely capable of another WC win, he just needs more consistency.
Congrats and a speedy recovery to Matti - It'll be interesting to see what his impressions are of the new M6 with its VPP-Linkage, and traditional derailleur - coming from a single pivot gearbox bike with ALL the bells and whistles (SHOWA, HRC support, etc...)
Sad to see Kovarik go - hopefully he can get a new ride for 08'. He's definitely capable of another WC win, he just needs more consistency.
Congrats and a speedy recovery to Matti - It'll be interesting to see what his impressions are of the new M6 with its VPP-Linkage, and traditional derailleur - coming from a single pivot gearbox bike with ALL the bells and whistles (SHOWA, HRC support, etc...)
when is matti gonna be able to race agian?
"After years of working with great riders like Chris Kovarik, Sabrina Jonnier or Vanessa Quin it is time for MS- INTENSE RACING to form a new team with a new figurehead to continue the successful racing history of Intense Cycles. "
What I undestand from this text.....Kovarik is out and Vanessa too.
Maybe they are making a totally new team.
What I undestand from this text.....Kovarik is out and Vanessa too.
Maybe they are making a totally new team.
yeah, hahaha, that kinda sucks....the guy goes from racing what is perhaps the sickest race bike out there to trying to recover from a broken back on an intense of all things with those garbage ass tires.....oh man, i feel bad for that guy
so no huffy huh?
The bike will be fine, but the tires and suspension systems. Oh god. 
yeah dude....fresh oil and seals and a custom tune from showa every day to manitou and those intense tires......that's the last thing he'll need when trying to get used to riding again after a broken backThe bike will be fine, but the tires and suspension systems. Oh god.
Is Manitou that bad if you can get enough spare parts. Ok maybe not custom tuned Showa equipment but who I know that has ridden the latest offerings from Manitou has liked the products just reliability problems to complain about.
What are the problems with the tires?
What are the problems with the tires?
waaiiit they let Vanessa go also. wtf.
don't forget Manitou head the best racing forks ever made,view years ago almost every team head the Dorado forks mounted on there bikes.Race proven and racing winning glory on those forks.A racing team like Intense know's exactly what's the best suspension is suited for there DH racing bikes.
Apparently not, as they chose manitou. It's all about which company will give your team more funding.
Keep that operative word in mind! "HAD" They have turned to Manipoo, Maniyourescrewed, and a whole slew of others over past years. Granted they are making a big comback with the new stuff, reverting to old stuff with the 08 Dorado and now that they are strictly concentrating on high end stuff. I think it was all the problem of trying to spec so many low end bikes with their stuff that they got out of progressing as a company
seems to me that the MS-Intense team is cursed.cast your mind back to what happend to vanessa at one of our national rounds here in NZ soon after she signd with them last year..........and now matti
spooky huh?
spooky huh?
Your judgement is fair, assuming that they are riding stock forks. But I would guarantee they aren't (which you would also know) and the factory forks, with thier mods and maintenance, probably rock.
For the real world though...
Of course what you say is true, they are probably on non-stock equipment, however i am not sure how much time and effort manitou is giving to that sort of race development right now. They barely have an office at the moment, let alone an R&D dept.
That, and even some of the top racers on their stuff last year and the year before had nothing but problems with supposed "factory race" type Travis'. It's too bad, as the old manitou xvert carbon team stuff was absolutely amazing (although about as stiff as an over cooked noodle).
Kovarik's Revox/Swinger had a custom tune from the guys who designed the double barrel (not Cane Creek). Olines was the name or something. Trust me, they're not riding on stock stuff.
The companys name i Öhlins and is based here in Sweden. http://www.ohlins.se/
Ill dont think Matti is going to have any problems with Manitou because he is going to get the best support ever from them now when Hayes owns Answer/Manitou. I like that Intense have picked up this finnish tallent, Intense is big in Finland, because they need to get some really good result in the WC just like in old times. Just hope that he will have a quick recovery and that he will start training soon.