[Video] Searching for the next Young Talent

In February the YT Mob announced with title sponsor YT Industries that they would be embarking on an adventure in 2019 that would take them around the world in order to unearth the best downhill talent on the planet. Applications were accepted for six stops on six continents, four of which have already taken place in New Zealand, Argentina, Scotland and Japan. The camps have been and will be accompanied by production crew “Knowmad Development” (“Tales of the Mob”) to create a video series that will let us take a peek behind the curtain. The series will not only tell the tale of what happens at the camps and how mentor and talent developer Martin Whiteley and his team identifies talent, but will be enriched by insight from Whiteley’s former protégés such as Brook MacDonald, Neko Mulally and Greg Minnaar, who all can look back on a similar process of being discovered, refining their raw talent and making it to the World Cup Elite.

The story starts to unfold this week and will continue to put Young Talent in the spotlight in the episodes that follow with two camps in the United States and South Africa and the grand finale at ‘The Mob HQ’ in Granada, Spain, in mid-October. A lot of talent has been attracted to the program so far. 500 Young Talents from 45 different countries applied to be part of the camps of which 20 per camp have been admitted. The youngest to be part of “The Mob World Tour” was born in 2007, the oldest in 2001. During the camps Whiteley observes how well the Young Talent understands race craft, while the participants have the chance to gain valuable riding knowledge from current YT Mob rider Angel Suarez. The Spaniard is aware of the importance of mentors and slips into this role, teaching the up-and-coming how to walk a course and assess it or how to improve in certain sections through braking and cornering to maintaining speed through connected sections.

Pure passion and an unwavering drive to unleash one’s true potential is the foundation to every successful career and also reflected in the roots of title sponsor YT Industries. That passion and of course ability on a bike are vital to the YT Mob, but aspects such as mental strength, physical development and also room for growth in all categories will be the deciding edge, when it comes to who gets invited to ‘The Mob HQ’ later in the year. This unique chance to receive first-hand advice and being given an opportunity to shine have been received well. With two camps still on the calendar in Snowshoe, USA, and Stellenbosch, South Africa, we can look forward to learning more about talent development and getting to know more downhill talents around the globe in the next months.