14 March 2009

WheelTime and IPICO Unite at Motatapu IceBreaker

It was a day of records at the 5th Annual Motatapu Icebreaker with a record field this year of 2,300 mountain bikers and 700 marathon runners.

With a three hour gap between start times for the cycle and run fields, there was a manageable sharing of the course which runs through three remote and spectacular high country properties starting from Glendhu Bay, Lake Wanaka and finishing at Arrowtown. Much of the route is otherwise not open to the public.

It was men's mountain-bike winner, Kashi Leuchs' first attempt at the event. "It's an amazing race" he comments "with incredible scenery and a really great vibe."

In the women's mountain-bike race, Sara Macdonald claimed her fourth annual title, securing her position as the woman to beat at Motatapu Icebreaker.

The off-road marathon run is staged concurrently over part of the same course. An outstanding performance by men's winner John Winsbury saw him demolish the 2006 race record by over five minutes.

Murray Andersen from Times-7 Sport timed the event using both the WheelTime and IPICO system described the environment as "magnificent."

"The logistics of timing this event are difficult, with varying start times and positions and a tag start and finish," Murray commented. "Both systems performed flawlessly in this environment, and the announcers were able to read out the competitors' names and times along the finishing straight. From a timing perspective it went like a dream."

The Motatapu Icebreaker is the largest off-road mountain-bike event in the country, over some really rugged terrain. Competitor Brendon McDermott from Sport Southland was surprised to find his WheelTag securely in place after what he describes as a "brutal fall." "I had a couple of really big spills, one with the bike landing heavily on the left side, giving the WheelTag a workout, but it stayed fast."

Race Director, Tracey Neil was delighted with the efficiency and accuracy of the timing. "We're always looking for ways to improve our event, and we couldn't be happier with the addition of the WheelTime and IPICO systems. Results were fast, accurate and continuous throughout the day. I look forward to working with Murray again next year."

 Contact:

Theresa Cabot, Sales and Marketing Manager

theresa.cabot@times-7.com

 +64 6 878 5310

About Times-7 Sport
Times-7 Sport provides sports timing solutions using the most advanced sports information technologies available in the world. Times-7 Sport is the Australian distributor of IPICO Sports and Times-7 sports timing products, including Sportscore, a state of- the-art event management software solution. Our systems make event timing easy, providing accurate and reliable results every time.