Winner. Winner. Kitchen Dinner....

Ben Wilson @benwilsonphoto_ 

Mountain Creek Bike Park delivered one of the more dramatic days of the 2026 Monster Energy Pro Downhill Series. Seeding was sunny and dry, but the dirt was tacky. By the time finals arrived the skies had opened up. Blown out lines, deep ruts, and slick rock gardens made for a track that punished hesitation and rewarded commitment. Intense Factory Racing came prepared for both.

When the times were posted, the team claimed two wins! Nate Kitchen delivered the performance of his young career, winning Pro Men outright and backing up his seeding run to go 1-1 on the weekend. Tyler Wagoner in the Cat 1 Junior Men 17-18 class, matched that energy with a dominant win of his own. It was the kind of day that makes it clear that IFR is operating at the top level of US downhill racing.

“What a weekend. Tyler takes the win, Nate takes the win, Dante walks away with his head held high after a tough crash while on a podium level run and Teagan will be back in no time. That’s the culture we’re building, resilient, hardworking, and in it together. I’m so grateful for this group of athletes and everyone behind the scenes who makes it happen. Proud as hell of this team.”

— John Hall, Team Manager, Intense Factory Racing

Nate Kitchen — Pro Men: 1st Place

There is a moment in every young racer's career when the potential becomes undeniable. For Nate Kitchen, that moment came on a muddy hillside in New Jersey.

Kitchen, 20, from Bakersfield, California, had already laid down the fastest time in seeding, letting the field know he meant business before the rain even arrived. When finals conditions flipped the script, his focus sharpened. His run was aggressive out of the gate and he never let off. Split by split, he was fastest where it mattered: first in Sector 1 (22.831), first in Sector 2 (32.371), first in Sector 4 (40.648), and first in the last sector to the finish (18.330). The lower sections where the mud collected and traction disappeared are where races are lost. Kitchen used them to build a gap instead even after ripping his whole stack of tear offs the first time he went to pull one.

His winning time of 2:12.342 held up against the full field, including Aaron Gwin, with Cole Suetos rounding out the podium 2.78 seconds back. He also pocketed the $500 Hole Shot prize for the fastest split time at the first split. His ability to stay composed in muddy conditions and put the Intense M1 on the top step is exactly what this program is built for.

Pro Men Finals - Top 5

Tyler Wagoner — Cat 1 Junior Men 17-18: 1st Place

Tyler Wagoner, 17, from Canyon Lake, California, carried momentum into Mountain Creek. Racing the Cat 1 Junior Men 17-18 class, Wagoner put together a consistent, fast run from top to bottom and crossed the line first with a time of 2:19.364 in arguably some of the worst conditions of the entire weekend. The field behind him was full of talent, and the margin he built underscores how well he is reading races at this stage of his development.

The result is a strong early season statement from a rider who finished fourth in the same category at Round 1. Wagoner's ability to manage the changing conditions while holding the pace to win is exactly the growth trajectory IFR wants to support.

Cat 1 Junior Men 17-18 - Top 3

Dante Silva — Pro Men: Crash

Dante Silva had the pace to be a factor on Sunday. His Sector 1 split of 22.924 was the second-fastest of the entire field, only 0.093 seconds behind Kitchen, which put him right where he wanted to be at the start of his run. Unfortunately, a crash in a rock garden ended his finals run before he could put a full time together. Surely a podium level run.

The good news is he walked away unhurt and in high spirits. Dante has been a consistent presence in the top five through the early part of this season, including a 5th place finish at Round 1 at Ride Rock Creek, and the speed he showed in the opening sector at Mountain Creek confirms he belongs in the mix. A clean run at Solitude is the next opportunity to show it.

Teagan Heap — DNS

Teagan Heap did not start finals after a few practice laps revealed that an ankle injury she picked up in training before traveling to Mountain Creek was not going to allow her to race safely. The decision was made to protect her long-term health rather than risk making things worse on a technical, physical track.

The injury is not believed to be serious, and the focus now shifts to her recovery and getting her back on the bike ahead of Round 3. Teagan has been a core part of the IFR program, and the team is fully behind her getting healthy on her own timeline.