{"id":15117,"date":"2024-01-10T11:59:17","date_gmt":"2024-01-10T19:59:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/?p=15117"},"modified":"2024-03-15T14:52:22","modified_gmt":"2024-03-15T21:52:22","slug":"greg-minnaar-is-just-getting-started-as-he-joins-norco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/2024\/01\/greg-minnaar-is-just-getting-started-as-he-joins-norco\/","title":{"rendered":"Greg Minnaar is Just Getting Started as he Joins Norco."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p style=\"line-height: 2em; font-size: 18px;\">Legendary downhill rider to develop a team and a bike for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/greg-minnaar.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/greg-minnaar.jpeg\" alt=\"Greg Minnaar joins Norco Factory racing. Photographer: David Nogales Tarrag\u00f3\" class=\"wp-image-15098\" srcset=\"https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/greg-minnaar.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/greg-minnaar-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/greg-minnaar-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/greg-minnaar-450x300.jpeg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Photographer: David Nogales Tarrag\u00f3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"line-height: 2em; font-size: 18px;\">VANCOUVER, January 9, 2024\u2014In a bold move, champion downhiller Greg Minnaar has signed with the Norco Factory racing team. With four World Championship victories and 23 World Cup wins, the South African is one of the most decorated riders in the sport, and he has big plans with Norco next season and beyond. Minnaar is focused on working with Norco&#8217;s engineers to develop equipment that will change the game, while also nurturing the next generation of talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-large\"><p>&#8220;Until recently, I had no idea that Norco had such an incredible engineering team,\u201d said Minnaar. \u201cI\u2019ve never seen this in the bike industry, where the engineering team has a separate division to work with the race team. I\u2019ll be lucky enough to direct this program, to be a part of a culture of performance and leverage my years of experience, while giving myself the best possible chance between the tape. This is the beginning of a new chapter for me and for Norco\u2014we\u2019re just getting started.&#8221;<\/p><cite>Greg Minnaar<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-default\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3>Video: Norco Factory Racing Welcomes Greg Minnaar<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"882\" height=\"496\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/27qfv6r3KlI?si=GJrlrc4ekJS8tZj2\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-default\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"line-height: 2em; font-size: 18px;\">In addition to racing, Minnaar will lead the Norco Factory race team, joining current members Gracey Hemstreet and Lucas Cruz, while starting to build the team for the future.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-large\"><p>&#8220;What an honour it is to have the greatest of all time as a teammate &#8230; Ever since meeting him in my first Word Cup season he\u2019s been such a down to earth guy and a person you can\u2019t help but look up to! I can\u2019t wait to get to know him better and do some serious damage on the circuit this year alongside Gracey and the GOAT.\u201d<\/p><cite>Lucas Cruz<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-large\"><p>\u201cI\u2019m super excited to have Greg as part of Norco Factory this year. I couldn\u2019t ask for a better mentor. I believe that Greg\u2019s experience and knowledge in the sport will take our team to the next level. It\u2019s going to be a great year.\u201d<\/p><cite>Gracey Hemstreet<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"line-height: 2em; font-size: 18px;\">Greg will also mentor Norco\u2019s youth development team, The Source, a program aimed at finding and fostering the future of downhill racing, giving them the support and tools they need to succeed.\n<br><br>\nThe work for next season has already begun, with Minnaar due to race on the prototype Norco DH bike, something he will be working closely with the engineering team to optimize even further over the season. \u201cI am here to build the fastest team, with the fastest bike,\u201d said Minnaar.\n<br><br>\n\u201cWe can think of no better way to kick off our 60th anniversary year than to have an icon of the sport like Greg join our team,\u201d said Gwen van Lingen, Head of Brand at Norco. \u201cNot just looking at now, but planning for the future is exciting for Norco, Greg, and the sport as a whole.\u201d\n<br><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/greg-minnaar-e-com-banner.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/greg-minnaar-e-com-banner-1024x512.jpg\" alt=\"Greg Minnaar quote Just Getting Started\" class=\"wp-image-15147\" srcset=\"https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/greg-minnaar-e-com-banner-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/greg-minnaar-e-com-banner-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/greg-minnaar-e-com-banner-768x384.jpg 768w, https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/greg-minnaar-e-com-banner-500x250.jpg 500w, https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/greg-minnaar-e-com-banner.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3>About Norco Bicycles<\/h3>\n<p style=\"line-height: 2em; font-size: 18px;\">Norco is a global leader in high-performance mountain bikes, known for its commitment to innovation, quality craftsmanship, and the pursuit of trail-blazing excellence. Founded as Northern Cycle Industries in 1964, operating out of a chicken coop, the brand has evolved over the years, but hard work, passion, and commitment to innovation have always been at the forefront. The mountains and trails of British Columbia are hard-wired into the DNA at Norco, and they will always be the ultimate inspiration for the character and performance of every Norco bike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.norco.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">norco.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-default\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3>Keep Reading<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the most influential riders to ever fly down a hill is stepping into the Norco world. <a href=\"https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/2024\/01\/greg-minnaar-is-just-getting-started-as-he-joins-norco\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":15098,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,8],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15117"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15117"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15117\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15188,"href":"https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15117\/revisions\/15188"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livetoplaysports.com\/news-press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}