"It’s been seven years since a national downhill competition has been held in Southland. It is a great opportunity for people to see riders of this quality here."
Riders from 13 to 55 were part of the competition, he said.
"It is a really good exposure to the sport."
The winner of the first round was Queenstown rider George Brannigan, who finished in 2min 17.06sec, just over 2sec ahead of Nelson rider Sam Gale.
Another Queenstown rider, Kathy Morris, was the quickest female. She won in 2min 48.09sec.
Invercargill’s Connor Harvey finished seventh, completing the race in 2min 24.14sec.
Kees was happy with the support of Bluff’s residents and considered the event a success.
"The feedback from the competitors and public has been great. I hope we can host another national event next year. Fingers crossed."
The next round of the downhill championship will be held at Coronet Peak next weekend.
