The IDF Board is ecstatic to announce Chris McBride as the 7th Board Member!
Hailing from Seattle, USA, Chris has roots in Street Luge Racing that stretch back over 20 years. He has seen our sport at some of its previous highs and lows - and he believes the best is yet to come!
Racing Experience and Memories
You might have seen Chris at events; He wears those distinctive fluorescent-yellow and pink leathers. His first race was Fire on the Mountain in 1998, and (like so many of us after that first taste of racing) he was hooked. It’s what keeps bringing Chris back to the Kozakov Challenge year after year - he hasn’t missed one yet!
Chris’s greatest racing memory is the 2001 Red Bull DHX in Cape Town, South Africa. They had 30,000 spectators, LIVE TV coverage, jumbotrons, and billboards. In his words, “this all meant you got treated like a rock star.” It’s this memory that fueled Chris’s motivation and commitment to join the IDF board. His goal is to help create these memories for another generation of downhill athletes.
When asked about tracks, Chris named a few 2020 IDF World Cup events. One of his favourites is Kozakov Challenge WC, obviously. Chris dropped a special mention for his home track of Maryhill, which is returning to this year’s IDF World Cup tour! He lavished praise on Newtons, saying “with its butter-smooth pavement, and the best turn in the world [the dipper], it is amazing.” (Registration for Newton’s World Cup 2020 is now open!)
Professional Experience and Skills
When he isn’t Street Luging, Chris works for the tech giant Google as a programmer. He has already begun applying his professional knowledge and experience by maintaining the IDF website and developing plans for the future of the IDF’s digital presence. If helping with this appeals to you, then please volunteer here.
Chris brings a wealth of racing experience and knowledge to the IDF Board. With deep-seated memories of RedBull DHX, Downhill’s debut at the World Roller Games reignited his dream: To see our sport thriving and creating an opportunity for our athletes to go pro! We want to thank Chris for lending his skills and expertise to the International Downhill Community, and we look forward to watching his contributions grow our sport!
Story by Michael O'Keeffe, in conjunction with IDF. #idfracing
