It was the race that took him out of the sport for almost 12 months with a knee injury, but Jackson Goldstone has proved why he’s one of the best of the best, returning to win the Red Bull Hardline in Tasmania.
The 21-year-old racer from Squamish claimed the top seat with a time of 3:17.096, just 0.233 seconds ahead of up-and-coming American rider Asa Vermette, with Australian Troy Brosnan placing third.
A mental and physical battle
This time last year, Goldstone was on his way home from Maydena Bike Park in Tasmania after crashing out at the 2024 Red Bull Hardline.
Goldstone sustained a major tear to his ACL after crashing into a tree, which knocked him out of all competitions for almost a year.
He made his first return to racing to claim the win at the Squamish OneUp Downhill SORCA Cinco on Oct. 27 but had his eyes set on the Red Bull race on Feb 7 and 8.
In a post-run interview, Goldstone reflected on the past 12 months and what simply completing the course meant to him.
“Man, [that was] a big mental battle for me to, you know, come back and put a race run down here. I'm really stoked to do it for me and for you guys as well,” he said in the interview.
“That was a big moment for me. So, yeah, cheers, I'm going to be celebrating this one for sure.”
The run
Battling through the mental game of having to ride past his crash scene from the previous year, Goldstone showed why he is considered a pro of the sport at such a young age.
“I think it's going to be something special. I mean, he is just so smooth and able to find traction. We know that he's put down some World Cup race runs that are just incredible to watch,” one commentator said during his run.
Speeding through each sector with ease, Goldstone had the crowd on the edge of their seats as he continued to put quicker times than Australia’s Brosnan, who was holding the provisional top spot.
Throughout the entire run, Goldstone whipped through the trees with a level of speed that both commentators struggled to comprehend.
“For someone so light doing 59 kilometres an hour down there is absolutely bonkers,” they said.
Goldstone crossed the finish line 2.3 seconds ahead of Brosnan.
The win
As the second-last racer to make his way through the course, Goldstone didn’t have to wait very long to see whether he would claim the top position on the podium.
The U.S.’s Vermette zoomed through the course but ultimately missed out on the winning spot by just 0.23 of a second.
With cheers of pure excitement, Goldstone celebrated the win with many hugs from fellow riders and friends—and by calling his mum.
“The last 12 months have been, you know, not that much because I was out from this race, and this is my first big race back, and to come back and win, it is probably one of the biggest moments of my life,” he said in the post-race interview.
“Holy moly, I don't even know what to say. That was amazing.”
To watch a recap of the Red Bull Hardline in Tasmania, visit the Red Bull youtube page.
The next Red Bull Hardline will be in Machynlleth, Wales, in the United Kingdom on July 26 and 27.
