The Scott Spark has won more than its fair share of World Cup cross-country races, thanks in part to the now-retired Nino Schurter. Like Schurter, Scott looks set on retiring the current Spark, replacing it with the prototype we spotted at World Cup round one, in South Korea. While the shock remains nestled inside the frame, as it was on the bike's predecessor, our shots suggest its position has likely changed, along with the suspension layout. The new design clearly works, helping Swiss rider Filippo Colombo to a fifth place in the XCC short track event. More from South Korea Lapierres prototype XRM breaks XC convention by moving the rear shock down low Charlie Aldridge's South Korea World Cup bike swaps electronic and mechanical tech as he targets victory Brit Evie Richards claims second in South Korea short track XC aboard prototype Trek that may never hit store shelves Shockingly similar A new suspension layout and repositioned rear shock appear to be the biggest difference between this and the current Spark. Ross Bell / Our Media While its tricky to notice differences at a quick glance, the prototype bike clearly uses a new suspension layout. This time, the seatstays pivot directly off the seat tube, rather than attaching to a short link first. This pivot is lower on the seat tube, buying Scott some more seatpost insertion and a far slimmer seat tube in the process. While the shock used to sit vertically inside the frame, it appears Scott has now positioned it horizontally inside the belly of the bike, shrouded by a cover on the upper side of the down tube. Why the change? Well, switching positions and sitting the shock lower in the frame should help lower the bike's centre of gravity and boost stability, especially when tackling fast, rough trails. The revised suspension linkage has helped Scott slim down the seat tube. Ross Bell / Our Media The chainstays appear to attach to a link under the bottom bracket that could well pivot concentrically around the bottom bracket, with flex in the rear triangle helping to control what wed assume to be close to 120mm of rear-wheel travel the same amount as the previous Spark offered. Keep a close eye on this bike over the coming months because weve got a feeling it and its riders will be bothering podiums the world over on a regular basis.