The world's best downhill skaters will battle on the frozen northern rim of Europe on a permanent ice cross downhill track.
Returning to Serena Ski Resort for the second year in a row, Red Bull Crashed Ice promises a spectacular and action-packed competition on one of the world's first and most exciting permanent ice tracks. Last year, Marco Dallago, of Austria, won the thrill-filled opening race on a frosty night in front of a capacity crowd of 6,000 spectators in a race that marked the changing of the guard with new faces upstaging former champions and other title aspirants in earlier rounds. The excitement for the 2015 season is rising ahead of the second stop in Helsinki, where Austria's Marco Dallago will continue the defence of his 2014 World Championship title at the second of four races this year.
Finland is the home of some of the world's best ice cross downhill racers of all time such as Miikka Jouhkimainen, Paavo Klintrup, and the recently-retired Arttu Pihlainen. The sport is hugely popular in a country that loves speed and athletes who push themselves to the limit. The second stop could unearth new talent in 2015, as the sport of ice cross downhill brings the international elite and winners from national qualifiers onto the track to battle four-at-a-time at speeds of up to 60kph.
There are very special challenges associated with the natural ice, which has a similar thickness to the artificial ice tracks of about 10-15 centimetres. The permanent and natural track in Finland is a bumpier track, despite the best efforts of the crew to smooth out the ruts, divots, and gouges caused by the heavy training use, with temperatures plunging far below zero, and the track in Finland could once again open the door for newcomers like Dallago.
Witness all the action from Finland and catch the LIVE stream of the second leg of the 2015 Ice Cross Downhill World Championship on redbullcrashedice.com on February 7! Please note that for viewers in the US the race will air exclusively on Fox Sports. Broadcast details will follow shortly.