The 2016/17 Ice Cross Downhill World Championship concludes on March 3-4 with a Red Bull Crashed Ice race in Ottawa's historic locks system featuring a riveting four-way battle for the men's title and a tough three-way fight for the women's championship.
A four-way battle for the title will make the grand finale of the 2016/2017 Ice Cross Downhill World Championship in Ottawa on March 3-4 the most exciting fight to the finish in the 17-history of Red Bull Crashed Ice racing. Never before have so many athletes in the world's fastest sport on skates still had a chance to win the championship going into the final race of the season. The women's championship battle will also be intense with three women still in the hunt on what will be a special night for Canada as Red Bull Crashed Ice joins Ottawa 2017, a year of celebrations in honour of Canada's 150th union as a nation.
American Cameron Naasz (2,600 points) is clinging onto a slim lead over compatriot Maxwell Dunne (2,272.5) with Canada's Scott Croxall (2,237.5) and Austria's Marco Dallago (2,088.50) also with enough points to win the championship if they can also collect 1,000 points up for grabs with a victory at the first-ever Red Bull Crashed Ice race in the Canadian capital city of Ottawa. The athletes will be racing at speeds of up to 80 km/h four-at-a-time down the 375-meter long artificial ice track with a 35-meter vertical drop built in the Ottawa Locks of Park Canada's historic Rideau Canal.
Cameron Naasz (L) can become the first back-to-back world champion with victory in Ottawa, but Maxwell Dunne (R), Scott Croxall and Marco Dallago will be hot on his heels and chasing the title themselves. Photo: Mihai Stetcu/Red Bull Content Pool.
There are three women with a chance to win the women's championship with American Amanda Trunzo (2,300 points) holding a narrow lead over Canadians Jacqueline Legère (1,810) and Myriam Trepanier (1,790), who will be hoping a home crowd of more than 100,000 can help lift them to victory.
"I'd love to win back-to-back titles and be the first ever to do that," said Naasz, the defending champion who also won the season opener in Marseille, France and a Riders Cup race at La Sarre, Canada. He has been the epitome of consistency this winter with five-straight podiums. "But anything can happen in this sport."
A thrilling three-way battle for the title is also expected between Amanda Trunzo (top left), Myriam Trepanier (middle) and Jacqueline Legere (right) in Canada. Photo: Samo Vidic/Red Bull Content Pool.
Dunne and Croxall, the 2015 world champion who won the race in Jyväskylä-Laajis, Finland, could both overtake Naasz if either wins in Ottawa while Dallago, the 2014 champion, could win the title with a victory combined with Naasz and Dunne taking third or worse.
"Ottawa is for all the marbles," said Croxall, hopeful the thunderous support in his home country can propel him to victory on the challenging track in Ottawa.
In the fast-growing and rapidly improving women's championship, Trunzo can clinch the title with a first or second place in Ottawa while Legere, the defending champion, and Trepanier would need to win and hope Trunzo finishes third or worse to claim the title.
Watch it Live
Red Bull Crashed Ice Ottawa will broadcast LIVE on redbullcrashedice.com and Red Bull TV on March 4th at 8.30 PM EST (1:30 AM GMT).
Red Bull TV is available on connected TVs, gaming consoles, mobile devices and more. For a full list of supported devices visit about.redbull.tv.
If you miss the event or simply want to watch all the action again, the replay will be available on demand a few minutes after the event.