American Cameron Naasz won the inaugural Ice Cross Downhill American Cup on the strength of his two victories in the two Red Bull Crashed Ice races staged in North America as the dominant force in the recently completed 2015/16 season.
Naasz, who also scored valuable championship points in all three Riders Cup races in North America, took the All Terrain Skate Cross Federation's (ATSX) first-ever American Cup title with a total of 2,240 championship points while Canada's Scott Croxall finished second with 1,795 points and compatriot Dean Moriarity was third with 1,492.50 points. France's Tristan Dugerdil took fourth place in the American Cup after getting two podiums in North America – second place at the Riders Cup race in Sherbrooke, Canada and third in Saint Paul. Austria's Luca Dallago was fifth in the American Cup while American Maxwell Dunne took sixth in his first full season in the world's fastest sport on skates – thanks to a fourth place finish in Bathurst, Canada and fourth in Saint Paul.
Naasz, who also became the first American to win the overall Ice Cross Downhill World Championship, laid the foundation for his title in both competitions with his victory at the Red Bull Crashed Ice race in Quebec City in November. He also took sixth place at a Riders Cup race in Mont du Lac, Wisconsin. The Minnesota student and full-time Ice Cross Downhill racer clinched the championship with his victory against Croxall in a thrilling Red Bull Crashed Ice race final in Saint Paul, Minnesota that went right down to the wire. Naasz, who also won the Red Bull Crashed Ice race in Munich, managed to stay just inches in front of Croxall all the way down the track to the finish line to win the first-ever "triple crown" – race, overall title and American championship. Croxall won the ATSX's inaugural Euro Cup title with a win at the Red Bull Crashed Ice race in Jyväskylä-Laajis, Finland and strong Riders Cup results in Europe. Naasz was second in the Euro Cup and Moriarity third.
Naasz crowned a glorious season in front of his home fans in Saint Paul. Photo: Balazs Gardi/Red Bull Content Pool.
"I've never felt so much pressure in my life," said Naasz, who needed to beat Croxall at home in Saint Paul to overtake the Canadian to win the American Championship as well as the overall Ice Cross Downhill World Championship. "He had the lead so the pressure was on me knowing that I had to be on the podium and in front of him. He was so close to me all the way down the track that he was practically touching me so I was definitely nervous all the way to the end."
Jacqueline Legere, a Canadian stunt woman, won the women's American Cup – thanks to her Riders Cup win in Bathurst and Red Bull Crashed Ice race win in Saint Paul with American Alexis Jackson taking second and Myriam Trepanier in third.
With two Red Bull Crashed Ice and three Riders Cup races, the 2015/16 season in North America was the biggest in the sport's history. There were also five races in four countries in Europe, including two Red Bull Crashed Ice and three Riders Cup stops in the season that just concluded. The overall standings of the American Cup are important for North American athletes who are not qualified with their world ranking for next season's Red Bull Crashed Ice races in order to receive starting berths in the upcoming racing events.
The Story of a Champion - Naasz describes the drama, excitement and emotion of a thrilling and triumphant finale on home soil.
American Cup results men: 1. Cameron Naasz (USA) 2,240 points, 2. Scott Croxall (CAN), 1,795, 3. Dean Moriarity (CAN) 1,492, 4. Tristan Dugerdil (FRA) 1,272.50, 5. Luca Dallago (AUT) 927.50, 6. Maxwell Dunne (USA), 7. Kilian Braun (SUI) 740, 8. Dan Witty (USA) 740, 9. Coleton Haywood 587.50, 10. Derek Wedge (SUI) 541.50
American Cup results women: 1. Jacqueline Legere (CAN) 1,850 points, 2. Alexis Jackson (USA) 1,812.50, 3. Myriam Trepanier (CAN) 1,750, 4. Maxie Plante (CAN) 1,090, 5. Elaine Topolnisky (CAN) 1,050, 6. Michaela Michaelson (USA) 840, 7. Sydney O'Keefe (USA) 795, 8. Tamara Kajah (CAN) 790, 9. Anaïs Morand (SUI) 595, 10. Emma Krieter (USA) 585.