American Cameron Naasz will be itching for revenge at this weekend's Riders Cup race in Sherbrooke after back-to-back stumbles in the last two races cost him the overall Ice Cross Downhill World Championship lead to Canada's Scott Croxall. Naasz was the fastest qualifier in last week's Riders Cup race in Bathurst, NB, but fell while in the lead of an earlier heat and ended up just 17th. A week before that, he was also well in front in the final at the Red Bull Crashed Ice race in Jyväskylä-Laajis, Finland but crashed at the worst possible moment to end up fourth.
With only two Riders Cup and one Red Bull Crashed Ice races left in the record-breaking 10-stop season, Croxall now leads the world championship for the first time this season with 2,885 points to Naasz's 2,840 points. But with 250 points up for grabs for the winner of Saturday's race in Sherbrooke and 200 points awarded to second place, Naasz could move back into the overall lead with a victory on the 407-meter long natural ice track – even if Croxall takes second on the track here carved into the Mont Bellevue recreation park in the center of Sherbrooke.
"Last weekend in Bathurst I was out front leading an easy heat and saw an orange circle in the ice highlighting a bad area and cut right to avoid the bad ice," said Naasz, who dominated the first half of the season with two Red Bull Crashed Ice wins in Quebec City and Munich as well as a strong second place at the Riders Cup race in Avoriaz, France. "When I cut right, my blade lost edge and I went down unfortunately. It was a great race overall but now I'm looking forward to Sherbrooke."
Croxall, who finished third in Sherbrooke last year is also looking forward to another race at home after taking third at the last Riders Cup race in Bathurst and winning the Red Bull Crashed Ice race in Finland. Croxall has been the most consistent racer this season with five podiums in the six races he has been to, while Naasz has been on the podium in three of his six races.
Alongside Croxall and Naasz, the sport's elite will be in Sherbrooke this weekend, including Dean Moriarity (CAN), Tristan Dugerdil (FRA), Pacôme Schmitt (FRA), Luca Dallago (AUT), Marco Dallago (AUT), Fabian Mels (GER) and Derek Wedge (SUI). The top women will also be in town, with the likes of Jacqueline Legere (CAN), Alexis Jackson (USA) and Elaine Topolniski (CAN) all preparing to do battle.
"As Riders Cup Sherbrooke is one of the last races of the season, with a track with an exhausting skating first half, a fast second half and with some cool features on the way, I expect to see fierce battles between the top World Class riders," said Red Bull Crashed Ice sporting director Christian Papillon. "It's going to be Ice Cross Downhill at its best."
The Riders Cup was created as a new feeder event to open the sport to even more competitors in more locations. The six Riders Cup races this season, where winners earn 250 championship points, are part of the Ice Cross Downhill World Championship alongside the four Red Bull Crashed Ice races, where winners earn 1,000 championship points. Whoever wins the most points from the three of the four Red Bull Crashed Ice events and from three of the six Riders Cup races will be crowned Ice Cross Downhill World Champion.
Ice Cross Downhill World Championship standings:
MEN: 1. Scott Croxall (CAN) 2,885 points, 2. Cameron Naasz (USA) 2,840, 3. Dean Moriarity (CAN) 2,140, Luca Dallago (AUT) 1,425, 5. Tristan Dugerdil (FRA) 1,375, 6. Pacôme Schmitt (FRA) 1,345, 7. Kilian Braun (SUI) 1,320, 8. John Fisher (CAN) 1,030, 9. Paavo Klintrup (FIN) 995, 10. Maxwell Dunne (USA) 882,5
WOMEN: 1. Jacqueline Legere (CAN) 2,250 points, 2. Myriam Trepanier (CAN) 2,090, 3. Elaine Topolnisky (CAN) 1,700, 4. Alexis Jackson (USA) 1,500, 5. Sydney O'Keefe (USA) 1,420