2013 Indoor GBR Review

Race 1 

Milton Keynes

The opening race of the Ski Bartlett and Atomic sponsored GBR indoor series saw the nation's best summer racers go head to head on the oldest indoor race slope in the country.

In the ladies event Alice Macualey stamped an immediate authority on the series with what can only be described as a very comprehensive opening victory. Laying down a first run time that only race runner up Anna Henderson could get remotely close to challenging, Macauley then extended her advantage to more than a second by nailing an equally destructive second run. The sharp end of the ladies field ran her a touch closer on run 2 but in truth the battle was only ever for the second place eventually claimed by Henderson. Sophie Ogden's terrific 2nd run proved good enough for 3rd and squeezed Megan Jenkins into 4th whilst Deborah Henery and Nia Jenkins couldn't be split in joint 5th

With a number of the males still resting after a hectic British Alpine Championships Matthew Thompson took maximum advantage to claim a win that was equally as comprehensive as the one Macauley achieved in the ladies event. An opening run saw the Hemel racer open up a 0.6 second advantage over the rest of the field and Thompson mercilessly doubled this on run 2 with an equally solid run. Elsewhere, Kieron Norris proved best of the rest by claiming runners up spot with Rory Farron, Matthew Martin and Cameron Brown finishing 3rd, 4th & 5th respectively.

Races  2 & 3

Manchester

I guess that if British Indoor Ski racing has a spiritual home, then despite its relative infancy, Manchester's magnificent Chill Factor with it's excellent snow, rock hard base and extra racing length, would probably be it. Indeed, with this being a weekend double header we were going to get a good idea of where the series spoils were likely to be going by the time Sunday afternoon arrived.

Saturday - Race 2

In the ladies event Alice Macauley continued where she had left off at Milton Keynes with another dominant display. This time however a number of her competitors pushed her close, particularly on a tight first run, however when her rivals asked the questions Macauley's second run provided all the answers as she again crushed the rest of the field. Home slope racer Beth Widdup proved best of the rest in runners up spot with Francesca Lee, Sophie Ogden and Megan Jenkins once again deservedly claiming top 5 finishes.

The male event saw a new name on the top of the podium as Glasgow Ski Racing athlete Euan Kick edged out Ashley Breese by under 0.2 seconds overall. Robert Trebilcock enhanced his burgeoning status with an excellent third place whilst expererience overcame youth for the minor placing as Marc Telling did enough to claim 4th pace and pushed Zak Vinter into 5th.

Sunday - Race 3

The following morning confirmed the old adage about the cream rises to the top as both of Saturday's overall winners Alice Macauey and Euan Kick returned again to the top of their respective podiums.

Both winning margins had been significantly reduced however, with Macauley winning the girls event by 0.3 seconds and Kick stealing the male race by the small matter of eight hundredths.

In the ladies event both Francesca Lee and Sophie Ogden continued their fine form placing 2nd and 3rd respectively, whilst Nia Jenkins did enough to claim 4th in front of 5th placed Emily Hopkins

In the male event Ashley Breese pushed Kick all the way before falling marginally short but did more than enough to overcomes Zak Vinter, Matthew Thompson and Kieron Norris into 3rd, 4th & 5th respectively

Race 4

Glasgow

With the series heading north of the border Glasgow's fantastic indoor facility played host to race 4 in the 2013 series. The move north also opened the series up to a larger number of Scottish based racers, many of whom were looking to make a mark on the series.

In the ladies race home racer Nicole Richie ensured that her mark was pretty substantial, opening up a huge lead on run 1, then equally nailing a second run to demolish her opposition by 1.2 seconds. Francesca Lee again proved best of the rest to claim the runners up spot with Sophie Ogden again claiming 3rd. Deborah Henerey claimed her 2nd top five spot of the series by taking 4th and Georgia Hallet rounded off the top 5.

In the male race Euan Kick claimed a third win of the series doing enough to win both runs and claim a half second winning margin over Matthew Thompson. Callum Henderson found himself just squeezed into third by the narrowest of margins from Thompson with Paul Henderson and Charles Richardson filling the final top 5 platings.

Races 5 & 6

Manchester

Saturday - Race 5

A second Manchester double header rounded off the seres for summer 2013 and provided plenty of thrills, spills and four more individual race wins.

The Saturday event saw Sophie Ogden complete what she had threatened to do all series as she converted two super runs into a well deserved individual race win. Francesca Lee pushed her all the way however and having to settle for another runners up spot could be pleased with another strong showing. Megan Jenkins pushed both ladies hard but had to settle for 3rd whilst Caroline Powell and Deborah Henerey completed the top 5 with 4th & 5th respectively.

The male race saw Callum Henderson use all of his racing experience to see off a number of hungry younger racers to claim victory by 0.4 seconds. Robert Trebilcock again proved his qualities with an excellent runners up spot whilst Zak Vinter fought off Jordan Fellows and Chris Corr to claim a fine 3rd. Fellows eventually finishing 4 th & Corr 5th.

Sunday - Race 6

The final race of the series played host to a fantastic head to head battle between Francesca Lee and Sophie Ogden. After a summer series where they were almost inseparable in terms of times the entire series came down to a final run battle to see who would claim the overall crown. Essentially, it was winer takes all.

In the end it was Lee who proved triumphant, holding off a second run Ogden charge to claim the race and series victory. Ogden had to settle for the runners up spot both in terms of the race and the series whilst Beth Widdup did enough on both runs to claim 3rd. The minor placings in the top 5 ended up as a Jenkins family affair as younger sibling Megan squeezed out older sister Nia to claim 4th place in both the race and the series whilst Nia had to settle for 5th place in the race and series. Both girls finishing in the series just behind 3rd placed Alice Macauley.

The male race saw a new name on the winners podium as Jordan Fellows produced a super 2nd run to leapfrog Robert Trebilcock and Zak Vinter to claim the overall race win. A victory for Vinter would also have given him the overall series crown but in the end he had to settle for 3rd in the race behind runner up Trebilcock and 2nd in the series behind Glasgow team mate Euan Kick. The excellent final weekend results for Trebilcock & Fellows ensured 4th & 5th places in the overall series respectively, just behind 3rd placed Matthew Thompson. With regard to the day's racing Callum Henderson aligned 4th with Charles Richardson in 5th.

So the series ended with names for the future battling it out with names already at the forefront of what is a strong and competitive sport. As a battleground for winter athletes to meet up, race each other and spend some time away from the pressures of winter racing the GBR indoor series has an important place within the structure of British ski racing. It also offers those dipping their toes into racing of the standards and opportunities out there And whilst it will obviously never carry the kudos of a race or series win in the mountains, success at Britain's premier summer race series still carries significant respect.  If the future of the sport lies in the hands of these racers then our sport looks to be in very good hands. Roll on 2014.

All England Champs 2013

Gloucester. Newly extended, fresh matting in place, looking resplendent on a sunny autumn Saturday morning and prepared for the biggest start list of the 2013 artificial racing season. The All England Championship was coming home.

First up was the opening run of the u10 & u12 event. With stubbies now very much the accepted route forward for the lower aged racers it was great to see our younger racers ski racing without the worry of dealing with full sized poles in a best run of two counts shoot out.

In the girls race Nadine Hugec stamped an immediate authority on proceedings, nailing the fastest run in the first run. Eva Pascoe ran her close on run 1 and whilst beating Hugec on the 2nd run it wasn't enough to overcome the BSA racer's first run. Both girls proving too good for 3rd placed Eleanor Eaves with Grace Black and Charley Fellows just edged out.

In the boys race Toby Case completed a dominant season with a comprehensive win over a field deep both in terms of numbers and future potential. Pendle racer Robert Holmes proved too good for the remainder of the field, shading a highly competitive 2nd place shoot out and nudging Joseph Thompson, 2004 born racer Jack Upton and Josef Huppach into 3rd, 4th & 5th respectively.

With the stubbies lifted and full poles in place showtime had certainly arrived. The time to deliver was now.

For the ladies it was very much a case of the race for first place being virtually over before it had barely started as Cardiff racer Emily Hopkins - the first athlete down - destroyed course 1 with a blistering run. A blur of red and blue gates brushed aside as she tore through a tough opening course only Hannah Bozier ever looked likely to get close to Hopkins' time. Jenny Davies, Bozier's Aldershot team mate, found some good speed to place 3rd on run one 0.8 seconds back but they were the only two racers within a second of the leader.

In contrast, the male race witnessed a massacre as almost a third of the field perished before their day had barely begun. Like lemmings perishing over the cliff edge, too many racers either failed to inspect properly, failed to move quickly enough or were overly reliant on ceramic prepared edges to complete a tough but rewarding challenge set by home slope coach Headley Beavis. Get it wrong and it was quickly over, get it right and the rewards were obvious.

Of the top 15 only a few got close to completing and apart from excellent runs from Michael Molloy and Stuart Riches there was no challenge within half a second of midway leader Tom Hales' magnificent opening effort.

The post lunch second run produced very much the same fare as the morning action as Emily Hopkins refused to settle for taking the percentage option for the win and went full out for a second time. Just over 18 seconds later the challenge from the rest was decimated as Hopkins majestically threaded her way to a thumping victory.

Again, Hannah Bozier provided a challenge but she was the only racer to finish with a full second of Hopkins.

Jenny Davies again proved best of the rest in 3rd whilst Francesca Lee claimed a deserved 4th just in front of Sophie Ogden, Alex Bullock and the matt returning Nia Jenkins.

In the male race things were always going to be a lot closer, given that the three first run leaders were split by just shy of three tenths. First to go was third placed Stuart Riches. Frustratingly however Riches couldn't quite repeat the smooth run he found in the morning and whilst his challenge faded somewhat it was still good enough to place him as leader, just in front of Harry Hornsby, David Hatcher and Ben Clarke as he crossed the line.

Next down was Norfolk's Molloy, who knew that if he was to challenge for the overall win he would need something a bit special down Gloucester's re-extended challenge. And special it was, nailing 23 turns in a smidgen over 18 seconds. His challenge was real and laid down in front of first run leader Tom Hales.

Stood at the top Hales took his time, snapped his bindings and buckled down, took a few deep breaths and composed himself. He knew that this was his chance - no mistakes and the title was his. His run was good, very good but when push came to shove Molloy's 2nd run proved just too good and Hales found himself nudged down into 2nd. No doubt the Cardiff racer will be as disappointed as Molloy pleased but he can take solace in the fact that if he retains his appetite then his time will surely come.

There was no denying the winners however. And whilst Molloy's win was both fully deserved and hugely impressive given the limited training due to his full time military commitments Emily Hopkins undoubtedly stole the show. Her victory was as dominant and as brutal as they come. Indeed on a day where class would ultimately tell, Hopkins proved the new undisputed queen of the matting.