L a t e s t  n e w s ..... Rachel Adcock and Gerard Flahive win both races at Scottish Dry Slope Championships ...

'The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams' (Eleanor Roosevelt).

Baggio shows Prince the new order, Ruddick wins first GP

A few years ago Jayme Baggio was picking her way down the courses on the dry slope circuit while Shanna Prince was at the peak of her power - winning races with determination and facing challenges from Jo Ryding and Sega Fairweather. While the latter two have gone on to race on the snow with great success, as has Baggio, Prince has returned this summer to race on the plastic.  Despite having spent time away from the racing, Prince still has the power and skill to mix it with the best and this clash between the two was eagerly anticipated.  Would it be the style and grace of the new order or would it be the power and experience of the old? In the end Jayme Baggio showed that she is top of the pile these days and that things have moved on since Prince was ruling the roost!  In the men's race it was a maiden victory for Craig Ruddick from Marc Telling and Pete Walters.

With no Dave Ryding the race was open and it was anyone's guess who would take the top spot at the end.  Marc Telling was the one most were favouring for victory but then the resurgent Pete Walters and outside betting was going with Craig Ruddick. Home slope knowledge gave Stuart Riches an opportunity yet others that could not be counted out were the likes of Lloyd Papantoniou, Andy Roose and Justin Mesut.  In the end it was Ruddick who took the top spot with two runs that nobody else could match. Telling and Walters matched each other time for time on the first run yet they had to play second fiddle to Stuart Riches on the first run who in turn was behind Ruddick.  With Papantoniou just behind these four, this was close racing. Papantoniou took the lead from Mesut on the second run and he was in turn usurped by Walters and then telling edged just ahead. For Riches, a racer that has slowly edged his way into the reckoning over the last few years, combining his racing with coaching the young Norfolk racers, this was new territory and it was not a great surprise that he choked slightly and had to be content with being behind the two senior racers after his run, still with Ruddick to go.  Ruddick posted an immense run to secure his first Grand Prix win. Many times over the years Ruddick has had to play second fiddle to the likes of Adam Lee, Georgie Hunt and Antony Heaversedge but he has out lasted them all in staying on the circuit to win this his first Grand Prix.

The women's race was tight and fast and after the first run Prince had the edge over her younger rival. This was just the sort of challenge that Baggio needed as she has been a little complacent in recent races almost knowing that she had to just turn up to win. After the first run she was behind Prince and the next racers were not that far behind her.  Alice Thelwell and Alessia Thomas Jackson were both with two tenths of the Hemel racer and in this day and age this was close racing! All was to change after the second run as Baggio got the bit between her teeth and obliterated the rest of the field, posting a time that was over half a second ahead of Prince and the rest of the field. How Prince reacts to this will be interesting and will give the Grand Prix series a taste of competition! With Thomas Jackson and Thelwell swapping places, the rise of the young Suffolk racer continues!

Further down the field in the girls race, Charlotte Davies showed that she can attack the courses and placed 12th from a start number of 43 and fourth place in the congested Junior 1 girls group.  Baggio won the age group as well with the rest of the age groups being sorted out as follows: Stephanie Davies (Children 1), Thomas Jackson (Children 2), Rowan Vernon (Junior 2), Shanna Prince (Seniors) and Mary Ondrusz (Masters).

In the Men's race the age groups went as follows: Shaun Blyth (Children 1), Dan Evans (Children 2), Dan Curtis (Junior 1), Stuart Riches (Junior 2), Craig Ruddick (Senior) and David Blackwell (Masters).

For the full race results click here

To see the thumbnails from the racing please click here