Alex Tilley and Charlie Guest along with their new team mate for the forthcoming season, Darcie Mead, gave further evidence that the Delancey British Women's Alpine Ski Team are making inroads on the results lists. In a high quality Australia New Zealand Cup Giant Slalom race in Coronet Peak, Tilley put in a promising ... 8th place result while Guest improved on her previous days position to take 13th. While neither racer scored a result to improve their FIS ranking, sometimes, as Tilley explained after the race, it is about mixing it with the top girls and getting the position.
Norwegian Ragnhild Mowinckel took the race win and also shared the Yellow bib for the ANZ Cup Winner in Giant Slalom with New Zealand racer Piera Hudson, the two being just two points ahead of Greta Small from Australia in the rankings after three races. talking after the race, Hudson explained that she was "more relieved than anything but yeah really chuffed!" Hudson, who raced at the Delancey British Championships last season added that this had been her goal for the season "and to get both national titles and lower my points so for the first time in a season I've finally accomplished all my goals which is a nice feeling!"
For the British girls, Tilley was the class act of the four British girls in the race in taking 8th place overall. After the race she explained to Racer Ready: "It was good skiing again, but the courses were both much straighter and faster today, and I think I just gave it a little bit too much respect. Still happy with the skiing though, the results will come if I keep my form."
With the Norwegian World Cup star, Mowinckel, on a roll, Tilley explained "it's always nice to make a result, but sometimes it is just as good to really compete with some of the bigger names." Tilley had a great lower section and picked up a serious amount of speed lower down.
Charlie Guest said after the race that she was "not at all disappointed in the way that I skied. Technically it was strong, however I just wasn't as brutal with the line as I should have been and skied too round both first and second run which cost me a lot of time mostly on the bottom section."
Darcie Mead made a jump up in terms of place when against her start number to place 26 from a start number of 37 to score a sub 60 point result, her best result so far this season. Mead explained that her "first run wasn't so great second run was a lot better." Mead realises that at the moment it is all a learning curve for her and is in it for the long haul. The step up in class that she is experiencing at the moment will be hard at first but she will benefit in the long run.
Rachelle Rogers used the time she had spare after coming out in the first run to good effect as she watched the top girls battle it out. "It was good to watch: basically they just charge! and thats what I need to learn to do. Apply my power to generate speed, but then stay in the course!" Adding "training will help me get consistency and help me learn to react to speed."
In the Men's race Adam Zampa won again but sadly Laurie Taylor failed to finish the first run.
With two ANZ Slaloms to come, this will then be it for the racing in the summer and the girls will head home.
Results
Men
Women
Picture: Darcie Mead competing in the Delancey British Alpine Championships in March. Credit: Racer Ready - all rights reserved