The lure of racing on the indoor snow at Chill Factore in Manchester was enough to bring some of the most exciting talent in Great Britain that race in the summer to fight it out for the Anglo Welsh titles. With British Junior Team racers in the men's field and past British Champions from the Alpine races also in the field this was a quality field that assembled. Francesca Lee took the girls title ahead of Georgia Hallett and Shannon Potter. In the men's race, Euan Kick almost surrendered his first run lead but held on beat compatriot Zak Vinter with Ireland's Kieran Norris in third overall. ...
The first run in the girls race saw two of the leading names crash out. Both Amanda Aldridge, many observers pre race favourite, and Kate Taylor both came out in the top half of the Jo Ryding set course. Lee did not let their demise upset her and although she felt that she had not skied that great, she was fast. In ski racing it all about the clock.
Nicole Shering took fourth after the first run with Lois Jackson, fresh from her podium in the All England on the plastic mat, in fifth.
Dave Tee set the second run and Lois Jackson produced a great run to overhaul the hundredth of second advantage that Shering held over her to snatch fourth. The three tenths advantage that Potter held was too much for the young Ravens racer to pull back and although Jackson was faster on the second run, Potter held the advantage. Georgia Hallett was chasing Francesca Lee's advantage of eight hundredths and although she was just under half a second faster than Jackson and Potter, Lee went even faster to win by over half a second.
Lee is an impressive racer and is one of the few racers to approach Indoor racing in full alpine attire: Race suit, helmet and goggles. The girl takes it very seriously as she looks to replicate the conditions for when she races on snow. Others would do well to follow her lead.
In the first run of the mens race, held a lead of almost two tenths over Zak Vinter with Rory Farren producing a great run to be in third. Kieran Norris was in fourth with a return to racing for Matthew Thompson seeing him in fifth after the first run. Sadly the return to racing for ex-GB Team racer Roger Hughes resulted in a straddle high up the course but he has vowed to return to the indoor racing along with some of his charges from the reformed Plas Y Brennin slope in North Wales.
The second run saw Ambition's Marc Telling, a youthful Master these days, recapture some of the form he had in his younger days to climb up the leaderboard into the top ten, bettering the time of some of the current Junior GB Team racers on the second run. Maybe the lure of a home fixture for his table topping this morning football team distracted Jordan Fellows but he held on to place seventh just ahead of Telling.
Farren dropped down to sixth after a disappointing second run with Matthew Thompson in fifth and Sam Carsen taking fourth. Kieran Norris produced a much improved second run to take third while the battle between the two Delancey British Junior Team athletes Zak Vinter and Euan Kick saw Vinter match the time of Norris before Kick edged two hundredths faster.
Kick admitted after the second run that he felt he had almost blown the chance to win after not attacking out of the start gate on the second run. "I told myself to just ski clean and I would be alright," he admitted. The two hundredths advantage extended his lead for the Overall win.
The girls age groups were won by Daisi Daniels (Under 14 - 7th Overall); Shannon Potter (Under 16, 3rd Overall); Francesca Lee (Under 18, Overall winner); Georgia Hallett (Under 21, 2nd Overall); Emily Goddard (Senior) and Rowena Burkinshaw (Masters).
The boys age groups went as follows: Robert Holmes (under 14); Bailey Dickson (Under 16, 10th Overall); Zak Vinter (Under 18, 2nd Overall); Euan Kick (Under 21, Overall Winner); Matthew Thompson (Senior, 5th Overall) and Marc Telling (Masters, 8th Overall)
The Mini's race saw Matilda O'Brien win the under 12's race with Caitlin Baldwin the Under 10's (and 3rd Overall) while Kayne Stanway took the Under 12's and Lewis Calder (5th Overall) the Under 10's.
Great racing and tomorrow will see the British Indoor Title being fought out! The Anglo Welsh and British Indoor will both count towards the GBR Indoor Series it has been announced.
Anglo Scottish Results female results / male results / u10u12 results
Pictures from the racing will be up on www.racer-ready.ifp3.com
Picture of Francesca Lee competing at Chill Factore. Credit - Racer Ready - all rights reserved.
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