After having seen his first run lead destroyed in the National Race, Toby Case stepped up his game to take his first Open Title with a commanding win in the Welsh Open. Craig Speed had to settle for second with Rhys Price taking third. Joshua Price and Aiden Jones rounded out the top five finishers.
Despite the constant rain, the atmosphere over the course of the day was a credit to the racers and the organisers. Honour and pride were important for the racers and this shone out despite the drizzle.
Case was determined to right the disappointment of not winning from the day before and increased the gap that he held to the rest after the first run. A lead of just under half a second to Craig Speed was impressive and set the bar high for the rest looking to grab the Welsh Open Title from the clutches of the talented Aldershot and Ambition racer. Rhys Price was the only other racer to get under the twenty second mark but he was over a second behind Case. Aiden Jones and Joshua Price filled places four and five after the first run.
Nicholas Bingham set the second run alight with a great run that edged him ahead of Charlie Tubbs eight to go. Peter Davies looked to be heading to the lead with a vastly improved second run before a momentary lack of concentration saw him miss the last gate and his race was over.
Joshua Price then put the disappointment of straddling on the second run behind him to grab the lead and he held it when Aiden Jones was not able to better his combined time.
Rhys Price was not able to better Joshua Price’s time but had enough to take the overall lead before it was all eyes on the two Aldershot racers battling it out for the race win.
Speed was first down and with a half second deficit to overhaul he knew that he had to go for it. With a time that was 1.6 seconds better than Joshua Price had managed, it was all eyes back to the top of the slope.
Case had learned from the experience the day before and wanted this race. Winning your first Open Title is always a special moment and no small errors crept in. When he crossed the line the clock stopped with him faster and in the lead. It was an Aldershot one two finish with Case taking his first Open Title. More will come but Speed will now have to go away and lick his wounds and try again another day. Team mates off the course, fierce competitors as soon as the wand is broken. This will help both racers get better.
The age groups were won by Charlie Deem (Under 14, 12th Overall); Toby Case (Under 16, Race Winner); Rhys Price (Under 18, 3rd Overall); Craig Speed (Under 21, 2nd Overall).
Race Result
Action pictures from the racing on www.racerready.zenfolio.com