There is a saying that says to finish first, first you have to finish. Joe Grieve emerged from the pack after the first run to take the spoils and be crowned 2018 British Giant Slalom Dryslope Champion. Grieve had been in sixth place after the first run but posted the fastest second run time to take the race win as those faster than him crashed out or could not match his speed. Duncan Greenshields and Scott Waitt joined Grieve on the podium with Nathan Columb and Thomas Upton taking fourth and fifth.
Robbie Anderson put the marker down on the first run to lead by four tenths of a second from James Hannan with Duncan Greenshields in third. Grieve was almost eight tenths of a second back after a relatively subdued run by his standards.
After winning the Scottish Championship Slalom and being runner up in the GBR Series race at Hillend, Grieve has risen to prominence alongside the rise of Anderson on the dryslopes. The two racers push each other to go faster and faster and this is great to witness.
Before Grieve took to the Murray Howie set course, Scott Waitt was in the finish having set the fastest time to that point. There was little to suggest how the race would pan out.
Grieve was frustrated to crash out in the slalom, disappointed with his first run and then put it all together on the second run to snag a deserved British Championship Giant Slalom title.
Adam Hay followed Grieve down and dropped off massively with a mistake and then Nathan Columb, Ireland, could not live with the pace set by Grieve and Waitt.
After Columb came Greenshields and although slower than Waitt on the run had enough in hand to go into second behind Grieve. With Hannan and Anderson still to go, a podium place hung in the balance for Greenshields.
Howie admitted after setting the course that he had been thinking of setting a double delay on the transition at the top but after Callum Henderson had set that combination, he had had to have a rethink. The course he set was fast and required the racers to be brave and attack if they were to set a fast time.
A mistake by James Hannan put paid to his chances of holding on to his podium place and he dropped down to tenth overall.
With Hannan now out of the equation, Anderson was the only racer still at the start. Having negotiated the fast section at the top of the course, Anderson came on to the flat section at speed. If he had managed to hold the speed, victory would be his. In a blink of an eye disaster struck as the Glasgow racer straddled and lay prone on the slope for a moment. As the watching crowd gathered their thoughts, Anderson gingerly rose up from the matting.
Grieve thus had emerged from sixth place to take the win with Waitt taking third from seventh, the two separated by Greenshields.
The age groups were won by Daniel Leitch (Under 14, 11th Overall); Joe Grieve (Under 16, British Champion); Duncan Greenshields (Under 18, 2nd Overall) and Scott Waitt (Under 21, 3rd Overall).
Ian Menzies and Lorcan Morrison took the Under 12 and Under 10 race wins.