Lauren Vale produced a stunning performance in posting the fastest time on both runs to take the Team Evolution British Outdoors Title in Stoke to add the title to the Ski Bartlett English Open and the Dash for Cash that she had won so impressively over the weekend. Charlotte Holmes and Olivia Howeson joined Vale on the Overall podium with Holly McKey and Eleanor Eaves rounding out the top five.
The two courses, set by Dave Eaves and Guy Hosnsby gave the racers plenty to think about but it was the second run that saw that hopes of many a racer disappear, including one of the pre race favourites, Nicole Shering.
Vale, Holmes and Shering were the top three after the first run and were comfortably ahead of the rest of the field. Places four to eight, however, were separated by just over two tenths. Isabella Tomkinson, Eaves, Howeson, McKey and Eva Pascoe were all closely bunched.
When Eva Pascoe crashed out on the second run it left promising Abigail Putman, recently back from injury, leading in the finish.
McKey was next down and she pushed the bar higher with an improved run before Howeson went even faster. The stakes were high and the girls were going for it.
Eaves could not cope with the speed that Howeson or McKey had generated and dropped down into third of those in the finish.
Isabella Tomkinson has not raced that much in the summer yet has impressed when she has been at the races. Fourth after the first run was where she stood but could not back this up as she looked to make it on to the podium and she skied out.
Shering followed Tomkinson out of the race as she just got the line wrong coming through the technical section that Hornsby had set on the second run. This left Howeson on the podium guaranteed.
Holmes was next down and she could have been forgiven taking a dafe run knowing that she had 0.70 advantage over Howeson from the first run. This is not in Holmes's DNA and she went faster than her teammate to give Vale something to think about as she waited at the start.
Vale has been impressive in the GBR races this season as she stormed to the Outdoor title and the overall. Her second run was smooth, quiet and she had a great line to go even faster than Holmes and take the GB Title sponsored by Team Evolution.
Next up for Vale and the rest of the girls is the All England.
The age groups were won by Olivia Howeson (Uner 14, 3rd Overall), Charlotte Holmes (Under 16, Runner Up), Holly McKey (Under 18, 4th Overall), Lauren Vale (Under 21, GB Champion) and Abigail Ward (Senior).
Full results
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