After 4 days of practice and qualifying, riders were ready to battle it out at the Showdown at the Loops. Winds remained calm throughout the day as racers formulated their race strategy.
Open skateboard racing was tight from the first round. All contenders in the top 48 have the ability to achieve good placement. The still winds played into the hands of experience racers with good race strategy.
Top contender Bryce Brady got caught up in a first round tangle. With 6 riders battling for the best line, conflicting lines and bad luck can sweep you off your board. The only racer that was able to separate from his first rounds heat was Carlos Paixão. He was able to build a strong lead off the push while other riders lost ground battling. With this separation, Carlos, was able to focus on lines without having to protect his position. This was enough for him and his draft to disappear from the pack.
The quarterfinals were stacked with Maryhill podium veterans and new podium hungry racers. Aggressive lines were starting to being taken towards the end of the track in last ditch efforts to advance. #1 Qualifier and defending champion, Zak Maytum, washed out and crashed in the last turn as his line got swarmed with ambitious lines.
Tension was high as the Semi-Finals went up the hill. All 12 competitors were equally skilled with potential to win. The question was who was going to play the chess game to their advantage. As the Semi Final #1 kicked off the line, riders exchanged positions down the hill fighting for positioning into Cowzer. This critical turn can play a major decider in the results. With a flat exit and mellow grade heading into the last corner, the leading rider can often be draft bait for close competitors. Thiago Lessa took a gamble and entered Cowzers first. With a dialed line and perfect exit speed, he was able to create enough distant and take the heat win. Tanner Morelock followed Thiago Lessa to hold on to second while Justin Rouleau made two passes into 3rd to advance to the finals.
Semi Final #2 was another chess game. Carlos Paixao held the lead until the straightway into Cowzers when Jackson Shapiera, Max Capps, and Max Ballesteros passed Carlos entering the turn. Jacko lead a tight pack into the last corner. Entering the bottom left, Max Ballesteros and Max Capps battled for the same line. As they scrubbed speed rubbing elbows, Carlos slipped into 3rd as Capps got washed out wide. Carlos would advance into the finals along with Jackson Shapiera and Max Ballesteros.
In the the consolation final, Max Capps edged out Jimmy Riha by a wheel to take 7th place.
The final heat was stacked with defending World Champion, Carlos Paixao, current points leader Max Ballesteros, and second in points, Thiago Lessa, along with Australian, Jackson Shaperia and Coloradoans, Justin Rouleau and Tanner Morelock. The pack stayed close through the entirety of the run. All three Brazilians and Jackson held the lead at some point. Coming into Cowzers, Thiago lead with Max, Carlos and Jacko directly on his tail. Tanner and Justin were within striking distance but would have to slice through the pack with precision to fight for the victory. Thiago tried to pull the same move he did in the semi-finals but Max was able to match his exit speed. With the help of the draft, Max Ballesteros was able to take the lead heading into the final corner. Jackson was able to pass Carlos entering the final turn but wasn’t able to hold the inside line and Carlos secured 3rd place by a less than a board length. Max held off Thiago for the victory.
It was Brazilian 1st, 2nd, 3rd. This win for Max means both Carlos and Max each won 2 WQS (World Qualifying Series) events this year. Only 2 WQS are counted towards your season total. They can now both focus on the more point heavy WC (World Cup) events. There has only been 2 WC event this year with Max winning the season opener in Australia, and Carlos winning Killington in North America. With the Whistler WC less then a week away, results of this next WC can swing the momentum of the title chase. Max and Carlos are currently in a two way battle but Thiago Lessa, Jimmy Riha, Jackson Shaperia, and Zak Maytum are within reach if they can secure victory at Whistler.
In the Women’s Class, Emily Pross continued to excerpt her dominance winning but the pack is not far behind.
Victoria Waddington and Candy Dungan had a tight battle for 2nd. Victory shut the door in the final corner securing 2nd place.
Mikel Echegaray Diez was able to win the luge class. Ryan Farmer was able to put up a contest but Mikel was able to inch away down the hill. Mike Paproski rounded out the podium.
In Juniors, 1 and 2 top qualifiers swapped final placement as Knox Heslop edged out Nikolas Matousek for the win.
There was a big crash just behind the leaders of the Junior Final in the last corner. Dylan Shrimpton was able to get up first for third.
Roy Wolf came from behind to win the Master's Class.
With the conclusions of the Showdown at the Loops, the IDF would like to thank the Maryhill Ratz for all their hard work organizing the event and send positive vibes to lead organizer, Dean Ozuna, who suffered an injury on Friday afternoon. Stay tuned to the IDF (Facebook, Instagram), for updates on the 2016 World Tour.
