What makes a track difficult in downhill skating? Well, it could be the speed of the track, the technicality of the corners, the length of the track, or in the case of Yaku Raymi World Cup, the environmental conditions that affect the track.
We mentioned in yesterday's article, the race track takes place on the highest tropical mountain range in the world. With this comes sporadic weather conditions that could change within minutes. This is exactly what we saw in today's qualifying runs as the weather shifted from rain, to clouds, to dry, to hail.
Practice 1: Dry
Practice 2: Wet
Qualifying 1: Patchy / Wet
Qualifying 2: Patchy / Dry
Qualifying 3: Dry
Repechage: Hail
The temperamental weather conditions made it difficult for riders to get a clean run and it was our decision to continue running qualifying as the weather wasn't showing any monumental changes and the changes between wet and dry would continue to occur.
Open Qualifying Top 5:
- Pepe Laporte (BR) at 1:57.93
- Lucas Poulain (FR) at 1:59.82
- Harry Clarke (AU) at 1:59.93
- Douglas Dalua (BR) at 2:00.29
- Daniel Engel (USA) at 2:00.48
Pepe’s top qualifying spot sets him up well for race day which is what he will need to sustain his current #2 in the world ranking. As you know from our recent points update article, Harry Clarke and Daniel Engel are also in the running and not far off from Pepe’s time. Josh Evans isn't far from the bunch with his sixth place qualifying time.
Women Qualifying Top 3:
- Lyde Begue (FR) at 2:04.28
- Sabrina Ambrosi (AR) at 2:07.96
- Josefa Porter (CL) at 2:08.42
Similar to the Open race, the #2 and #3 positions in the world rankings currently have 1 point separating them and the two holding those spots are none other than Sabrina and Lyde. If Lyde finishes ahead of Sabrina in tomorrow’s race it will bump her into #2 in the Women world rankings.
Luge Qualifying Top 3:
- Will Stephenson (UK) at 2:03.78
- Konstantin Weigl (AT) at 2:06.50
- Luis Mogrovejo (PE) at 2:07.28
Will may have worn his rain pants over his leathers half of the day but that didn’t stop him from leaving the fastest luge time on the track. If he takes first in tomorrow’s race it will put him in #1 in the Luge world rankings.
Masters Qualifying Top 3:
- Douglas Dalua (BR) at 2:00.29
- Rafael Sabella (BR) at 2:05.27
- Leonardo Discacciati (BR) at 2:06.23
Dalua continues to be a prominent rider in both Masters and Open. He has already secured his #1 in the Masters world rankings but that doesn’t mean he’s not still hungry for wins.
Junior Qualifying Top 3:
- Anderon Maldonato (CO) at 2:06.42
- Diego Lopez (PE) at 2:12.36
- Miguel Maguina (PE) at 2:13.81
Anderson is Colombia’s up and coming grom that is looking to take the South America continental title in junior’s this year. With top finishes across each of the preceding continental events there is a good chance he could take the gold in Junior’s during tomorrow’s race.
For full qualifying results see here and click results.
Yaku Raymi Race Bracket:
Tomorrow’s racing is going to continue to keep riders on their toes with the temperamental mountain. The podium will likely consist of those that can be quick to transition between riding conditions and still compete at a top level.
Stay tuned on our Facebook and Instagram for updates throughout the remainder of the South America tour.
Photos by Ryan Ricker (@_ricker_)
