Bastien Montes and Valentina Greggio wins Speed Masters 2018

Speed Masters 2018 - Day 3 Finals

The conditions today allowed only one race, so the start was pushed to 11.00 with a starting location just under the top. The sun was shining, and the snow getting warmer but the track was not fast enough for record speeds.

First days rocket Michail Shumilin (223.325 km/h) could not find his top speed, and was beaten by Michal Bekes (223.464 km/h) doing a great Speed Masters Debut.

Radek Cermak (228.571 km/h) was 5 km/h faster but it was not enough to reach the podium today. Instead the Finnish comeback Jukka Viitasaari came through with a superb run placing him in a 3’rd position with the speed of 230.769

One km/h faster, Simon Billy claims the second place. His speed was 231.809.

Winner, now 2 years in a row, Bastien Montes! 233.161 is the fastest anybody has skied this season and the winning speed of Speed Masters 2018.

Juan Carlos Sanches had an accident in his final run. He drifted slowly out to the left, 50 meters before the timing he was out of the groomed run and skiing in the soft snow. He fell just at the first timing and slided to the end of the breaking area. Assistance was quickly there but Juan Carlos could stand up and walk out. He hopes to be able to go to Andorra for the final races in the World Cup.

In high speeds it’s sometimes difficult to see the bounding areas of the track. This is due to keeping the head low, which makes the sight distance quite short. It’s a tradeoff between safety and speed where fast racers walks a thin line.

After the track was cleared the race could be resumed.

In the womens race, Celia Martinez has been solidly on top for the last two race days, but this day belonged to Valentina Greggio. With a remarkable ability to find that little extra in the final runs, she claims the gold medal for the 4’th time in Speed Masters. Valentina reached a final speed of 220.859, just 0.1 before Celia in 220.723. Suffice to say, Celia wasn't pleased with her run.

Seraina Murk and Clea Martinez finished in the exact same speed, 204.778 km/h, sharing the 3’rd place.

Thank you Vars, Billy and the organizers for a great event!

Now the racers are heading to Andorra for the final races of the World Cup. See you there!