Courtesy of Red Bull Media Service Team
Planté shocks women’s field for first Red Bull Ice Cross win in Yokohama.
Reigning world champion Cameron Naasz won the first ATSX 1000 race of the season in Yokohama to move another step towards his fourth Red Bull Ice Cross World Championship title as Maxie Planté won her first ever women’s race. Here is all you need to know:
– Naasz trailed Austrian Luca Dallago heading into the Japan stop, however raised his game again on the Yokohama track to edge out Canadian duo Kyle Croxall and Steven Cox with 2017/2018 junior champion Mirko Lahti rounding out the men’s big final in fourth.
– Luca Dallago crashed out of the semi-finals in controversial fashion as, when leading his heat out of the gates, judges determined he was pushed illegally by fellow rider Scott Croxall (brother of Kyle) who is only riding in an exhibition capacity this season.
– Thousands of happy Japanese fans then saw the 30-year-old American rider from Wisconsin beat 2012 world champion Croxall by the length of a blade with fan favourite Cox threatening to place higher at a few points on the track before fading down the stretch.
– Luca Dallago won the small final to finish fifth, however he now trails Naasz in the 2019/2020 overall standings by 300 points with Croxall 150 points behind.
– After the 20th win of his Ice Cross career and second victory in Yokohama, Naasz revealed: “I was pumped up to pull it off against good friends. I am really happy, because it is hard to earn points this year. I am glad that this sport is reaching new parts of the world.”
– In the women’s event, Canadian Planté held off compatriot and two-time world champion Jacqueline Legere for victory with reigning champion Amanda Trunzo (USA) third and rising 18 year-old star Justine Zonne from Latvia rounding out the big final places.
– Planté, 27, who tasted success at a 2018 Riders Cup race in Finland, enthused: “It’s amazing. I have been racing for six years, I waited so long for this moment.”
– Legere will move on to the next race in Le Massif de Charlevoix with a 125-point lead over Trunzo with Myriam Trepanier in third and Anais Morand fourth.
– Finnish star Leevi Nakari won his second junior race in a week on Friday night after the video judge disqualified Jo-Jo Velasquez (USA) for allegedly pushing Arthur Richalet-Chaudeur (France) to take the lead with Nakari now leading the Frenchman by 25 points overall.
– The Igora race in Russia, which was also scheduled for February 22, has now been postponed until March 7 due to unfavourable conditions for building ice on the track.
Men: 1. Cameron Naasz (USA) 2. Kyle Croxall (CAN) 3. Steven Cox (CAN) 4. Mirko Lahti (FIN) 5. Luca Dallago (AUT) 6. Michael Iulianello (USA) 7. Jim De Paoli (SUI) 8. Scott Croxall (CAN) 9. Dean Moriarty (CAN) 10. Dmytry Murlychkin (RUS).
Women: 1. Maxie Planté (CAN) 2. Jacqueline Legere (CAN) 3. Amanda Trunzo (USA) 4. Justine Zonne (LAT) 5. Myriam Trepanier (CAN) 6. Anais Morand (SUI) 7. Veronika Windisch (AUT) 8. Tamara Meuwissen (USA) 9. Samantha Meuwissen (USA) 10. Amadine Condroyer (FRA).
Juniors: 1. Leevi Nakari (FIN) 2. Arthur Richalet-Chaudeur (FRA) 3. Egor Tutarikov (RUS) 4. Johanny Velasquez (USA) 5. Linus Ollikainen (FIN) 6. Vladislas Ivanov (RUS) 7. Leon Stecenko (RUS) 8. Skyler Diamond-Burchuk 9. Guillaume Libert (FRA) 10. Eli Schaffer (USA).