World Cup # 2 Fort William, Scotland


Fort William world cup is always a big favourite for me on the world cup calendar, not only because it is in the UK, but also because I enjoy riding the course and have had a lot of success there in the past. The one thing that is never guaranteed at Fort William is the weather. Over the last 8 years we have had all sorts of conditions, and this was looking like it was going to be a good one as the it had been dry for a good few weeks leading up to the event. It was also great to see how much the organisers had invested into revamping the downhill track. It had loads of new sections and I know how hard it is to make any changes on this track, as most of the material has to be lifted in by helicopter ! It was great for the riders to have some new sections to learn and work out the best lines. This was my 8th time racing at Fort William and every year I am amazed that so many people make the drive up to watch and support the event. It makes me so proud that we have the most supportive and loyal fans out of the entire world as this is always the biggest race and as a British rider the most amazing atmosphere to ride in. Thanks to everyone who made the trip up.

After a disappointing start to my world cup in Maribor, I really needed to get some points on the board here. It took me a few runs to work out the new sections and then it began to flow really well. Although the race times were slightly shorter than last year, it was definitely still tough on your hands as it is still one of the longest and roughest tracks on the circuit. I had a solid qualifying run with one major mistake, so I knew I could improve on my 4th place. In my race run, I had a good top section, recording the fastest time at the first split. There were a couple of places where I felt like I could have ridden slightly better, but otherwise I was happy with me run. I went 8secs quicker went into the lead with a 5.16min. I didn’t think it would be good enough to win and I was right as I ended up in 4th, just over 4secs off the time of Sabrina Jonnier. I was satisfied to be back on the podium, but it’s not where I would have liked to have finished at this race. I know have some work to do to find that extra speed for the next round in Leogang, Austria in 2 weeks time.

Tracy