British Bobsleigh Association
World Cup Round 05
21 December 2009
Altenberg Race Reports
The fifth round of the Bobsleigh World Cup was held at the challenging Altenberg track, which has three times hosted the World Championships, in 1991, 2000 and in February 2008. The picturesque town of Altenberg is located in the Saxon region of Germany and the Altenberg track is considered one of the most difficult in the world.
2-Man Bobsleigh Race 05
The 2-Man bobsleigh race was held on 19th December and saw a timely return to form by Andre Lange on his home track. Andre Lange / Kevin Kuske of Germany were 1st with a 0.66 second margin over fellow countrymen Thomas Florschuetz / Marc Kuehne, with Ivo Rueegg / Cedric Grand of Switzerland finishing in 3rd place. Steven Holcomb of the USA, who leads the 4-Man World Cup, crashed on his second run and finished in what for him was a lowly 19th place.
The GB1 bobsleigh of Lee Johnston / Dan Money were in 18th place, with the GB2 bobsleigh of John Jackson / Steve Smith finishing in 23rd place.
The fastest start time of 5.25 seconds was set by the Swiss pairing of Beat Hefti / Christian Aebli. Lee Johnston / Dan Money managed a best start time of 5.58 seconds, with John Jackson / Steve Smith setting a start time of 5.55 seconds.
4-Man Bobsleigh Race 05
The 4-Man bobsleigh race was held on 20th December and provided more joy for the Germans, with Andre Lange / Rene Hoppe / Kevin Kuske / Martin Putze finishing in 1st place, ahead of Steven Holcomb / Justin Olsen / Steve Mesler / Curtis Tomasevicz of the USA, with the Russian team of Evgeny Popov / Denis Moiseychenkov / Andrey Yurkov / Alexey Kireev taking 3rd place.
The GB1 bobsleigh of Lee Johnston / Karl Johnston / Allyn Condon / Dan Money set a best start time of 5.56 seconds and finished in 17th place, just 0.01 seconds ahead of the GB2 bobsleigh of John Jackson / Henry Nwume / Steve Smith / Ryan Freckleton, which finished in 18th place and set a fastest start time of 5.45 seconds. The fastest start time of 5.19 seconds was recorded by the USA team of Steven Holcomb.
Women's Bobsleigh Race 05
The Women's bobsleigh race was held on 19th December and was won by Kaillie Humphries / Heather Moyse of Canada, who set a record start time of 5.74 seconds and also set a new track record.
Helen Upperton / Jennifer Ciochetti of Canada finished in 2nd place, with Cesana winners Shauna Rohbock / Michelle Rzepka of the USA finishing in 3rd place.
With Nicola Minichiello again unable to take part due to her eye injury, Paula Walker / Kelly Thomas were the sole GB team and had to achieve a good result to meet the Olympic qualification criteria of the British Olympic Association (BOA). Paula Walker / Kelly Thomas finished in a fine 11th place, after setting a best start time of 6.06 seconds, and in the process met the BOA criteria for Olympic qualification.
Race Reports written by Mark Carter - Performance Coordinator
2-Man Bobsleigh Race 05
The 2-Man bobsleigh race was held on 19th December and saw a timely return to form by Andre Lange on his home track. Andre Lange / Kevin Kuske of Germany were 1st with a 0.66 second margin over fellow countrymen Thomas Florschuetz / Marc Kuehne, with Ivo Rueegg / Cedric Grand of Switzerland finishing in 3rd place. Steven Holcomb of the USA, who leads the 4-Man World Cup, crashed on his second run and finished in what for him was a lowly 19th place.
The GB1 bobsleigh of Lee Johnston / Dan Money were in 18th place, with the GB2 bobsleigh of John Jackson / Steve Smith finishing in 23rd place.
The fastest start time of 5.25 seconds was set by the Swiss pairing of Beat Hefti / Christian Aebli. Lee Johnston / Dan Money managed a best start time of 5.58 seconds, with John Jackson / Steve Smith setting a start time of 5.55 seconds.
4-Man Bobsleigh Race 05
The 4-Man bobsleigh race was held on 20th December and provided more joy for the Germans, with Andre Lange / Rene Hoppe / Kevin Kuske / Martin Putze finishing in 1st place, ahead of Steven Holcomb / Justin Olsen / Steve Mesler / Curtis Tomasevicz of the USA, with the Russian team of Evgeny Popov / Denis Moiseychenkov / Andrey Yurkov / Alexey Kireev taking 3rd place.
The GB1 bobsleigh of Lee Johnston / Karl Johnston / Allyn Condon / Dan Money set a best start time of 5.56 seconds and finished in 17th place, just 0.01 seconds ahead of the GB2 bobsleigh of John Jackson / Henry Nwume / Steve Smith / Ryan Freckleton, which finished in 18th place and set a fastest start time of 5.45 seconds. The fastest start time of 5.19 seconds was recorded by the USA team of Steven Holcomb.
Women's Bobsleigh Race 05
The Women's bobsleigh race was held on 19th December and was won by Kaillie Humphries / Heather Moyse of Canada, who set a record start time of 5.74 seconds and also set a new track record.
Helen Upperton / Jennifer Ciochetti of Canada finished in 2nd place, with Cesana winners Shauna Rohbock / Michelle Rzepka of the USA finishing in 3rd place.
With Nicola Minichiello again unable to take part due to her eye injury, Paula Walker / Kelly Thomas were the sole GB team and had to achieve a good result to meet the Olympic qualification criteria of the British Olympic Association (BOA). Paula Walker / Kelly Thomas finished in a fine 11th place, after setting a best start time of 6.06 seconds, and in the process met the BOA criteria for Olympic qualification.
Race Reports written by Mark Carter - Performance Coordinator