BACK AT THE FORT!
It was so great to travel back to Fort William, one of the biggest classics of the downhill World Cup. The track, the fans and the whole venue is amazing, even the typical Scottish weather can’t break the atmosphere here. But strong winds and little bit of back luck can impact the performance and this is what happened to both Jure and Žak, both finishing the race on Saturday.
The track in Fort William was changed in the middle part, the organizers opted for the old version which is still very exciting and challenging. Top, open section proved to be trickier this time around, but not because of the track. The winds were very strong, strong enough to move even big guys like Jure. Him and Žak both experienced problems and were move out of the perfect line. Žak somehow managed to save himself and gain back some time, Jure lost speed in the worst place possible. With problems and not showing everything they have, they were both left without finals. Žak was 70th, Jure 80th.
Žak Gomilšček: “I felt good on the track, but even with changing weather I didn’t expect conditions like we had in the qualies. Wind took me off track twice, I know it was similar for everyone and shouldn’t look for excuses there. I was close to the finals, without these problems I would be easily in, which means that I have the speed. I can’t wait for the next races.”
Jure Žabjek: »Compared to Lourdes I attacked much more aggressively. Conditions in the qualies were really hard, especially in the middle part where I was taken off the course couple of times and I lost too much speed for a smooth run. For sure I expected more from this race, but I will also have to continue working and get stronger for the next races.«
Next World Cup race is Leogang, on the second weekend of June – this is going to be first double World Cup of the season.
Photos by Sebastian Sternemann & Grega Stopar
