LATSCH/LACES. Next round for the Natural Track Luge athletes: After the kickoff in Kühtai (AUT) in December, the next races of the GRM Group World Cup will be held from January 5th to January 7th in Latsch/Laces (ITA) in South Tyrol.
Last season, the Italian athletes were able to benefit from their home advantage on the Gumpfrei track in the Vinschgau: Patrick Pigneter and Florian Clara won at the doubles’ event, and with Evelin Lanthaler and Greta Pinggera as well as with Pigneter and Alex Gruber there has been an Italian double victory, both at the women’s and at the men’s event. The results from the World Cup kickoff in Kühtai indicate that the Italians probably will also play a big part at this year’s race in Latsch/Laces: Pigneter was victorious at the men’s event as well as in the doubles’ competition with Clara, while at the women’s event only Tina Unterberger from Austria, who has won her second World Cup race in Kühtai, was able to beat Pinggera and Lanthaler. It remains to be seen whether the Italians will be as successful this time in Latsch/Laces as last season, but their rivals will definitely make sure that it won’t be too easy for them.
Since the first race in Kühtai was held as a Parallel Race – where the goal is not to have the best overall time, but to be faster than the respective opponent –, the second race of the GRM Group World Cup in Latsch/Laces can be considered as the first real indicator for the forthcoming competitions. The track in Latsch/Laces, however, proved itself many times: Numerous World Cup and also World Championship races were held there in the past, for instance most recently the tenth Junior World Championships in February of last year. But for this year’s race, some modifications have been made at the finish area of the track: “Our goal was to create an atmosphere comparable to that in a stadium. Therefore, we built natural stands in the slope and made room for a video wall. In addition to that, the track now ends directly at the spectators’ stands, which is more appealing for the audience as well as for the athletes,” explains Andreas Castiglioni, President of OC. He also assures that the track is, despite some initial problems due to the warm temperatures, in a perfect shape now. Thus, everything is set for tough races in Latsch/Laces.
Program
Thursday, 05.01.2017
5 pm: Team captain’s meeting
6.30 pm: 1. Training run men
7.30 pm: 1. Training run women
8.15 pm: 1. Training run doubles
afterwards: 2. Training run doubles
Friday, 06.01.2017
2 pm: 1. Training run participants of the Junior World Cup in Latzfons
3.30 pm: 2. Training run men
4.30 pm: 2. Training run women
5.30 pm: Qualification run men
6.45 pm: Qualification run women
7.30 pm: Qualification run doubles
8 pm: Award ceremony Nations’ Cup (women, men, doubles)
Saturday, 07.01.2017
3.30 pm: Final run doubles, flower ceremony
4 pm: Final run women, flower ceremony
5 pm: Final run men, flower ceremony
6.30 pm: Lottery drawing
7 pm: Team competition, flower ceremony
9 pm: Award ceremony in the gym in Latsch, „After Race Party“
