Qualifying Analysis from the Leogang DH World Cup 2023

Riders have not had long to get over the packed weekend of racing in Lezerheide as it is already time to qualify for the second round of the year in Leogang. Some surprise wet and windy weather played havoc during qualifying particularly affecting the men's competition.

As riders try and figure out how to attack the now wet course in Leogang after getting dusty practice laps, let's get into the results and stats.

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Qualifying Results

Overall:


Full results, here.

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Sector by Sector Overall Positions

A closer look at the top five overall race positions as riders passed through each timing gate.

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Story of the Session

Elite Women

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Elite Men

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Stats Breakdown

The top 15 qualifying margins were plotted before including results at positions 20, 25, 30, 35 and 35. The green area marks riders who have qualified to semi-finals.

The top 15 qualifying margins were plotted before including results at positions 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150 and 155. The green area marks riders who have qualified to semi-finals.

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Talking Points

Vali Höll & Camille Balanche are Going to be Tough to Beat

In the Elite Women's qualifying it was Vali Höll and Camille Balanche who were in a league of their own as they traded blows at the front of the race. From the second split onward no other rider would come within a second of the pair and by the end they would be well clear of the rest of the field. Vali Höll would perform best in the tricky conditions as she pulled just over two seconds ahead of Camille Balanche. Camille Balanche herself would build another two-second plus gap back to third-placed Nina Hoffmann. While Vali Höll was strong in qualifying if the past few years in Leogang have taught us anything it's that Camille Balanche is dominant in the wet here. We are in for a real fight between these two and we can't wait to watch it unfold tomorrow.


The Sector Between Split 4 & the Finish was Crucial for the Men

While the men's race ended up being a bit of a mess with changing conditions offering very different challenges as the riders made their way down the one thing we have spotted is how the final sector to the line really changed up the top five. Heading into the final part of the course we saw Matt Walker and Ian Guionnet changing hands of the race lead and seemed like the riders on top during their runs. But in the final section, Matt Walker lost around 0.9 seconds and Ian Guionnet about 1.2 to the eventual fastest rider. We are not sure what they may have down here but one thing that is certain is that qualifying winner Davide Palazzari must have had a great split as he jumped from third to first, this follows a strong ride through the always wild lower woods where he also made up time. The final part of the course seems to have been a trouble area for Dante Silva as he was on his way to a top-five finish before this part of the course knocked him back to 8th position. If conditions remain for tomorrow this will be a spot to keep an eye on in the live broadcast.


Riders Will Have to Start Over Tomorrow

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the washout that was qualifying is that all the lines and practice so far could be completely useless if the course remains wet for tomorrow. Practice is very limited in the morning with an already packed racing schedule giving riders no chance to properly reset once the semi-finals begin. Riders will be paying close attention to any footage from today's qualifying hoping to find a line they can get some practice on ahead of the first fight against the clock to advance into finals.

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Racing and Events DH Racing Nerding Out World Cup DH Race Analysis Leogang World Cup Dh 2023