Daniel Mahrer Dominates Jeep King ofthe Mountain
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Squaw Valley, CA, Jan. 14, 2002–A spectacular California day in the Sierra setthe stage for the Jeep King of the Mountain at Squaw Valley USA.
“This is a real downhill course,” said Tommy Moe of the 1960 Olympic Course beginning at the top of KT-22. “I get so psyched running downhill especially on a fast technical course.
Daniel Mahrer of Team Switzerland had a blistering first run with a time of 53.60. Mahrer was over a full second ahead of his archrival and defending series Champion Kyle Rasmussen heading into the second run. Rasmussen, the hometown favorite, could nothold on to beat Mahrer and finished third. Mahrer skied well in training all week and he was able to put two very solid runs together.
“I knew after the first run I had a good chance of winning. It feels really good. I?m lookingforward to the finals in Beaver Creek,” exclaimed Mahrer.
Pietro Vitalini of Team Italy finished second, his best finish in three years on the Tour.Vitalini?s performance led his partner Alberto Senigagliesi to victory in the Liberty Cup Competition. “We like this course here, it has lots of turns and is very technical. You carry a lot of speed going into the final half of the course,” said Alberto. “We are so happy, this is a good day.” As Liberty Cup Champions, Team Italy pockets $20,000 in prize money and the first place finish puts them in contention for the Overall Team Championship to beawarded at the finals in Beaver Creek, CO. and the chance to win two new Jeep Liberty?s.
The Jeep King of the Mountain is the only professional Downhill Tour in theWorld. The Series provides a unique opportunity to witness the “best of thebest” in Downhill Racing. Olympic Downhill Gold Medalists Jean-Luc Cretier(?98 Nagano) and Tommy Moe (?94 Lillehammer) are amongst the elite group ofdownhill competitors.
The race will air on CBS February 17, 2002 12:00pm EST.
For more information, results and photos of the Jeep King of the Mountain racingevents, visit JeepSkiing.
Individual Results
1 Daniel Mahrer SUI 1:47.58
2 Pietro Vitalini ITA 1:50.35
3 Kyle Rasmussen USA 1:50.36
4 Alberto Senigagliesi ITA 1:50.49
5 Tommy Moe USA 1:50.59
6 Jean-Luc Cretier FRA 1:50.62
7 Roman Torn CAN 1:51.16
8 Rob Boyd CAN 1:51.54
9 William Besse SUI 1:51.80
10 David Pretot SUI 1:52.24
Liberty Cup International Team Competition
1 Italy-Alberto Senigagliesi/Pietro Vitalini
2 Switzerland-Daniel Mahrer/William Besse
3 USA-Kyle Rasmussen/Tommy Moe
4 France-Jean-Luc Cretier/David Pretot
5 Canada-Rob Boyd/Roman Torn