Fischbach Wins Round #1 of the iXS European Downhill Cup

Held at a new venue in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, Johannes Fischbach took home gold at this year's season opener for the iXS European Downhill Cup with teammate Jana Bartova taking home silver in the Pro Women's field. - Fred

GHOST-RRP delivers strong performance at first run of the iXS EDC

For Immediate Release: Thanks to a convincing performance, the GHOST-RRP Team was able to place at the top after the iXS EDC’s first run in Slovenia. Johannes Fischbach dominated the qualifying and deservedly won the race. Jana Bartova finished as a strong runner-up and the youngsters of the team did show their potential as well.

The first training day on Friday turned into a real mud battle due to the heavy rain, which made it really difficult for the riders to get a feel for their lines. Despite the tough conditions, Johannes Fischbach and David Trummer did have a lot of fun on the track and managed just fine.

Nevertheless, the track dried off just in time for the qualifying and the times got faster. All riders of the team were able to improve their times significantly, and despite some minor mistakes, the young guns were able to demonstrate their impressive potential. Due to a small mistake right at the start, Johannes von Klebelsberg lost his rhythm and subsequently crashed, putting an end to his qualification. But, since he competed as “protected” due to his participation in the World Cup and iXS EDC, he was indeed able to compete in Sunday’s final after all. David Trummer made a few small mistakes, and finished with a satisfying 12th place in qualifying. Jana Bartova did not find her flow on the track, but was still able to finish her qualifying run in 4th place.

Johannes Fischbach, though, was in a class of his own. With an unbelievable lead of 6 seconds, he dominated the field of more than 400 riders from 24 nations.

On race day, it became clear that Fischi’s success would continue: After the track dried off and the times got even faster, Fischi was able to walk away as the winner with a narrow lead despite tough competition, and scored the first important points in the iXS EDC. “In the final run, I did make a few small mistakes, but all in all, it was still a solid run. In the end, I was able to win the race by 0.8 seconds.” But, unfortunately, he did not have a lot of time to celebrate his victory as he is already on his way to China where he will compete in the Red Bull Tianmenshan Downhill Race.

Jana Bartova tested a few new lines on Sunday and finished her run in a great second place. Looking back, she is not quite satisfied with it, but is looking forward to her next competition in Fort William, the legendary Scottish Downhill track with its unique spectators and atmosphere. David Trummer started the race confidently, but got his pedal stuck in the first turn and crashed, terminating his run. Johannes von Klebelsberg had prepared well for the track and despite a few minor mistakes, he was able to finish in 12th place, just barely missing the top ten.