SOUSA STRIKES THE FIRST BLOW TO TAKE POLE FROM ARMILLAS IN SKI GP1
Thursday, 3 October, LIUZHOU (China): The battle that unfolded in the season-opener in Italy between Championship leader Nacho Armillas and the 2013 European Champion Tiago Sousa continued in today’s official qualifying session of the Grand Prix of China in Liuzhou, with Sousa striking the first blow in a closely fought session and just 1.25seconds splitting the top three. The Portuguese rider has the advantage and will start heat 1 of the Grand Prix of China from pole position after posting the quickest time of 1.3514s around the 25-pin 1900metre anticlockwise course on the River Liu on his first flying lap in Q2. “I think I can go quicker tomorrow but I am sure it will be a good fight with [Nacho] Armillas,” said Sousa. “I took advantage of the calm water setting my best time on my first lap but it is also good for me if the water is a little rougher tomorrow.” Spaniard Armillas who sits 10-points clear in the championship standings after his win double in Italy, but who lost out to Sousa in the Europeans, was edged out by just over a second to finish one-tenth of a second ahead of Italy’s Alberto Monti his immediate points rival in the title race. Mickael Poret failed to reproduce the form that put him into P1 in Italy, but it was his fall on the opening lap of Q2 that proved costly, with the Frenchman having to settle for fourth fastest with a time of 1.37.29 seconds. Fan Zhi Xiong claimed the bragging rights as the highest Chinese qualifier finishing eighth quickest with a time of 1min 48.65secs ahead of countrman Li Chao Fan. Slovenia’s Pija Sumer was by far the best of the four women riders who lined up alongside the men and again grabbed a handful of male scalps, matching her fifth in Q1 in the second 10-minute session, her nearest rival in the Women’s division Yue Nixin finishing in tenth overall. In Freestyle the Florjancic brothers battled for top spot, with Rok edging out his younger brother Nac by a mere two points, the pair leaving Serbia’s Aleksandar Petrovic with the daunting task of just trying to match them let alone tring to topple them in tomorrow’s heats.
