The 2010 Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship in Quebec features brothers
in arms on top of the podium

- Niefnecker of Germany earns the title as the first-ever Red Bull Crashed Ice World Champion while the Croxall brothers of Toronto own the podium and reigning female champion Muir takes home first for the second year in a row -

QUEBEC CITY, March 20 /CNW/ - At the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games, Canadian athletes achieved a record 14 golds in iconic and new generation sports, from bobsled and skeleton, to snowboardcross and of course, hockey. Tonight, the ultimate culmination of those disciplines and skill sets materialized in the genre-and blade-bending 2010 Red Bull Crashed Ice in Québec City. Rising above the field of 120 skaters from 15 nations and 32 heats were brothers Kyle and Scott Croxall of Toronto, Ontario, who turned Red Bull Crashed Ice 2010 into a family affair, taking home first and third place. In the women's field, the first-ever 2009 female champion, Kerri Muir of Calgary, Alberta, earned bragging rights for the second year in a row with another first place victory.

Martin Niefnecker of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany who earned the title of Red Bull Crashed Ice World Champion after accumulating a total of 1,800 points from his tour stops in Munich (January 16), a first place victory, and his second place finish in Quebec.

Over 120,000 fans witnessed 64 male and 16 female daredevils hurtle to the bottom of a colossal urban ice track that wound, curved and ripped through the streets of Old Quebec.

"Competing against my little brother has been amazing," said Kyle Croxall. "He took the third place spot that I had last year and I couldn't be prouder of him. If he beat me, I wouldn't have cared. I'd just be so proud of him like he is for me."

And only the second ever female winner of Red Bull Crashed Ice proved once again women can rock the ice in 2010.

"I'm so happy, but I don't know how I did it," said Muir. "I feel like I blacked out and somehow just stayed on my feet. The second time around was just so much sweeter because the competition was just that much better!"

Following the Croxall brothers (Kyle, first; Scott, third) and the Red Bull Crashed Ice World Champion Martin Niefnecker who placed second, was Louis Philippe Dumoulin of Blainville, Quebec who took home a fourth place finish. This year's Women's Division once again heralded the fastest women on skates. Following Kerri Muir's lead was Megan Vermillon of Edmonton, Alberta in second place, Kailee Ryan of Calgary, Alberta in third and fourth place Salla Kyhala of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The top four finishers in each division skate away with not only bragging rights, but took home $5,000, $3,000, $1,500 and $500 respectively.

Taking in the action was Canadian Vancouver 2010 Olympic gold medalist (Skeleton), Jon Montgomery, who is considering trading in his now famous sled for skates.

"I think this would be something I would definitely want to do," said Montgomery. "I brought my skates just in case there was an outside chance I might actually get to go down the track!"

Red Bull Crashed Ice officially became a World Championship in 2010. On January 16, 2010 the capital city of Bavaria played host for the first ever Red Bull Crashed Ice on German soil. Athletes representing eight countries battled head-to-head in Munich's Olympiapark - built for the 1972 Summer Olympics. A group of veteran Red Bull Crashed Ice participants and winners comprised Team Canada who also tackled Red Bull Crashed Ice Munich earlier this year, including Gabriel Andre who placed second during the first of the two-leg World Championship event. The World Championship final rankings were determined based on the points accumulated over two stops.

Martin Niefnecker careened to the bottom of a thrilling and chilling urban ice track in both Munich and Québec City, and took home not only the inaugural World Championship title but also an additional prize purse of $5,000. "For me, it's a very big honor to be the first World Champion for Red Bull Crashed Ice," said Niefnecker. "I really can't believe it!

A new dose of Amps and Revs

Hot Hot Heat rocked the exclusive Fan Zone at the course finish, debuting tracks off their upcoming album Future Breeds due out in June. Other new features were an incredible run by Colton Facciotti and Dusty Klatt of Honda Blackfoot Motocross, who raced their Yamaha 450's motocross bikes down the course.

A cut above the competition

With more than 12,000 Canadians who applied for the chance to compete at the 2010 edition of Red Bull Crashed Ice, 11 qualifiers were held across Canada to narrow the field down from 1,000 to the top 100 male and 20 female skaters. The top participants from each qualifying event who demonstrated superior skating skill, agility, strategy and strength earned a spot in the finals in Quebec City, where consecutive heats of four skaters raced head-to-head in a double elimination bracket (based on time). At the final event tonight, the top 64 qualifiers were narrowed down to the final four in the men's division, and from the top 16 qualifiers to the final four in the women's division.

Joining the top male and female skaters from Canada and beyond were six-time champion and Red Bull Crashed Ice legend Jasper Felder of Sweden; Canada's own 2007 champion in Québec City and Helsinki, Kevin Olson of Lethbridge, AB; 2006 champion and Munich's 2010 second place finisher, Gabriel Andre of Edmonton, AB and Quebec's hometown hero, Christian Papillon. Unfortunately, due to a leg injury endured during a practice run, Papillon was unable to compete in the final event.

New Year, New Course Design

This year, both racers and fans alike experienced another spectacular glacial makeover of Québec City's famous and sinuous Côte de la Montagne. Running 554 meters in length with a 60m vertical, the Red Bull Crashed Ice 2010 course started under the iconic gaze of the Château Frontenac and concluded by the icy currents of the Saint Lawrence River at Place de Paris.

The starting gate was the first and last chance for the skaters to take in the view, because just after the whistle blows competitors stormed down the Rue du Fort and hit the barrel jump, a homage to the classic Quebecois sport. Racers reached speeds of over 60 km/hr before hitting a spectacular re-imagined turn in front of the Post Office, which sits across from the Parc Montmorency and one of the oldest schools in North America, the Petit Séminaire de Québec. Then, skaters were faced with the "Splitter", where the course splits to accommodate the two arches under the Porte Prescott, forcing the racers to pick sides; either the fastest but tightest one or the slowest but largest side.

Next, in the middle of the steepest part of Côte de la Montagne, the track makes a sharp left which certainly was the most decisive path of the course. The action quickly fast forwarded at the "Painted Wall Drop" - as skaters were consumed by the downhill banked corner draining them down to Place Royale, home of the oldest church in North America.

With glory and the Saint-Lawrence again in sight, the skaters sprinted down "The Royal Corridor" and hit the Victory Turn before the finish line at Place de Paris.

About Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship

A combination of hockey, boardercross, and downhill skiing, Red Bull Crashed Ice sets a thrilling stage for intrepid male and female amateur and pro hockey players from around the globe. No flat surfaces here - instead, daring racers hurtle down a 554m ice track (with a 60m vertical) coiling through the city's stunning landscape while navigating through vertical drops, jumps and hairpin turns in a battle to the finish. There's only one rule: first to the bottom wins!

Since Québec produces some of the world's best hockey players, its capital city is a fitting return location for Red Bull Crashed Ice. Already, hundreds of thousands of people from around the world have witnessed the action-packed new sport of ice-cross downhill in cities with rich hockey roots, including its debut in Stockholm, Sweden (2000), Klagenfurt, Austria (2001), Duluth, Minnesota, USA (2003, 2004), Moscow, Russia (2004), Prague, Czech Republic (2005, 2009), Helsinki, Finland (2007), Davos, Switzerland (2008), Lausanne, Switzerland (2009), along with its exciting fourth annual Canadian showing last year in Québec City.

Special Thanks

Red Bull Crashed Ice is possible thanks to partners including the Quebec Government, the City of Québec and the Québec City Tourism. Red Bull Crashed Ice extends special thanks to the Merchants Associations of Old Quebec and Place-Royale, the Old Quebec Citizen Association, SODEC, event producer Gestev and its volunteers, the residents of Quebec City and especially the residents of Vieux-Québec.

Red Bull Crashed Ice Content

    
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