Canadian ice cross downhill racer Kyle Croxall beats Austrian Marco Dallago in controversial final
Canadian ice cross downhill racer Kyle Croxall beat Austrian Marco Dallago in the ATSX 500 final at Le Massif de Charlevoix in Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, Que., on Saturday, but Dallago says Croxall interfered with him in the final portion of the race. The ATSX 500 is the seventh stop of the Red Bull Ice Cross World Championship.
«There is a difference between clean racing and foul play,» Dallago said. «I took a pretty good start, I tried to stay behind Kyle and in the final portion I managed to overtake him before the last turn, but he grabbed my jersey and took me back. I know what I felt, and I know it was clearly not fair.»
The controversial finish comes just one week after Croxall clashed with younger brother Luca Dallago in competition. The 31-year-old Mississauga, Ont., native was disqualified last week during a semifinal ATSX 1000 race in Yokohama, Japan after pushing and destabilizing Dallago.
«If you want to call it a rivalry, do it. I don’t care. I felt good about this track, it was very fast, I knew it was against me at the bottom here and I messed up in the last race,» Croxall said.
WATCH | Croxall wins controversial ice cross race in Quebec:
As a result of Croxall’s victory on Saturday, the Red Bull Ice Cross World Championship rankings are tighter than ever. Croxall is now tied with reigning world champion Cameron Naasz of the United States with 2,550 points. Naasz has three wins so far this winter, while Croxall now has two.
Fisher rounds out podium
Fellow Canadian John Fisher also reached the podium on Saturday by finishing third in the final. The Markham, Ont., native had previously only reached the podium once in a lower profile race. Naasz missed the podium with a fourth-place finish.
«It’s only my second podium, they don’t come around very often so it’s very exciting to be here», Fisher said. «I just had to stay patient, not being afraid to be third, and pick-up my speed until the finish line».
Women’s final
The women’s final was won decisively by American Amanda Trunzo, as she maintained a lead ahead of a trio of Canadian racers to claim victory. Maxie Plante and Jacqueline Legere took second and third place, respectively, while fellow Canadian Dominique Lefebvre placed fourth.
«I did not have a very good start,» Trunzo said. «But I didn’t know how close the others were, so I tried to keep my lines closed and to maintain my speed. I am looking forward to having a break, to put my body back into one piece, and then take it all the way to the end of the season».
Watch an encore presentation of the race on Sunday morning at 1:30 a.m. ET on cbcsports.ca
