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IFSS Mid-Distance World Championship |
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Written by Theresa Daily
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Friday, 22 February 2008 |
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The IFSS Mid-Distance World Championships were successfully completed in Cansiglio, Italy, 15-17 February, 2008. There were 22 participants (11 in each class) from 8 different countries. The trail was 39 km long, mostly in the forest. The trail was quite
technical. The driving skills of the mushers were required in many
areas. The Race Marshal limited the number of dogs to 10 due to the
snow conditions (very little snow in some parts). A few drivers fell on
the trail, but none were very seriously injured. All dogs raced without
any incident. The speed of the teams (around 24 km/h on the total
average for the best ones) shows the quality of the training of all
these dogs.
The weather was nice, cold at night and in the morning (during the race) and sunny in the afternoon.
The only trail incident was created by a TV snowmobile which made a
false trail just before the first heat in a blind bend. A few teams
went off the trail there, and Rudi Ropertz (one of the best unlimited
teams) lost his team and his chances to become World Champion.
Nevertheless, the first two teams in the Unlimited class were from
Germany, Gregor v. Gumppenberg and Tom Andres in that order. The bronze
medal was awarded to the Norwegian Per Olav Gausereide.
In the Limited class, Marte Heilemann from Norway won the three stages
and the gold medal, followed by Volker Brinkman (Silver) and Michael
Link (bronze), both from Germany.
For details of the results, see the race web site http://cansiglio2008.fimss.com.
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