Kyle Wester Wins Teutonia!
Teutonia, Brazil - Kyle Wester from Denver, Colorado, USA has won the IGSA Top Skate Pro Teutonia World Cup! He qualifed in the third spot and faced number one qualifier Carlos Paixão from Brazil in the final. This is the first World Cup win by Wester who also had victories in the Laguna Seca Invitational and Rubber City Gravity Games earlier this year. The victory is also significant in that it is the first IGSA World Cup win for his wheel sponsor Road Rider. Road Rider has been around since te 70's and was the first company to ever put precision bearings in a skateboard wheel. They've returned to the sport in a big way this year with a massive R&D program that appears to have paid big dividends.
The 2012 IGSA South American Series finished after five amazing rounds in Colombia, Argentina, Peru and Brazil. Lots of culture, travelling, friendship, emotion, memories and love were experienced culminating with the IGSA Top Skate Pro Teutonia World Cup that was an epic race of gravity skating activities.
A prize purse of $8.000 USD was offered and Downhill Skateboard Champion took home $2.500 himself. Customized champagne added to the glamour on a podium that was a real downhill skate party.
The big name of Teutonia 2012 was 18 year old Brazilian Bernardo Brambilla, who won the Junior II class and finished 3rd in the Open Downhill beating Vinicius Castagna in Consolation Final and Douglas Silva in the round of 16. Silva came into the event as the favorite having never finished lower than fourth at Teutonia before. Bernardo lost only one race during the whole weekend and it was to the incredible American Kyle Wester. Wester was competing at Teutonia for his very first time and was unbeatable.
New track records for Women’s Downhill and Classic Luge were set, 228 registrations including dirt surfer and in line categorie,s made of the 10th round of the 2012 IGSA World Cup Series a real Festival. Close to 5.000 spectators and the dangerous track of Teutonia were shining like a mirror under the sun. Teutonia was fast and safe, dangerous and clean, music in the air, a staff of over 20 race marshalls wearing their yellow shirts and managing the track like music, perfect control on the radios, immediate medical assistance when necessary, fruit, water, and comfortable shuttles guiding the 2012 IGSA World Cup Series to his final round in South Africa.
Street Luges are always a special attraction in Teutonia due their incredibly high speeds. This year’s Champion, Brazilian Rodolpho Saldanha recorded unofficial speeds of 141km/h numerous times during the weekend on his GPS. Wearing a white speed suit, he took control of the race beating 2011 IGSA World Champion Walter Baresi from Brazil in the final.
Baresi came back to race in another final later in the day against current IGSA Classic Luge World Cup Series points leader Frank Williams. He beat Williams to earn the victory.Yvon Labarthe from Switzerland was third.
In the Women’s final, an unforgettable moment was seen at the starting line. 15 year old phenomenon Georgia Bontorin from Brazil lined on her lane while tears of emotion dropped down her face under her helmet. Number one Brazilian Christie Aleixo was hugging the young rider in an effort to help her contain so much adrenaline and emotion. She left the gate crying and went on to win her second IGSA World Cup in a row. Georgia shocked the establishment when she beat current IGSA World Champion Rebekka Gemperle in a head to head race at the World Cup in Argentina several weeks ago. Yesterday she broke Katie Neilson's Teutonia track record in qualifying and today she added to her amazing year with a win at Teutonia.
The Open Downhill Final left many feeling that nobody could stop the pole position qualifier Carlos Paixao from Brazil, who had won every round leading into to the final by a comfortable margin. American Kyle Wester lined up beside him and after winning the Laguna Seca Invitational and Rubber City Gravity Games earlier this year, knew he still had another race to win. That’s what racing is about. Never give up and never let it down. The magic of the two-man battle is that it leaves no chances for errors. Carlos came to the big turn too fast, too tucked and too hungry for the win. Making a rooking mistake, he crashed and threw his chance at victory away. Kyle rode solo down to the steepest part of the fastest hill of the whole series to see the whole crowd for the last time this year and celebrate his historic win