Picton, Canada - Patrick Switzer continued his dominant form in Picton today by earning the number one starting position for tomorrow's Prince Edward County Gravity Festival Open Downhill Skateboarding race. Switzer shattered his year old qualifying mark of 1:30.370 with an amazing 1:23.598 blast on his second run.
Mike Jakubiec from nearby Toronto was a surprise second place qualifier. After a poor first run that left him in 15th place, Jakubiec nailed his second run and posted a time of 1:26.347.
Niko Desmarais from Montreal qualified third with a time of 1:26.558. Maxime Garant-Rousseau will start in the number four position after posting a time of 1:27.347. Luke Melo rounded out the top five with a time of 1:28.239. The event is being promoted by the family of street luge racer Kolby Parks. Gary Parks has put in a huge effort to patch and repair the road surface in the chicane area. His effort could certainly be seen with the quicker qualifying times. Eight riders were able to qualify under the previous track record.
PEC Gravity Festival
Open DH Skateboarding Qualifying Top 10
1. Patrick Switzer, Canada 1:23.598
2. Mike Jakubiec, Canada 1:26.347
3. Niko Desmarais, Canada 1:26.558
4. Maxime Garant-Rousseau, Canada 1:27.347
5. Luke Melo, Canada 1:28.239
6. Cameron Bickendon, Canada 1:28.628
7. John Barnet, Canada 1:28.938
8. Braden Tibbles, Canada 1:29.082
9. Alex Megit, Canada 1:30.873
10. Matthew Napier, Canada 1:30.947
Bouchard Paces the Luge Classes
Louis Bouchard fully committed at PEC. Photo Marcus Rietema
Louis Bouchard from Quebec was the number one qualifier in both luge classes. In Street Luge he set a time of 1:27.673 to earn the number one qualifying position. He was followed in second by William Condon from nearby Belleville with a time of 1:28.269. PEC race organizer Kolby Parks was third with a time of 1:29.446. Street Luge will be racing in six-man heats for tomorrow's final eliminations.
PEC Gravity Festival
Street Luge Qualifying Top 5
1. Louis Bouchard, Canada 1:27.673
2. William Condon, Canada 1:28.269
3. Kolby Parks, Canada 1:29.446
4. Cedric Touchette, Canada 1:29.749
5. Dylan Wall, Canada 1:30.032
In Classic Luge Bouchard earned the number one qualifying position with a time of 1:32.457. His teammate Bob Lavoie was second with a 1:32.867. Kolby Parks was third just like in Street Luge. His time was a 1:33.488. The Classic Lugers will race all together in a nine-man points race.
PEC Gravity Festival
Classic Luge Qualifying Top 5
1. Louis Bouchard, Canada 1:32.457
2. Bob Lavoie, Canada 1:32.867
3. Kolby Parks, Canada 1:33.488
4. William Condon, Canada 1:35.654
5. Frank Williams, USA 1:39.791