The traditional downhill race on the Wiriehorn and the Swiss Downhill Championships - this combination is tried and tested. In 2017, the title races were decided by the blink of an eye in Diemtigtal, and this year should be no different. The course is not one of the most challenging, and with its shortened lead, exciting races were to be expected, this time as part of the Hot Trail Series.

In the women's race, Emilie Siegenthaler confirmed her strong second half of the season with the best time in the timed run. She and European champion Camille Balanche are the big favorites for the title. But you should never make your calculations too early, and certainly not without the defending champion. Carina Cappellari has won the Swiss title in the past two years and will start third last on race day.

As expected, she rides to the best time and trembles from the hot seat towards Balanche's run. The European champion is faster in the upper section, but then mistakes start to creep in. Mistakes that are not possible on the Wiriehorn course. Balanche finishes behind Cappellari. Emilie Siegenthaler then creates more suspense and the decision is extremely close. However, the World Championship fifth-placed was 15 hundredths of a second off the pace. Cappellari thus takes her third championship title in a row - her last. She hangs up her downhill bike after this season. All the greater the joy that it was enough to win again. "I enjoyed this race from A to Z and felt better from training run to training run. In the race, I didn't get the upper part right and then gave it everything I had. At the finish I could hardly believe that it was enough again and everyone was happy for me. It's a great feeling to finish top-class sport like this!"

Emilie Siegenthaler, Carina Cappellari and Camille Balanche.

Klaus wins clearly

Junior Janosch Klaus confirmed his role as favorite in the timed run. He then went one better on race day and defended his Swiss championship title by a good five seconds ahead of local hero Yannick Baechler and Lino Lehmann.

With his time of 2:47.30 minutes, Klaus would have finished fifth in the elite category. However, he doesn't seem entirely satisfied with his performance: "Short and technically less demanding courses like here on the Wiriehorn don't really suit me. But my run was okay despite two small mistakes. A top 5 time compared to the elite is also ok, but next year I'll be riding there, so I definitely want to be even faster."

Yannick Baechler, Janosch Klaus and Lino Lehmann.

Weber ahead of Weber

In the men's race, a duel is expected between the two teammates from Team Project, Basil and Lutz Weber. Defending champion Noel Niederberger is unable to take part in the title fight due to injury. Basil Weber sets the bar quite high with the best time in the timed run.

In the final race, it is Constantin Ruetsch who takes the hot seat for a while. Only when Lutz Weber finished his race in fourth last place with the best time did Ruetsch have to give way. The following riders from the organizing club Hot Trail scrape Weber's mark of 2.44.07 minutes.
Then Basil Weber keeps the spectators in suspense. But he rides past the title by just 41 hundredths of a second and finishes second - Lutz Weber takes the title for the third time.
"It wasn't an easy race on the relatively easy and even shorter track. But I had a good run, even if I pushed hard on the limit a few times. But that was probably necessary here, because Basil, Constantin and I are in the same second," said the newly crowned Swiss champion, analyzing the race.

Gusti Wildhaber, Basil Weber, Lutz Weber, Constantin Ruetsch and Pascal Reusser

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