The 2011 IGSA Downhill Skateboarding World Cup Series will be remembered by the dominant performances put in by some of racing’s biggest stars, bigger events that spread the sport further around the globe and the fierce level of competition that became common place. Prior to the season Kevin Reimer, the all conquering downhill skater of 2010 suffered a severe leg injury. This left him off his skateboard and unable to defend his newly earned IGSA World Cup Series Championship. It also left the field wide open and we expected to see a number of different winners throughout the season.
Maryhill Festival of Speed June 29-July 3, Goldendale, WA, USA

The first World Cup race of the 2011 season was the Maryhill Festival of Speed. Maryhill is known for it’s long sweeping corners and wide track. It is one of only two World Cup races where six rider heats can be used safely. A few of the top contenders like Patrick Switzer and Jackson Shapiera decided to skip Maryhill to get an early jump on the European season. Qualifying and the race were dominated by Switzerland’s Ramon Konigshausen who earned his first World Cup victory. In the final heat Ramon had the race firmly in his grasp however, behind him there was a big battle brewing. Coming into the final corner Zen Shikaze was second followed by 3X World Champion Martin Siegrist in third. Siegrist made a risky move to the inside of Shikaze, making contact and sending Shikaze crashing out. Siegrist crossed the line second and Tim Del Rosario-Rojas third. A huge controversy ensued and a protest was filed. The IGSA Officials ruled that Siegrist was at fault and relegated him to sixth place. It turned out to be a foreshadow of competitive incidents to come.

Final Results
1. Ramon Konigshausen, Switzerland
2. Tim Del Rosario-Rojas, United States
3. Billy Meiners, United States
4. Graham Buksa, Canada
5. Zen Shikaze, Canada

Kozakov Challenge July 20-23, Czech Republic

Round two of the 2011 World Cup will be remembered for the seemingly endless rain. The Kozakov track is very fast on both the top and bottom sections making it too dangerous to ride in the rain. Finally when the rain wouldn’t stop, the IGSA Officials and race organizers decided to us a modified track removing the high speed sections and utilizing the technical center portion of the course for qualifying. Qualifying took place without incident and race day dawned bright and sunny. Switzer rode a brilliant race to earn the victory with Shapiera finishing second. Jakob Raab from Germany was third.Final Results
1. Patrick Switzer, Canada
2. Jackson Shapiera, Australia
3. Jakob Raab, Germany
4. James Kelly, United States
5. Sebastian Hertler, Germany

Insul Cup July 29-31, 2011, Insul, Germany

The Insul Cup was held in the Eifel Mountains of Western Germany near the famed Nurburgring in Insul. After the previous weeks soaking, everyone was happy that the track stayed dry. The first two World Cups of the year had been extremely competitive. Unfortunately, friendly competition took a back seat to poor sportsmanship on race day. In the Semi-Finals Nicolas Robert attempted a pass on Konigshausen in one of the hairpins. The two riders bumped and Konigshausen crashed. A protest was filed and Robert was relegated to fourth place in the heat. Still upset, Konigshausen decided to take matters into his own hands and physically assaulted Robert. For his blatant unsportsmanlike conduct, Konigshausen was disqualified from the event and received zero points. In the final, Switzer rode to another impressive victory. Stefan Rufli was second giving him the best finish of his career. Alex Tongue and Boris Shinke tangled and crashed in the heat. In a show of unity the two riders decided to ride the remainder of the course together with their hands held high together to show everyone that the downhill family still lives.

Final Results
1. Patrick Switzer, Canada
2. Stefan Rufli, Switzerland
3. Alex Tongue, United States
4. Boris Shinke, Germany
5. Torbjorn Sunde, Norway

By Marcus Rietema

Padova Grand Prix August 5-7, Teolo, Italy

Teolo’s course features two distinct parts, a high speed upper section followed by a tight and technical lower half. It’s in the lower section that things get interesting with a series of tight hairpins. Patrick Switzer was the defending Champion coming in and after winning two World Cups in a row, was the overwhelming favorite. Just prior to the third round, a rain shower came through soaking the track. Riders were crashing everywhere but Switzer took it all in stride and showed his dominance. He negotiated the wet track with finesse and was one of the only riders not to crash in the treacherous conditions. Switzer won the race easily with Alex Tongue finishing second and Maxim Garant-Rousseau third.

Final Results
1. Patrick Switzer, Canada
2. Alex Tongue, United States
3. Maxim Garant-Rousseau, Canada
4. Kevin Bouaich, Switzerland
5. Torbjorn Sunde, Norway

Winsport Canada Cup September 2-4, Calgary, Canada

Canada Olympic Park, site of the 1988 Winter Olympics hosted the event that raised the World Cup Series to new levels. The wide, challenging course featured a series of sweeping hairpins connected by straights creating plenty of passing opportunities. Jumbotron screens gave the spectators top to bottom coverage while qualifying and the race were live webcast around the globe. The race itself was a barn burner with one tight heat after another. In the final, it was Switzer out in front for the fourth consecutive race. Coming to the finish, Louis Pilloni crashed heavily while running third. At the line it was George Mackenzie finishing second and James Kelly, benefiting from Pilloni’s crash finishing third. Jackson Shapiera was fourth, Niko Desmarais fifth and Pilloni got up to finish sixth. Shapiera commented in his post race interview that the race was the closest and hardest fought that he had ever experienced. The event returns in 2012 to host the IGSA World Championships.

Final Results
1. Patrick Switzer, Canada
2. George Mackenzie, Canada
3. James Kelly, United States
4. Jackson Shapiera, Australia
5. Niko Desmarais, Canada

Copa de los Andes October 28-30, Tarma, Peru

The World Cup Series returned to action in South America for the Copa de los Andes in Tarma, Peru. Located at an altitude of around 3000m (9800’) high in the Andes Mountains, Tarma was a unique location unlike any that the World Cup had visited before. Switzer had already won four in a row and was looking to extend his win streak even further when he qualified number one. Silva was hot on his tail all weekend and in the final it became a showdown between the two of them along with Canadian Dillon Stephens and impressive Peruvian Felipe Malaga. In the final Switzer and Silva stayed close for the first three turns until they tangled and crashed. Both Stephens and Malaga took advantage moving into first and second respectively. Switzer and Silva were able to get back on their boards but for them, the race was lost. Stephens held on to earn his first World Cup victory with Malaga second and Silva recovering to finish third.

Final Results
1. Dillon Stephens, Canada
2. Felipe Malaga, Peru
3. Douglas Silva, Canada
4. Patrick Switzer, Canada
5. Jackson Shapiera, Australia

Malarrara Pro Teutonia / IGSA World Championships November 4-6, Teutonia, Brazil

Teutonia is the steepest and fastest track of the World Cup Series. Downhill skateboarding competitors routinely reach speeds in excess of 115 km/h (72 mph) while racing side by side in two-man heats. After missing the entire season with a severe leg injury, Teutonia saw the return of Kevin Reimer. Many wondered how the two-time IGSA World Champion would perform and questioned why he would choose such a demanding course to launch his comeback. In qualifying he laid all doubt to rest by posting the fastest time to earn the number one qualifying position. Reimer had gone from being a dark horse to being the favorite overnight. Also qualifying well were 2009 Teutonia winner Mischo Erban and 2008 winner Douglas Silva. In the early rounds of the race, most heats went as predicted with Reimer, Erban, and Silva all making it to the final rounds. Brazilian Danky Olvahe had qualified sixth and was the fourth Semi-Finalist. In the first of the Semi’s it was Silva vs Ovalhe with Ovalhe the surprise winner advancing to the final. The other Semi-Final featured Reimer vs Erban. For many this was the race of the day. Erban was rolling like a freight train and beat Reimer convincingly. In the Final, Erban was unstoppable riding to victory and his first World Championship. Reimer and Silva had a great race in the Consi with Silva taking third place in a photo finish.

Final Results
1. Mischo Erban, Canada
2. Danky Ovalhe, Brazil
3. Douglas Silva, Brazil
4. Kevin Reimer, Canada
5. Otavio Munhoz, Brazil

Hot Heels Africa December 9-11, Kogelberg, South Africa

For the ninth consecutive year, Hot Heels Africa held in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve near Cape Town hosted the final World Cup race of the season. For many, the race is a warm escape from their colder homes in the Northern Hemisphere. Hot Heels also has a reputation for being a little more relaxed than the other races. For these reasons and many others, it continues to be a favorite with the riders. Having already clinched the 2011 World Cup Series title,Patrick Switzer elected to skip Hot Heels. Most of the other top riders were there along with a number of South African’s hungry for success. The final featured number one qualifier Jackson Shapiera, newly crowned World Champion Mischo Erban, Douglas Silva, and Christoph Batt. All the way down the hill Erban, Silva and Shapiera jostled for position with each taking a turn in the lead. As they came to the finish it was Silva who managed to get out in front, followed by Erban and Shapiera. Silva earned the third World Cup victory of his career to end his season on a high note.

Final Results
1. Douglas Silva, Brazil
2. Mischo Erban, Canada
3. Jackson Shapiera, Australia
4. Christoph Batt, Switzerland
5. Torbjorn Sunde, Norway

2011 IGSA World Cup Series Final Points Standings
1. Patrick Switzer, Canada 2216.85 pts
2. Douglas Silva, Brazil 2050.80 pts
3. Jackson Shapiera, Australia 2044.84 pts
4. Alex Tongue, United States 2005.78 pts
5. James Kelly, United States 1972.37 pts
6. Mischo Erban, Canada 1957.58 pts
7. Max Ballesteros, Brazil 1898.44 pts
8. Torbjorn Sunde, Norway 1882.54 pts
9. Kyle Martin, Canada 1860.60 pts
10. Stefan Ruefli, Switzerland 1848.36 pts
11. Robin Sandberg, Sweden 1846.38 pts
12. Graham Buksa, Canada 1819.88 pts
13. Felipe Malaga, Peru 1767.02 pts
14. Andrew Chapman, Canada 1752.64 pts
15. Justin Readings, Canada 1731.54 pts
16. Luke Melo, Canada 1697.66 pts
17. Nicolas Robert, Switzerland 1641.54 pts
18. Braden Tibbles, Canada 1615.47 pts
19. Maxime Garant-Rousseau 1600.05 pts
20. Travis Craig, Canada 1565.51 pts