maier

02-01-2004Hermann Maier to race onThe Hermann Maier story is a very special one For hardly any other athlete, successes and tragedies lie so closely together. Crashes and accidents as well as The Hermann Maier story is a very special one For hardly any other athlete, successes and tragedies lie so closely together. Crashes and accidents as well as unforgettable and very special triumphs had been typical for the career of the skier from Salzburg over the last years. Hermann Maier managed to shape the ski world cup and to electrify the world of sports every year – both on as well as off the ski slopes. This season, however, he was able to celebrate his most important victory: Only two years after his serious motorcycle accident the 31-year-old has made a triumphant come-back into the elite of world skiers and he now leads the world cup following two victories this season. And at the beginning of January, Hermann Maier will take up the race for points in his home Flachau. And who knows: Perhaps he’ll manage to add yet another chapter to his personal history with a victory in his very home, the place where he learned to ski. So, it seems clear that the Flachau world cup on 3rd and 4th January 2004 will simply be “the home race”; it will be Maier’s first racing appearance in Flachau after his accident. And, in the face of the nearly supernatural performances of the double Olympic Champion and World Champion, it is seems just natural that he will be honoured in a very special way: On 3rd January, Hermann Maier will start on “his” track in Flachau. “It was actually the logical step for many of us and it is a great pleasure to rename the former Grießenkar World Cup track into “Hermann Maier World Cup Track” on the occasion of the world cup races in Flachau in January”, Ernst Brandstätter, managing director of Bergbahnen Flachau and the host of the race, explains. However, for Hermann Maier the Flachau race is really very special: “I have raced down this slope as often as no-one else. And I have really good memories of it: This year, the day before my Super-G victory in Kitzbühel, I had been training there”, Maier says. The athlete also looks forward to all the things around the race: “I know many people who do everything to get this race going. The people in Flachau are famous for their perfectionism!” And, after all, the “Herminator”, who prefers to simply be called “Hermann Maier” after his accident, has yet another aim: He is trying to erase the last remaining white areas on his “map of victories”. “I have not yet won a race in Flachau”, Maier knows. “Unfortunately those years we were in Flachau were not my good giant slalom years. All the other years would actually have been fine…”, he says with a meaningful glance. Charging by his condition and according to his coaches’ assessment, Maier should be able to win his first giant slalom in January again. The first race in 2004 in Flachau would just be right. “A victory here would be something quite special. And if the coaches think – I’ll just keep my top form for myself till January – maybe it really works this time”, Maier says and hopes for a perfect home race for him. The conditions are good: Hermann Maier will race on a track named after him. “Of course, getting your own track while you are still alive is a great honour. And it is really exceptional for a racer to be able to race on his own track”, Maier is happy about the decision to rename the track. The athlete sees the reason for this honour not only in his sporting success: “Just imagine how often I have fought and conquered this hill; actually, it all matches quite well. I think I have spent more time there than every farmer with reaping and harvesting. Hermann Maier world cup track improved Not only has the name of the world cup track changed in Flachau. Since summer further improvements have been made, and they are also of benefit to the world cup – especially with a weather situation like this December. “We bought another 30 snow cannons in Flachau and are now able to produce snow with 80 cannons all together. In addition, we built a new reservoir pond. It is most important for us to produce environmentally friendly snow made of air, water and electricity” Brandstätter explains. Fortunately, we finally got snow these days and the weather is cold enough to produce snow. “Last week was enough to cover almost the whole skiing area with artificial snow, all tracks are open. And, of course, we give special attention to the world cup track, which will soon be ready for the race. Anton Kirchgasser, responsible for the track (and the father of world cup racer Michaela, note), will provide excellent conditions – just like usual”, the boss of Bergbahnen Flachau promises. In addition to the improved possibilities for artificial snow, the track itself has also been changed: Neureithütte mountain hut was removed from its position in the middle of the track and rebuilt on the edge of the slope. “We now have more space both for the world cup and for general skiing”, Brandstätter says.