Team Kripps (Canada #3) had a good showing in the seventh World Cup Bobsleigh races this past weekend in Koenigsee, Germany. Pilot Justin Kripps of Summerland paired up with veteran brakeman Lascelles Brown in the two-man and placed a very creditable 10th. (In the second heat they had the fastest start time of the whole event and placed eighth in the heat. This was the best yet two-man result for rookie driver Kripps, who has been improving each race and steadily moving up the ranks as he gains more experience and learns the European tracks. Canada #1 took the gold medal in a dominant performance and Canada #2 placed 11th.
The following day Brown was back with pilot Lyndon Rush (Canada #1) and Kripps had his regular four-man crew of Nic Carriere, James McNaughton and Sam Guigere. They again put in a creditable performance with two consistent runs to place 12th overall, in a huge field of 30 sleds with all the best teams in the world present. Canada #1 placed ninth, and Canada #2 had a difficult race, placing 21st.
The Canadian coaches had opted to send Canada #2 and #3 to St. Moritz (home of the upcoming World Championships) the previous week for some extra training because both Kripps and Spring have not driven this track before.
This meant they missed World Cup #6 in Altenberg Germany. However spending New Years Eve in St. Moritz was an added bonus. Kripps, one of the youngest drivers on the World Cup circuit was also able to spend his 26th birthday in the glamorous Swiss Alps village.
World Cup races resume next week in Igls, Austria, where Kripps hopes to build on his recent performances and secure a place in the World Championships.