The 2024 season kicked off at the legendary Fort William course with some thrilling racing moments to remember. Among the highlights were two new Junior winners, Vali Höll’s continued dominance, and Loic Bruni’s first win in Scotland. Heather Wilson, racing on home soil, secured the win by 3.597 seconds after placing second in qualifying. Sacha Earnest finished in second place, closely followed by Eliana Hulsebosch. Despite suffering a rear flat, 2023 World Champion Erice Van Leuven managed to finish in fifth place. Asa Vermette impressed with his first World Cup victory, ending the round with a six-second lead over Luke Wayman. Daniel Parfitt came in third, 6.218 seconds off the winning pace.
Vali Höll showed no signs of slowing down as she started her season with another win just as she did in 2023. Despite falling behind in split two, Höll made an incredible comeback in the final two track sectors to secure another victory at Fort William. Nina Hoffmann put on a stellar performance and beat Tahnee Seagrave by 0.561 seconds to take second place behind Höll. Seagrave finished third and showed a return to form after struggling last season.
Loic Bruni finally claimed his first elite World Cup win at Fort William after setting the fastest time in qualifying and beating Troy Brosnan by 1.8 seconds during the race weekend. Finn Iles rounded out the top three and was within two seconds of Bruni overall for that round of racing.
The next round of racing will take place in Poland with a brand new track for round two after a short break from competition.
Overall, fans were treated to some unforgettable moments during this exciting opening round of racing for the 2024 series at Fort William.
New winners emerged during this race weekend as Vali Höll continued her dominance and Loic Bruni finally claimed his first World Cup victory at Fort William while Nina Hoffmann put on a stellar performance.