Arttu Pihlainen extended his lead at the top of the Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship with a second successive victory in a freezing cold Moscow, Russia, where temperatures dropped as low as -22°C.
The freezing temperatures did not halt the progress of Pihlainen, who was fastest throughout on the 350-metre long ice track, edging out rival Kyle Croxall for the second race in a row following his win in Valkenburg at the start of the month.
"I managed to go all out in all five runs," he said afterwards. "I had a little bit of a problem in the final on the steep part. Luckily, I got my balance back. Phew! What a race!"
The spine proved to be a difference maker as 24 countries competed, with the top four nations all represented in the final.
Swiss athlete Kilian Braun took up the final place on the podium while there was also a first final appearance for the MINI Rookie Award winner in Munich, the German Fabian Mels.
Mels' compatriot and 2010 World Champion, Martin Niefnecker, lost out in the quarter finals of the competition in controversial circumstances following an altercation with Scott Croxall.
Croxall was disqualified for knocking his opponent off balance – it's the second time that Scott has been in trouble with the race authorities this season following a false start in Munich.
The race for the Championship will go down to the wire in Quebec City on March 19 and, with Scott Croxall's disqualification, it now looks to be a tense fight to the finish between Arttu Pihlainen and Scott's brother, Kyle, with just 300 points separating the two men.
"He always seems to get a fast start," said Canadian Croxall, referring to Pihlainen's tactic of 'smoking' the opposition. "Hopefully one of these times he'll slip up and I'll be able to overtake him!"
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