Speed, precision and the will to win: These attributes boost Britain’s most successful-ever skier Dave Ryding and motor racers Kelvin van der Linde and Ricardo Feller. All three are sponsored by the Austrian Tirol destination of Gurgl and recently, the athletes met up at the Ötztal ski area.
The timing of the meeting was the end of the ski season and before the start of the German Touring Car Championship (DTM), which begins in May.
The first British World Cup race winner, after his legendary triumph at the Kitzbühel Slalom in 2022, Dave Ryding, is reported to be looking forward to competing under Gurgl’s patronage again next season.
“By now Gurgl is my second home and I am very proud to represent the destination,” said Ryding, who followed up his win on the prestigious Ganslernhang slope by getting back on the podium earlier this year. “I am highly motivated for the next season and hope that my teammates will also succeed in taking the next step,” Dave added.
Ryding’s meeting with motor racing stars Kelvin van der Linde (South Africa) and Ricardo Harrer (Switzerland) took place at the resort’s The Top Mountain Crosspoint in Hochgurgl where the destination’s contract extension with Dave Ryding and the two motor races was signed.
The three athletes also used their stay in Gurgl to present their disciplines to the others.
Kelvin van der Linde, Ricardo Feller und Dave Ryding
For example, Dave Ryding was allowed to take a seat in the driving simulator and experience a virtual test drive on the ABT Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II. In return, the British ski ace invited the two car racers to the slopes of Gurgl for a day of skiing.
“It was a great experience. Dave is a super likeable guy with a lot of passion and we noticed many similarities between our sports,” says South African Kelvin van der Linde, who has only recently taken up skiing. Ricardo Feller’s assessment is similar: “It was interesting to see how Dave speeded down the slope. I definitely can’t keep up with that.”
(Image credit Ralf Linert)
