It was Werner Heel who was most vocal about his expectations: “You can win races if all goes well but you have to be able to accept also less than optimal performances. I have been able to capture more points this year compared to last year. I was positively surprised by Guay: he managed to capture a significant lead even compared to the big stars such as Cuche.” Peter Fill didn’t want to express his views as compared to two years ago. “I have changed my skis and feel like I am a different person. I had a few problems during the first training run but things were better today. The course is in great conditions and there are all the reasons to do a great race. I will give it all and then we’ll see. There will be many fans coming to offer their support, particularly on Saturday, and I hope to be able to show them how well I can ski here on my home course and not only stateside.”