The second and final training run for the men in advance of tomorrow’s downhill race in Santa Caterina, Italy, took place today under similar conditions to yesterday’s training with darkness and bumps once again the name of the game.

This time around, an Italian posted the fastest time. Christof Innerhofer crossed the line in 1:47.41 seconds, just 0.24 seconds ahead of yesterday’s fastest skier, Hannes Reichelt of Austria. Frenchman Adrien Theaux snagged third, 0.50 seconds back.

Even though the course was slightly faster than in the first training run, all but 14 racers managed to stay on course despite similar conditions the previous day when nearly half of the starters failed to complete the course. With speeds clocked at upwards of 150 kph (or 93 mph), race day looks to be quite the show if conditions prove to be similar.

“I like spectacular slopes,” Innerhofer said following his run. ‘They did a great job here in Santa Caterina, especially in the upper part, so the slope provides great show with lots of big turns. The speed checks prove it, we go up to 150 kph, it’s really crazy.”

“It’s a constant fight through the bumps, all these rolls make the slope really hard, especially with this visibility,” added Reichelt.

According to Theaux, conserving energy on the top portion of the slope was the key to his ability to remain on course and stay aggressive through the demanding lower sections.

“I tried to be relaxed going into this run. So the upper part was not perfect, but it probably helped to keep strengths for the lower part,” he explained. “The goal is to be fast and strong on race day tomorrow.”

The top American finisher was Steven Nyman in 15th, 2.46 seconds back. The U.S. team as a whole had a stronger day, with no DNFs or missed gates and Travis Ganong and Bryce Bennett finishing in the top 30 with 25th- and 30th-place finishes, respectively. Finishing just outside of the top 30 was Marco Sullivan in 32nd, Jared Goldberg in 33rd, and Andrew Weibrecht in 40th. Wiley Maple was 54th.

Notably absent from the start list is Canadian Erik Guay. The speed specialist is opting out of competing this week and is instead resting his knee at home in Canada and will return to action with his sights set on the start of the January classics in Wengen.

It was also announced that the men’s slalom race originally scheduled in Zagreb on Jan. 6 has officially been moved to Santa Caterina due to a lack of snow in the Croatian capital.

Tomorrow’s race is scheduled to start at 11:45 a.m. CET, with live streaming available for authenticated U.S. cable subscribers on NBC Sports Live Extra.

Official Results