Kühtai (pma) – GRM Group Luge World Cup on Natural Track starts the season with duel runs on a parallel course from 11th to 14th December at Kühtai, Austria. The tyrolean winter sport destination is a last-minute replacement for the inaugural event at Hochfügen. The 2014/15 season starts with a special event, a parallel race. „We reactivated the parallel event last season to develope the sport. It is a big chance to get closer to urban and touristic centres. There is no need of a permanent course. A ski slope with the right incline is perfect”, defines Peter Knauseder, vice-president natural track of the International Luge Federation FIL. Kühtai is for the first time host of a GRM Group Luge World Cup on Natural Track. Odds-on favourites are from Italy, Austria and Russia. Patrick Pigneter (ITA) is the man to beat at the Men’s event. “My strengths lie on the classic events, but I really like parallel races. It is a pure spectacle for the viewers”, the 27-year-old Italian said. He wants to win his tenth consecutive World Cup Overall title. The same applies to Ekatharina Lavrentjeva from Russia. She won so far 49 World cup races in her career. At Kühtai she wants to be victorious for the fiftieth time. The last parallel race was won by 17-year-old Carmen Planötscher (ITA). A big surprise but this year the young Italian and her team-mates Evelin Langthaler and Greta Pinggera want to knock Lavrentjeva off the top spot. Patrick Pigneter and Florian Clara (ITA) are the favorites at the Doubles Event. They won the last five World Cup races in a row. Their biggest opponents are the Austrian brothers Andreas and Christian Schopf and the Russian doubles Pawel Porschnev and Ivan Lazarev. After qualification runs the best athletes compete at knockout rounds. Two luger compete on both sides of the course, which are changed on second run. The time difference of the first run is the start difference at the second run. The victory podium is determined by a big (winner semifinal) and a small final (runner-up semifinal). World Cup point system is the same as in classic World Cup races. GRM Group Luge World Cup on Natural Track starts in December 2014 and ends in February 2015 after six races. Highlight of this year’s season are the World Championships in Sankt Sebastian in Austria from 15th to 18th January 2015. TIME SCHEDULE GRM Group Luge World Cup on Natural Track Kühtai, Austria: Friday, 12.12.2014 09:00 – 14:45 training session from 14:45 Qualification Doubles Saturday, 13.12.2014 10:30 – 12:30 Qualification Men and Ladies from 12:30 World Cup Doubles (preliminary run/quarter-/semi-/finals) from 15:00 Small and Big Final and victory ceremony Sunday, 14.12.2014 09:30 – 11:30 Nations Cup (Doubles, Men, Ladies) from 11:30 World Cup Men (preliminary run/second round/quarter-/semi-/finals) / World Cup Ladies (preliminary run/quarter-/semi-/finals) from 14:55 Small and Big Final and victory ceremony