Crashed Ice is coming back to St. Paul in January

Fresh off his second consecutive Ice Cross Downhill World Championship, Cameron Naasz, of Burnsville, will attempt to retain his crown when the Red Bull Crashed Ice racing series returns to St. Paul for the seventh time Jan. 19-20.

Naasz will try to fend off 63 other challengers from around the world during the St. Paul races, the first of four events on the 2018 calendar. On the women's side, Amanda Trunzo of Blaine will be one of 16 racers trying to unseat 2016 and 2017 World Champion Jacqueline Legere.

Competitors will make their way down the 1,600-foot-long track featuring hairpin turns, vertical and banked walls and a 12-story drop in front of the Cathedral of St. Paul. The track has earned a reputation as the longest and most challenging of those on the circuit, race officials said.

The event draws more than 100,000 fans each year. It's free for spectators, but new this year is the opportunity to buy paid premium seating, race organizers said.