2009 FEI World Pairs Driving Championship

Monday, August 24, 2009

DUTCH STRIKE AGAIN IN KECSKEMET

After Mieke van Tergouw from The Netherlands won the dressage at the FEI World Pairs Driving Championship in Kesckemét, the Dutch national anthem was played again after the marathon. Harry Verstappen drove a magnificent marathon in the dramatic heat in Hungary and was declared the winner.

Heavy

It was a heavy marathon for the 69 pair drivers. The eight long and demanding obstacles followed each other without much time in between to recover, which made it extra heavy for the drivers and their horses. Dutch driver Harry Verstappen set the fastest times in four obstacles with his pair of pinto Dutch warm bloods. It was a true pleasure watching Verstappen go through the obstacles, without any unnecessary noise, not touching any part of the obstacles and using his whip very occasionally. Hungarian Favorite Zoltán Lázár came second, ahead of Klaus Tebbe, the individual competitor from Germany who won the marathon in Warka 2007 competing with the same horses.

Ups and downs

The marathon took place in extreme heat. Despite the high temperature, 30.000 spectators visited the event and saw beautiful driving sport with lots of ups and several down moments. Mieke van Tergouw had a corrected error of course in the first obstacle, which got her 20 penalty points and destroyed her chances for a good placement.

Defending World Champion Vilmos Lázár from Hungary fell off his carriage on his way to the finish of the second obstacle. Luckily, the navigator reacted adequately and grabbed the reins and the pair came to a stop. Both Vilmos and his navigator had minor injuries but will compete tomorrow. Vilmos completed the marathon after the incident and herewith secured his dressage score for the team result.

World Pair Champion 2005 Rainer Pointl took the wrong way in obstacle 7 and was eliminated. László Juhász jr., son of the 1984 World four-in-hand Champion László Juhász, withdrew in obstacle four after one of his horses got lame. The groom of Daniel Wütrich from Switzerland got injured falling off the carriage coming out of obstacle six. He was taken to hospital but was released in the afternoon with minor injuries.

Standings

The 1997 World Pair Champion and 2004 World four-in-hand Champion Zoltan Lázár has taken over the lead in the standings from Mieke van Tergouw. He is followed on less than one point by Harrie Verstappen and Switzerland’s Beat Schenk.

The Dutch are still in the lead of the team standings, ahead of Hungary, Germany and Switzerland.

Not easy

The decisive obstacle driving competition is held on Sunday. According to course designer Christian Iseli, the course will be ‘not easy, but Iseli!’

Results marathon: