Morizès: German one-two for Erik Riss and Lukas Fienhage
Erik Riss celebrated his second Grand Prix victory in Morizès and now leads the World Championship standings with 52 points. Lukas Fienhage finished second on his home track ahead of Zach Wajtknecht.
This article is an automatically generated English version. The
Erik Riss gewann nach Scheeßel auch den GP in Morizès
Foto: Hagen
Erik Riss gewann nach Scheeßel auch den GP in Morizès
© Hagen
Andrew Appleton (GB), Kenneth Kruse Hansen (DK) and Daniel Spiller of MSV Herxheim were absent from the second of three Grands Prix in the 2026 Long-Course World Championships due to injury. Unlike GP 1, which took place on the 1,000-metre track in Scheeßel, Lower Saxony, Saturday night’s race was held in Morizès, in the south of France. The so-called grass track – more of a sand track, really – is only 530 metres long and, in stark contrast to Scheeßel, is more like a slightly longer speedway track.
The Grand Prix got underway at 9 pm, and by just before midnight, Erik Riss had already been crowned the winner of the all-deciding final. The track had been heavily watered before the start; as the evening progressed, the conditions changed and there was even some dust in the air at times.
Regarding the new regulations: after 20 heats, the top three riders on points qualify for the final. They are joined by the two riders with the highest points totals from heats 21 and 22 (Last-Chance Heats 1 and 2).
Erik Riss, the winner at Scheeßel, was once again in a class of his own. The Swabian won four of his five heats; only in Heat 14 did Mathias Tresarrieu and Tero Aarnio cross the line ahead of him. But that didn’t matter – Riss had already qualified for the final after the heats, as had the very strong Lukas Fienhage on his favourite track. “I really love racing here; my family are here watching too, and I don’t live far from here either,” said the German, who rides for AC Vechta, between the heats.
Dave Meijerink had also qualified for the final after the heats. In the final, however, the Dutchman was unlucky, touching the starting tape and subsequently being disqualified. However, Meijerink says he actually feels more at home on rougher tracks, just like Romano Hummel, who had recently shone so brightly at the European Championship final in Aduard on the grass track. In the end, Hummel finished in 13th place. At the end of the season, the Dutchman will be hanging up his track cycling boots.
The heats in detail:
Heat 1: Jesse Mustonen got off to a flying start and held onto his lead ahead of Mathias Trésarrieu (F) and Zach Wajtknecht right to the finish.
Heat 2: Lukas Fienhage started on the inside and was in second place behind Patrick Kruse going into Turn 1; the German then overtook him, but Kruse, whilst in the lead, slowed down and retired.
Heat 3: Erik Riss, starting from the green grid position, leads after Turn 1 ahead of Romano Hummel and Chris Harris. The order remains the same right to the finish.
Heat 4: Dave Meijerink was only in third place going into the first corner, but then overtook Glenn Moi and William Kruit to win the heat.
Heat 5: Riss leads from the start and wins ahead of Mustonen and Kruse. The track has dried out and is starting to kick up dust.
Heat 6: Fienhage (yellow) versus Wajtknecht (white). The German races round the outside to take the lead, whilst the Dutchman William Kruit makes a strong move past Wajtknecht. Wajtknecht eventually fights back, but Fienhage takes the win.
Heat 7: Drama for two favourites. Chris Harris touches the starting line and is disqualified. In the re-run, Hummel takes the lead after a superb start, but is forced to coast to a halt following a puncture.
Heat 8: Tino Bouin leads Meijerink after the start, but then crashes on lap 3 and crashes into the air fences. The Dutchman wins the re-run ahead of Tero Aarnio. Darryl Ritchings takes third place ahead of Anthony Chauffour after a hard-fought battle.
Heat 9: Riss is the clear winner of the race ahead of Fienhage, Mustonen, Meijerink and Mika Meijer.
Heat 10: Hummel, who got off to a slow start, finishes second behind his compatriot Kruit.
Heat 11: Harris is last off the mark. After a hard-fought battle, he ultimately secures third place.
Heat 12: Kruse gets off to the best start from the inside, but is then overtaken by Wajtknecht and Jordan Dubernard coming from the outside. The Brit takes the heat win ahead of Kruse, who manages to overtake the local favourite in the closing stages.
Heat 13: Sensational – youngster Noah Urda takes the heat win ahead of Wajtknecht and the impressive Mika Meijer.
Heat 14: Durbernard is disqualified for exceeding the time limit. For the first time in this World Championship, Riss does not win a heat, finishing only third.
Heat 15: Fienhage takes the lead right from the start and wins; Hummel, who started at the back, finishes fourth with just one point.
Heat 16: Harris, fuelled by determination, takes the outside line to claim victory ahead of Meijerink and Kruse.
Heat 17: Meijerink wins ahead of Mustonen and Hummel and is through to the final.
Heat 18: Fienhage wins on his home track and qualifies for the final.
Heat 19: Riss secures his place in the final with a start-to-finish victory ahead of Wajtknecht.
Heat 20: Harris is disqualified again after touching the starting tape. Meijer wins the re-run ahead of Kruse, Moi and reserve rider Theo Ugoni, after Ritchings was forced to retire following a strong performance.
LCH 1: Aarnio wins ahead of Tresarrieu, Kruse, Meijer and Hummel.
LCH 2: Wajtknecht advances to the final as the heat winner.
Final: Fienhage (red, inside), Riss (green, outside), Meijerink (blue), Tresarrieu (white) and Wajtknecht (yellow). Then came the drama: Meijerink was disqualified for touching the starting tape. Only four remain in the final. Re-run: Riss takes the lead at the start and holds on to it right to the finish. Fienhage finishes second, ahead of Wajtknecht and Tresarrieu.
Results: Morizes Long-Track GP (F):
1. Erik Riss (D), 18 heat points/26 World Championship points
2. Lukas Fienhage (D), 19/24
3. Zach Wajtknecht (GB), 19/22
4. Mathias Trésarrieu (F), 19/22
5. Dave Meijerink (NL), 16/18
6. Jesse Mustonen (Finland), 16/16
7. Tero Aarnio (Finland), 16/15
8. Mika Meijer (NL), 13/14
9. William Kruit (NL), 12/13
10. Patrick Kruse (DK), 12/12
11. Chris Harris (GB), 11/11
12. Glenn Moi (N), 11/10
13. Romano Hummel (NL), 9/9
14. Theo Ugoni (F), 6/7
15. Noah Urda (F), 5/6c
16. Darryl Ritchings (GB), 4/5
17. Jake Mulford (GB), 4/4
18. Jordan Dubernard (F), 3/3
19. Anthony Chauffour (F), 3/3
20. Jan Hlacina (CZ), 2/1
21. Tino Bouin (F), 2/0
LCH 1: 1 . Aarnio, 2. Tresarrieu, 3. Kruse, 4. Meijer, 5. Hummel
LCH 2: 1. Wajtknecht, 2. Harris, 3. Kruit, 4. Mustonen, 5. Moi
Final: 1. Riss, 2. Fienhage, 3. Wajtknecht, 4. Tresarrieu, 5. Meijerink (d)
World Championship standings after 2 of 3 Grand Prix:
1. Riss, 52 points
2. Meijerink, 42
3. Wajtknecht, 42
4. Fienhage, 39
5. Harris, 33
6. Mustonen, 32
7. Kruse, 26
8. Kruit, 26
9. Aarnio, 25
10. Meijer, 25
11. Moi, 22
12. Tresarrieu, 20
13. Kruse Hansen, 18
14. Mulford, 13
15. Hummel, 9
16. Bouin, 7
17. Ugoni, 7
18. Chauffour, 7
19. Urda, 6
20. Appleton, 6
21. Ritchings, 5
22. Dubernard, 5
23. T. Wachs, 4
24. Busch, 3
25. Hlacina, 1
26. Spiller, 1
27. F. Wachs, 0
Seen already?
Don't miss out on any highlights: The Speedweek newsletter, sent out twice a week, delivers the latest news, exclusive commentary and all the important dates from the world of motorsports - directly into your inbox
