Long-course Roden: Netherlands crowned team world champions following Chris Harris’s withdrawal

In the first four rounds, everything went like clockwork for the British team at the Long-Course Team World Championships. Against Finland, France, Denmark and Norway, the quartet from the UK secured four 12–3 victories and only conceded points for the first time in their clash with the Dutch. With Dave Meijerink in first place and William Kruit in third, the Dutch defeated the British 8–7, thus making a statement ahead of the final heats. Whilst the British had dominated their heats, the Dutch quartet also won all their heats, albeit not always in first to third place.

After the 21 heats had concluded, Great Britain and the Netherlands – by far the best teams – were through to the final for the gold medal on the sand track in Roden, whilst the French, missing Jordan Dubernard and Mathias Tresarrieu, secured World Championship bronze as the third-best team after the heats. In the final, where the points from the heats no longer mattered, a thrilling battle for the lead unfolded, with Chris Harris and Dave Meijerink locked in a spectacular duel. Harris had forced the Dutchman outwards in the opening bend and then taken the lead, but Meijerink kept up with Harris, who suddenly slowed down at the exit of the final bend and coasted to a halt. As a result, the hosts clinched gold ahead of the British side – who lost 8–7 to the Dutch for the second time that day – with Meijerink’s victory ahead of Zach Wajtknecht and James Shanes.

Lukas Fienhage alone was not enough

The German team, for whom Erik Riss and Martin Smolinski were unavailable and Daniel Spiller had to sit out due to injury, had Lukas Fienhage as their top scorer. The 27-year-old rode a strong race and only conceded a point to Wajtknecht in the final heat against the British. However, as his team-mates were only able to contribute a total of eleven points, Germany missed out on a World Championship medal. The team suffered a stroke of bad luck when Dominik Werkstetter was disqualified and Timo Wachs’s motorbike broke down at the start, meaning points were left on the table in the duels against Norway and Finland.

Results of the Long-Track Team World Championship in Roden, Netherlands:

Topic of the week

Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring: track – hit or miss?

The people of Madrid had set their sights high for their city’s first Formula 1 World Championship race since 1981. But have the high expectations for the new Madring mixed-circuit track really been met?

Mathias Brunner

Read More