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Federation
Equestre Internationale News
FEI World Cup Driving News: Freund
invincible in Vigo
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Michael
Freund has turned out to be invincible during the two FEI World
Cup Driving events in Vigo, Spain. After Bordeaux dropped out
of the World Cup Driving circuit, Vigo offered to host two instead
of one World Cup event. Freund won the warm up competition and
both World Cup competitions. The challenge however, came from
an unexpected corner this time. In the warm up competition and
the second World Cup, it was Mechelen-winner Gert Schrijvers who
came very close to Freund¹s time. In the first World Cup,
Hungarian driver Jozsef Dobrovitz made only one fault and even
though he could not compete with Freund¹s time, the Hungarian
driver ended on a deserved second place. Boyd Exell, driving a
team of German warmbloods and Orlov trotters owned by Michael
Freund, finished third in all three competitions,
consistently having three faults and nearly finishing in the same
time in all three rounds.
Although
Freund is the uncrowned king of indoor driving, he has to keep
watching over his shoulder. During the first season he was beaten
once by Chardon, in the second season Sandmann finished ahead
of him in Göteborg. Gert Schrijvers set a very fast time
(136.90) in the second World Cup competition and put the pressure
on Freund even more. It nearly looked as if Schrijvers was going
to go home with the first prize when Freund lost valuable seconds
when his team nearly hit the boarding and had to come to a full
stop. But the double World Cup champion saved himself and passed
the finish line 2.55 seconds faster than Schrijvers: OI am very
happy that I won
in Vigo in front of such an enthusiastic crowd. I am glad that
I had to fight for my first place and that there was such little
difference in the result.¹ Schrijvers made up for his fifth
place in the first World Cup competition and was very pleased
with his second place: OIt is not a shame to come second behind
Freund, but I regret it that my season is over already. My horses
went just as well as in Mechelen. Yesterday they were too strong
while as today they felt perfectly again.¹ Schrijvers is
currently
second in the standings and will most probably end in the top
four after the last competition in Göteborg. The Hungarian
drivers Jozsef Dobrovitz and Jozsef Bozsik travelled some 4000
kilometres to Vigo to compete in their second and third World
Cup events. Dobrovitz, a 35-year old professional driver from
Vecses, drove his team of Nonius and Lipizzaner horses smoothly
through the course and peaked in the first World Cup, where he
came second behind Freund: OI never expected to achieve this result.
I did compete in an indoor competition in Hungary after Stuttgart
to get more indoor experience, but I didn¹t expect this,
especially not after the warm up ompetition. Idrove with Boszik¹s
carriage because my carriage was broken. I could not really go
for it, but that was different in the second competition when
I used my own carriage again.¹ The team of Dobrovitz¹
fellow countryman Jozsef Bozsik needs some more indoor experience,
but with one more competition to go, Bozsik can still climb in
the standings. Wild card driver Juan Robles got better as the
competitions went. The first day he was struck by bad luck when
one of his grooms had to dismount twice because of a problem with
his leader reins. Robles however, drove the course, designed by
German course designer Falk Böhnish, smoothly all times and
even came fifth in the second World Cup competition.
The
next leg of the FEI World Cup Driving will take place in Os-Hertogenbosch,
the Netherlands, on 28 March 2004.
Results
CAI-W Vigo 1 (13/02/04):
1. Michael Freund (Ger) 135.66
2. Jozsef Dobrovitz (Hun) 153.97
3. Boyd Exell (Aus) 158.37
4. Jozsef Bozsik (Hun) 173.09
5. Gert Schrijvers (Bel) 175.83
6. Juan Robles (Esp) 200.61
Results CAI-W Vigo 2 (14/02/04):
1. Michael Freund (Ger) 134.35
2. Gert Schrijvers (Bel) 136.90
3. Boyd Exell (Aus) 159.18
4. Jozsef Dobrovitz (Hun) 164.13
5. Juan Robles (Esp 171.61
6. Jozsef Bozsik (Hun) 186.18
Standings
after CAI-W Vigo: www.worldcupdriving.com
Created
in 2001, the Driving World Cup has provided an innovative new
style of competition for indoor events, with courses combining
marathon and cone driving obstacles. The 2003/2004 season of the
World Cup includes seven events with eight competitions: Stuttgart
(GER), Stockholm (SWE), Mechelen (BEL) in 2003; Leipzig (GER),
two competitions in Vigo (ESP), 's-Hertogenbosch (NED) and Göteborg
(SWE) in 2004. The winner of the first two editions of the World
Cup was Michael Freund
(GER).
Relevant internet addresses:
CAI-W Vigo: www.csivigo.com
World Cup Driving: www.worldcupdriving.com
FEI: www.horsesport.org
www.horsesport.org
.