The 2015 World Long Track Championship begins this week with the first Final at Waldstadion Herxheim in South-West Germany on Thursday 14th May, at the traditional meeting held at this track every year on ‘Ascension Day’ which is also ‘Father’s Day’ in this part of the world.
As always, the season opens with high expectations from all competitors and the field comprises those who qualified through last year’s series or through the ‘Long Track Challenge’ meeting with Substitute Riders nominated by FIM. The line-up for Herxheim will be:
| Ballot N° | Riding N° | Rider | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 47 | Erik Riss | Germany |
| 2 | 2 | Jannick de Jong | The Netherlands |
| 3 | 610 | Joonas Kylmakorpi | Sweden |
| 4 | 4 | Richard Hall | Great Britain |
| 5 | 5 | Mathieu Tresarrieu | France |
| 6 | 42 | Stefan Katt | Germany |
| 7 | 27 | Stéphane Tresarrieu | France |
| 8 | 94 | Dirk Fabriek | The Netherlands |
| 9 | 21 | Jorge Tebbe | Germany |
| 10 | 115 | Theo Pijper | The Netherlands |
| 11 | 96 | Dimitri Berge | France |
| 12 | 444 | Josef Franc | Czech Republic |
| 13 | 19 | Andrew Appleton | Great Britain |
| 14 | 18 | Geln Philipps | Great Britain |
| 15 | Wild Card | Micahel Härtel | Germany |
| 16 | Reserve | Nadine Frenk | Germany |
| 17 | Reserve | Markus Eibl | Germany |
In a new innovation introduced this year, the draw for each round will take place 30 minutes before the Riders Briefing Meeting on practice day which on this occasion will be at 15.30 on Wednesday afternoon.
Already injury has taken its toll on the field with nominated substitute Aki-Pekka Mustonen from Finland still not fit to race and his place is taken by Great Britain’s Andrew Appleton. Fellow Brit David Howe is another casualty having sustained a dislocated shoulder in an off-track incident and Glen Philipps moves in to replace him. Both Phillips and Appleton are seasoned performers at this level and should have no difficulty in providing strong competition. Equally Richard Hall will be expected to be amongst the leaders in this series and should improve on his disappointing meeting here last year when he scored only five points, a performance which probably cost him the chance of a medal to add to his bronze of 2013. He has recently revived his speedway career and is enthusiastic about his chances of Long Track honours.
Current champion Erik Riss alsohas some injury worries after an accident whilst racing for his British Premier League speedway team, Edinburgh. In a bizarre incident on the run down lap after a race win, Riss was celebrating with ‘high fives’ with his team mate but both riders fell from their machines and Riss was left with a broken collar bone. Although surgery was not deemed necessary Erik has been exploring the possibility of laser treatment to ensure his fitness for Thursday’s meeting. Erik was the sensation of the 2014 series and became the youngest ever Long Track champion when he took the title in Muhldorf. If he can avoid injuries this year he has every prospect of repeating that victory.
Erik’s compatriot Stefan Katt is in confident mood after his second place at the European Championship Semi Final in England last month. Herxheim is one of his favourite tracks and Katt believes that he is fitter and better prepared than in recent years. He has also spent time and money on his equipment with the intention of making a real impression in the championship this year. With Martin Smolinski deciding not to participate this year, Katt has the possibility of being the top German should Riss falter in his chase for the title.
Last year’s Herxheim winner and second in the overall championship was Dutchman Jannick de Jong whose consistency through all the rounds took him to within 5 points of the gold medal. He was the unbeaten winner of this season’s warm up meeting in Roden in Holland last weekend and looks to have maintained his good form but he can expect a stronger challenge this year from fellow Dutchman Dirk Fabriek who was close behind him. 30 year old Fabriek has a new support team and will be using engines tuned by Robert Barth at Herxheim.
Joonas Kylmakorpi has enjoyed the title of World Champion four times in this discipline between the years of 2010 until 2013 and was top scorer here in Herxheim last year. Only a miserable meeting in Marmande littered with mechanical problems prevented him from taking his fifth title in 2014 and the Swede will be keen to regain his top ranking with another good performance here. He is in top form on the speedway and will be a very difficult man to beat on the Long Tracks.
The series resumes in August with Final 2 in Eenrum, The Netherlands followed by Vechta in Germany and Morizès France in September. This season is promising to be one of the most open for some years with almost every rider having a realistic chance of winning. The French are represented by the Tresarrieu brothers who are always competitive and in young Dmitri Berge have one of the best prospects for the future. Now fully fit the 18 year old could well have a major influence on the destiny of the championship. Josef Franc is the Czech Republic’s sole representative and like veteran Theo Pijper cannot be discounted for a podium place at any of the four Finals. A vintage season is in prospect.
Racing at Herxheim commences on Thursday at 13.30 and includes a full support programme of National and Sidecar races and there will be an autograph session at 12.00. FIM Jury President is Christian Bouin from France with Britain’s Chris Durno the Referee.