Long Track Final 1 in Herxheim (GER)

Joonas Kylamakorpi is on top of the world again after a fascinating start to the 2015 Long Track World Championship in Herxheim, Germany. In front of 16,500 spectators the Swede stormed to a win in the Final and travels home from Germany with 22 hard earned points.

It was not an untroubled afternoon for the former World Champion who dropped 6 points on his way to the final and was in danger of being eliminated at the semi-final stage when his rear shock absorber collapsed whilst he was leading and slowed him into 3rd place threatening to spoil his championship aspirations. However he had ‘banked’ sufficient points in his qualifying races and made no mistake in the Final to win a comfortable victory and the top place on the winner’s podium which brings with it the prize of the €5000 ‘Herxheim Golden Hemet’.

The 963m track provided the usual excellent racing but the surprises of the day centred on the young brigade who made a huge impression and promised that the rest of the series could defy all the early season predictions. Erik Riss, current holder of the world title was not at his best and will be disappointed with his result. Still suffering from the collar bone injury which has kept him out of the saddle for some weeks and not helped by a fall in practice, the Bavarian started well, winning his first two races, but an engine failure slowed his progress and his 15 points were not sufficient to carry him into the Final.

Dmitri Berge spent last season following the Long Track as a spectator after speedway injuries but served notice in Herxheim that he is now back to full fitness and is determined to make an impression on the championship. Despite having missed the official practice his three wins in the qualifiers saw him comfortably into the Final where a second place earned him a total of 18 points. He also set the fastest time of the day at 110.44secs when winning Heat 12. The French contingent had a generally satisfactory meeting although Stephane Tressarrieu will not be content with his meagre 6 points haul. His brother Mathieu led the points scorers before the Final but despite having the choice of start position he was unable to take advantage and finished a surprising last.

Wild Card Michael Härtel was the sensation of the afternoon and thrilled his local support with a well-earned 18 points including two wins over Kylmakorpi. Although not a permanent feature of this year’s championship this 17 year old from Dingolfing served notice that he will be an opponent to be feared whenever he can secure a regular place. In an afternoon of mixed results for the Germans Stefan Katt’s confident predictions were not transferred to the track and a miserable afternoon was completed by a heavy first bend fall in his final race. Jorge Tebbe reached the semi final which he won but his total points haul was not enough to take him into the last race and he can place much of the blame on his Heat 5 last place behind his fellow Germans.

Dutchman Jannick de Jong took first place last year on this track but was unable to repeat the performance although a fifth place in the overall points scores will still leave him poised to strike back when the series moves to his home soil in Eenrum. His fellow countryman Dirk Fabriek had confidently promised a strong performance but fell disappointingly short of his prediction and will need to improve considerably if he is to make any real progress. Veteran Theo Pijper was a solid performer and was a shade unfortunate to miss out on a Final place despite gathering 15 points.

The British party will be far from satisfied with their results with only 15 points between them. Late entrant Andrew Appleton was the best but his three third places left him well down the leader board. Richard Hall’s championship aspirations took a serious blow and he has a virtual mountain to climb if he is to feature in the top half of the field at the end of the series.   

Leading Scorers after Round 1:

It was a well organised meeting held in good weather and left riders and spectators looking forward to the next round which will take place in Eenrum, The Netherlands on 16th August.