Morizès hosts Final 4

With only two rounds remaining in this year’s FIM Long Track World Championship the chase for the medals and for automatic qualification to the 2015 competition is hotting up. After the rainstorms which saw the abandonment of the Dutch round in Eenrum last month, organisers and competitors alike will be hoping that the forecast sun and warm weather for next weekend will prove correct as racing resumes and we move to France. This is the last meeting in the series to be raced on a grass surface before the final round on the traditional ‘sandbahn’ in Muhldorf, Germany on 28th September.

Morizès located in the Réolaise region, cradle of French grass track racing, boasts a 520 metre track in its village centre and is home to the innovative Morizès Motor Cycle Club, the first to introduce racing under floodlights in this area.

As the second half of this year’s competition begins, the Intermediate Classification shows the leading riders as:

Jannick de Jong has been the man to beat so far this year and is currently enjoying the best form of his career. Already holder of the European title and winner of the Long Track Challenge his lead gives him the best opportunity to secure his first World Championship.

The French will be well represented with 4 riders but the field will once again be missing the unlucky Dmitri Berge. Due to return from injury in time for the Eenrum meeting he was the victim of another accident whilst practising at his home track and now looks set to see out the rest of the season as a spectator. The Tresarrieu brothers Mathieu and Stephane spearhead the Gallic challenge along with Wild Card Théo Pijper and they will have strong support from the local fans.

Another unfortunate victim of injury is the lone Australian competitor Cameron Woodward who suffered a fractured thigh in a Polish league speedway meeting last Sunday and will be sidelined for some time. His place in this round will be taken by Théo Di Palma.

It is a measure of the mutual respect these riders have that one of the first to visit Woodward in his Latvian hospital bed was current world champion Joonas Kylmakorpi. Joonas is not enjoying the best of seasons to date and knows that he will have to raise his game and find better luck if he is to overhaul the leaders. A ten point margin between him and de Jong will be hard to claw back but he will not be giving up without a strong fight.   

Current darling of the German supporters is 19 year old Erik Riss whose performances this year have belied his tender years. He will know that a good result in Morizès will put him in a strong position for the final round in his native Bavaria. Stephan Katt, Jorg Tebbe and Matthias Kroger are the other Germans in the field and can be expected to provide some spectacular competition.

Great Britain’s David Howe continues his fine run of form and only his absence from the early rounds has prevented his presence in the top half of the classification. Others flying the Union Jack are Richard Hall currently in sixth place and Andrew Appleton who has experienced a disappointing season so far.  

The second Dutch rider will be Dirk Fabriek ranked number 2 in his country behind de Jong. He will have been disappointed to miss out at Eenrum and will be looking for a good performance here to boost his chances for a place in the 2015 field.

Local Reserves are Jérôme Lespinasse and Gabriel Dubernard both of whom have the capacity to upset the regular field if they are given the opportunity to ride.

The club have organised a spectacular festival of speed over two days commencing on Friday 12th September with the 2nd round of the FIM Flat Track Cup and a Freestyle Show. On Saturday the final of the 250cc Long Track Youth World Cup will start at 7.00pm. This competition is for riders between 13 and 17 years and will showcase some of the best of the stars of the future.

The 500cc Long Track World Championship Final starts at 8.25 with racing under lights through the evening. FIM Jury President is Ilkka Teromaa from Finland with Germany’s Christian Froschauer as Referee.

Starting List: