Hungary’s Jozsef Dobrovitz has won his first ever FEI World CupÔ Driving competition in Stuttgart this weekend. The multiple national champion and World Championship medal winner drove his homebred team of Lipizzaner horses to victory, cheered by the ever-enthusiastic crowd in the Schleyer Halle.
Four times World Champion Ijsbrand Chardon came second, ahead of Germany’s Christoph Sandmann.
German World Cup course designer Falk Böhnisch had built a technical course with tight turns. The gates were set a little wider in the FEI World Cup Driving competition, which resulted in more fluent and fast rounds of the seven drivers.
Wild card drivers and World Championship competitors Christian Plücker and Michael Brauchle received tips from World Cup Champion and multiple German Master Michael Freund, who initiated the indoor driving concept many years ago in Stuttgart. Christian Plücker drove very well and just missed the winning round by the blink of an eye, but was very pleased with his fourth place. Aachen marathon winner Michael Brauchle came fifth, ahead of Switzerland’s Werner Ulrich and Hungary’s Zoltan Lázár who both drove their first World Cup competition of the season in Stuttgart.
Dobrovitz drove a very fast first round and Chardon was only less than two seconds faster. After Christoph Sandmann had two balls down in the winning round which took place over a shortened course, Dobrovitz went full speed and let his horses accelerate and turn amazingly. As Dobrovitz left the arena with a very fast and clear round, Chardon knew what he had to do. But the winner of the FEI World CupÔ Driving competition in Hannover knocked a ball down and decided to finish safely to ensure his second position.
Quotes:
Jozsef Dobrovitz (Hun):
“I owe this victory to my father, who makes it possible that I can compete at this level, and to my wife. She helps me in the difficult turns by giving me good directions. I only have one eye so she is very important to me on the carriage.
It took some time before this team of horses went the way they go now. They are ready for it now. Ijsbrand Chardon drove some of them in the try out World Cup competition in Budapest 2007, which he won. They have become better even since.”
IJsbrand Chardon (Ned):
“When I knocked a ball down in the winning round, I knew that I could not win anymore. Dobrovitz drove fantastic and he deserved to win. I decided to take no more risks and my only goal was to stay ahead of Christoph Sandman.”
Christoph Sandmann (Ger):
“I enjoy competing in Stuttgart, it was my first choice event for the FEI World CupÔ Driving season. I was fourth to go and my goal was to stay clear in the first round. That worked out well and my horses went fantastic today.”
Results CAI-W Stuttgart:
1. Jozsef Dobrovitz (Hun) 232,49
2. IJsbrand Chardon (Ned) 242,70
3. Christoph Sandmann (Ger) 245,97
4. Christian Plücker (Ger) wild card 132,18
5. Michael Brauchle (Ger) wild card 135,50
6. Werner Ulrich (Sui) 146,53
7. Zoltan Lázár (Hun) 177,90
Classification after 2 of 7 events:
1 Ysbrand Chardon (Ned) 17
1 Jozsef Dobrovitz (Hun) 17
3 Koos de Ronde (Ned) 5
3 Christoph Sandmann (Ger) 5
5 Boyd Exell (Aus) 3
5 Werner Ulrich (Sui) 3
7 Tomas Eriksson (Swe) 2
7 Zoltan Lázár (Hun) 2