30 juni 2013
Aachen: The Dutch team win the Nations’ Cup for the seventh time in succession
The reigning team World Champions do justice to their role as favourites: In today’s final obstacle driving test the Dutch team claimed the victory in the FENDT Nations‘ Cup for the seventh time in succession, winning as such the biggest four-in-hand driving competition in the world. The German team followed in second place.
Ijsbrand Chardon, Koos de Ronde and Theo Timmerman are still in a league of their own in the worldwide four-in-hand driving sport. The team drove into first place with impressively consistent performances. With a total score of 262.85 minus points the team dominated the overall classification, ahead of Germany (270.11) and Sweden (286.77).
Prior to the concluding obstacle driving course, which counted towards the team classification, the Germans lay just 4.8 points behind the favourites – which is the equivalent of knocking one ball off and minor time faults. However, in the end the Dutch team secured themselves a clear lead of 12 points. The best driver of the day was the Hungarian driver, Zoltán Lázár, who was one of just three drivers to drive clear in the drive-off.
The Swedish team delivered the surprise of the day, managing to move up two places to rank third overall after Tomas Eriksson and Fredrik Persson both had good results in the obstacle driving test.
The new course designer, Dr. Hartmut Kaufmann, who was responsible for the course in Aachen for the first time this year, received unanimous praise from the drivers. Last year the lacking stability of several obstacles had lead to safety-endangering problems for the drivers, horses and carriages. “Last year the drivers put forward some suggestions to the CHIO Aachen regarding the obstacles and the organisers have done everything we asked. This year everything was perfect,” said the Australian driver, Boyd Exell, winner of the individual classification. “It was a fantastic course, also for the crowd,“ the German driver Georg von Stein praised. However, the new rule that specifies that the ten top drivers are last in the starting order of the Marathon, didn’t meet with the general approval of the drivers. “We don’t really like the new rule specifying that the top 10 drivers compete last, especially when it rains like it did yesterday, which made the course more difficult, but ultimately the conditions were the same for everyone,” commented Boyd.
“We have invested a great deal of money in making the course safer,” reported CHIO Show Director, Frank Kempermann, who was especially pleased that the Marathon competition was broadcast live on ARD for the first time ever. “It is the best thing that can happen for the sport,” he declared.
Harry de Ruyter was particularly pleased with the performance of Koos de Ronde and Theo Timmerman. “The guys did a fantastic job,” said the Dutch Chef d’Equipe. “We were very happy with the course, they were the best obstacles, we have ever had in Aachen.”
The Germans were slightly disappointed with coming second again. “We really wanted to win,” the national coach, Karl-Heinz Geiger, stated. Although he did also note that the Dutch lead “is at least decreasing”. He also noted that the reason that the Dutch team is so dominant is because they are so good in the dressage. “That is our handicap. The gap is simply too big. It is almost impossible to catch up in the Marathon and obstacle driving test,” analysed Geiger.
