Today the Driving hall of fame gained a new name – Dries Degrieck (BEL). His stunning rounds at the 24th FEI Driving World Cup™ final in Bordeaux (FRA) meant that he has broken the Boyd-Bram stronghold on the series and been crowned a World Champion. Seeing off some of the biggest names in the sport’s history, he now stands as an equal to those who he once looked up to. He was also the youngest competitor in the final.
With all the scores from each round counting towards the places, nothing could be taken for granted. Dries seemed to grow in confidence and by Sunday afternoon when the title race had ramped up and the pressure was telling, he was the one who held his nerve. He also had the advantage of being last to go in the drive-off.
Although he gained four penalty seconds, his extraordinary speed over Michael Mayer’s (SUI) course meant that he won decisively with a total of 283.67. His drive-off time of 132.19 was the quickest, and he carried over 0.41 seconds from Saturday to add to the first round time only score of 147.48, which plus the four seconds, gave him a 6.02 winning margin.
“It’s an amazing feeling and it still has to sink in because I can’t believe it,” said Degrieck. “My horses were amazing and didn’t make any mistakes this season. If there was a mistake, it was my fault. They really helped me through the course here in Bordeaux. My father started driving horses, and then I started with a single and a pair, then went to a team. I trained with Boyd and I keep on learning!”
There was disappointment for Bram Chardon (NED) and Boyd Exell (AUS) who were second and third respectively. Despite their results, both previous champions graciously agreed that Dries was a deserving winner. And they were both hard on themselves, blaming driver errors for the penalties they gained, while praising their horses for their input.
As the overnight leader, Bram started Sunday’s competition on zero and was the last to drive in the first round. His time of 146.42 was 1.06 seconds quicker than Dries, but he added four seconds so his running total fell behind those of his nearest rivals.
Afterwards, Bram stated that it was hard to be first back into the drive-off after being last to go in the first round. He did his best to cool and rest his horses between the drives, even taking them outside for few minutes. He said his team didn’t feel so fresh in the drive-off and his time of 135.27 was 3.08 slower than Dries. Bram also added four seconds in the first obstacle and his final score was 289.69.
“My team was great yesterday but I was too wide on some of the turns, so today I was focussed on staying tighter but then I turned a bit late and hit an element. I knew with Boyd and Dries’s times, it was going to be super tight. But I gave everything I had, I kept on pushing and the audience helped, but as we also saw with Boyd today, we don’t know what is going to happen in the final round.”
Boyd regrouped after an off-form round on Saturday night which saw him finish fourth. He was the fastest in Sunday’s first round but carried over a penalty of 4.38. He was second to go in the drive-off and despite an impressive start that indicated he may have regained his winning ways, he tallied twelve seconds to add to his time of 133.13 and ended on 294.33.
He joked afterwards that perhaps he had spent too much time training Dries in the past, because his former pupil had just beaten him to became champion.
“My horses were fast today and they felt back on form. I had points to make up and we caught up after the first round which put the pressure on the others. In the drive-off I had an unlucky ball in the first obstacle and then I had a choice to stay clean and fight Bram for second place or keep pushing and try to pull off a miracle. So I pushed and came into the second obstacle too fast, couldn’t make the turn and the element fell, so very quickly two balls became three balls. But the horses were great!”
Ijsbrand Chardon (NED) couldn’t replicate his form from Saturday night and had eight to add to his time of 148.30, plus the carry-over of 3.70, to finish fourth on 160.00. It was delightful to see him and his long-term comrade and competitor, Christoph Sandmann (GER), clearly enjoying themselves in the prize giving parade. They have both won many medals and inspired the next generation. Returning to the World Cup series after 11 years, Christoph was clear in 152.07 and carried over 8.41, so finished fifth on 160.48.
The host nation’s wild card entry and French audience favourite Benjamin Aillaud (FRA) was sixth on 167.74 after driving two clear rounds. Jérôme Voutaz (SUI) was seventh on 170.81, and although he only had four to add to his time of 156.49 on Sunday, his carry-over of 10.32 from Saturday was too much for him to come near to the leading scores.
All involved were happy with Michael Mayer’s first World Cup final course design, and the drivers stated that they appreciated how well he had taken into consideration the horses and what worked best for them.
By now Dries Degrieck might feel the full impact of what he achieved in Bordeaux. He is a popular and worthy winner who has worked his way up to the top and there is little doubt that he will stay there for many years to come.
Results here.
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