Degrieck Dominates in Lyon

As the winner of Saturday’s opening two-round competition, Degrieck was last to go in Sunday’s second competition because the drivers start in reverse order of their results, last to first. Despite adding four penalties to his time in Sunday’s first round, he was quick enough to secure the lowest score and take one of the three drive-off places – and have the advantage of watching his rivals while he waited.

When he entered the arena for the final drive-off and picked up the pace, his four horses - Hunter, Leon, Kane B and Big Star - responded by streamlining themselves to speed through the course in front of a near-capacity crowd and go clear in the weekend’s fastest time of 146.36.  As well as securing the valuable win, he earned a maximum ten points for the series ranking table.  

Degrieck said afterwards: “It’s the third time we have driven here in Lyon and the crowd is fantastic and really helps us. I still have a few young horses in my team and my father has been driving them during the summer. They are a bit smaller and more compact and go faster than the big ones!”

Bright display from Benjamin

Keeping the pressure on Degrieck was the host nation’s wild card Benjamin Aillaud (FRA), driving the same Lusitano horses he uses for outdoor competitions. Although he is not one of the qualified drivers in this series, he and his team produced smooth rounds for a third place in the first competition and second on Sunday to finish on 152.23. The home crowd was delighted to have one of their own to cheer on and he rewarded their support with suave driving.

One of the most experienced competitors on the circuit, Jérôme Voutaz (SUI), was a favourite to win ahead of the opening weekend.  He and his Swiss horses showed early promise with a fast, clear round on Saturday morning but his more cautious approach in the initial drive-off meant he dropped behind Dries into second.  On Sunday, his clear first round in a decent time ensured a place in the drive-off but the pressure took its toll as he knocked two balls to add eight to his time to finish third on 158.16.  But because Aillaud is not a qualified driver, Voutaz took the seven points earned from a second place for the ranking table.  

Happy Horde

Although he just missed out on Sunday’s drive-off, Anthony Horde (FRA), who was another wild card, held his own amid cheers from the home crowd. Obviously enjoying being part of the event, he improved on his sixth position from Saturday morning to finish fourth on Sunday after going clear in 156.95.  

There were two Germans in the lineup – Georg von Stein went from seventh to fifth (162.10) and Anna Mareike Meier went from fifth to sixth (163.54) between Saturday and Sunday, but as qualified drivers both earned ranking points, as did Dutch Driving legend Ijsbrand Chardon. His first day went well for a fourth place but on day two, he didn’t show his usual fearsome form and knocked four balls to end seventh (178.79).

Jeroen Houterman’s (NED) course was ideal for one of the early events in the series with open obstacles and flowing lines which enabled the horses to move forward freely and maintain their rhythm.  The route remained the same for all four rounds, which is unusual because in most drive-offs, one or two gates are dropped which means the drivers must navigate a different course. Another variation in Lyon was that all seven competitors came forward for the first day’s drive-off and the scores from both rounds were added together for the places. In contrast, for competition two on Sunday only the top three from the first round qualified for the drive-off and their previous scores were zeroed.

The second leg will be next weekend in Maastricht (NED) and promises to be another compelling contest as the current world champion Bram Chardon (NED) lines up against perennial champion Boyd Exell (AUS) and the formidable Koos de Ronde (NED).

Dries and his horses will have a few weeks off before their next appearance at the fourth leg in Stockholm (SWE) at the end of November but this weekend, they made the perfect start to their quest to reach the final in Bordeaux (FRA). 

Words by Sarah Dance

Images by Lukasz Kowalski