Erik Riss put on an outstanding show on home ground at Mühldorf in Germany this afternoon at the FIM Long Track World Championship Challenge, recording an almost perfect performance as he out-paced a ferociously fast field to claim the top step of the podium.
His heroics mean he has booked an automatic place behind the tapes in the 2025 FIM Long Track World Championship where he will be joined by his compatriot Daniel Spiller, the British pairing of Zach Wajtknecht and Chris Harris and Denmark’s Kenneth Kruse Hansen who claimed the remaining four qualification positions up for grabs today.
With a potentially career-changing prize on the line, the racing was intense from the first block of Heats that saw Riss, Wajtknecht, Harris and the Czech Republic’s Hynek Stichauer all take an early win, but Riss – a two-time world champion in the discipline – then faltered in his second outing when he trailed home last.
With Wajtknecht and Harris adding a second win and Hansen and Dave Meijerink from the Netherlands moving into contention with victories, Riss showed his undisputed class by reeling off three consecutive wins to make it through to the Semi Finals.
Wajtknecht was also in fine form and he dropped just one point – to Riss in their fourth Heat – as he also progressed to the Semi Finals on the same score as Harris who lost a point to fast Finn Jesse Mustonen in the Heat stages.
Hansen recorded three Heat wins as he made the cut for the Semi Finals alongside Spiller, Meijerink and Mustonen with Dutchman Henry van der Steen, Germany’s Stephan Katt and Jan Macek from the Czech Republic also progressing to the knock-out stage.
With tensions rising in the Rennbahn Mühldorf, Wajtknecht raced to victory in the first Semi Final ahead of Hansen and Spiller at the expense of two-time Finnish national champion Mustonen and Katt before Riss took care of business in the second Semi Final from Harris as Van der Steen, Meijerink and Macek were eliminated.
By this point the five riders qualifying for next year’s series were already decided, but a Grand Final was needed to determine the podium positions and Riss did not disappoint the noisy home fans who wanted to see a German racer on the top step.
Wajtknecht continued to show the form that carried him to second in last month’s FIM Long Track World Championship opening round to take second with Hansen third ahead of Harris and Spiller.
With the Challenge event completed for another year, the focus now shifts to the second Final of the 2024 FIM Long Track World Championship powered by Anlas, Kineo and HKC Koopmann which will be held at Marmande in France on Saturday 13 July.
All 2024 Finals along with the FIM Long Track of Nations can be watched LIVE on FIM-MOTO.TV for just €34.90. To sign up click here.
For more information on the 2024 FIM Long Track World Championship powered by Anlas, Kineo and HKC Koopmann click here.