Great Britain finished on the podium in third place at Sunday’s FIM Long Track of Nations in Roden.
Host nation the Netherlands won the meeting which was subject to a near three-hour delay due to the heavy overnight rain as the track team worked feverishly to prepare the surface which did boil up to a dramatic finale.
In the battle for the third step of the podium Great Britain on forty-nine points lined up against Finland on forty-four. With all scores reset to zero it was Harris who muscled his way to the front in the first corner from the inside gate and when Wajtknecht pushed through to third and then swept ahead of Jesse Mustonen on the final lap Great Britain’s first podium since 2018 was assured.
Newly crowned individual world champion Smolinski got the start in the Grand Final from Riss, but neither had any answer to the electric pace of Hummel who dived up the inside to go from third to first before Meijerink made a bold pass on Riss to seal the deal for the Dutch in third behind Smolinski.
Photo credit: IAN CHARLES