With a commanding eight-point lead heading into the fifth and deciding Final of the 2024 FIM Long Track World Championship powered by Anlas, Kineo and HKC Koopmann this coming Sunday (22 September) at Roden in the Netherlands, defending champion Martin Smolinski sits in pole position to retain his crown – although a third title for the German is by no means a done deal.
Defending champion Martin Smolinski leads heading into fifth and deciding Final Can Lukas Fienhage pull back eight-point championship deficit? British riders Zach Wajtknecht and Chris Harris still in contention Having taken three wins and a third in the four rounds staged so far, the thirty-nine-year-old from Munich has been the dominant force this season, but his compatriot Lukas Fienhage has also been amazingly consistent throughout 2024, and his three thirds and a victory mean he is still very much in contention for the crown.
Champion in 2020, the twenty-five-year-old would dearly like to add another FIM gold medal to his trophy cabinet and while eight points may look like a comfortable lead, if Fienhage wins and Smolinski finishes outside of the top five then the younger man will regain the title.
However, it is much more than a two-rider contest and Zach Wajtknecht and Chris Harris, who are tied for third just four points further adrift, still have a chance of securing a first crown – although both require a victory and for Smolinski to finish outside of the top eight on Sunday. Neither British rider has managed to win a round this season, although having lost out in 2023 when he held the points lead heading into the concluding round before failing to make the cut for the Grand Final, Harris is fully aware of the unpredictable nature of Long Track racing.
While the title is out of reach of everyone apart from the leading four – and although no other rider competing this season has managed to set foot on the podium so far – there is no shortage of candidates who would love to sign off on their season with a top-three finish on the immaculate six-hundred-metre oval at the Speed Centre Roden.
Veteran British rider Andrew Appleton currently sits a distant fifth and, after qualifying for the Grand Final last time out in Vechta for the first time since 2012, the forty-two-year-old – who made his FIM Long Track World Championship debut all the way back in 2003 – will be determined to maintain this momentum on Sunday.
While there is a question mark concerning the fitness of 2021 champion Romano Hummel following his crash at last weekend’s fourth round, the Dutchman is a rider who definitely could figure at the front and we saw last year at Roden – when he scored maximum points at the FIM Long Track of Nations – that he is a rider who can utilise home advantage and home support to full effect.
Kenneth Kruse Hansen won two of the final three Grands Prix of 2023, but the dashing Dane is still without a Grand Final appearance this year and, along with riders including home hero Mika Meijer and Hynek Stichauer from the Czech Republic, he will be focused on forcing his way into the top five.
The action from Roden gets under way on Sunday (22 September) with the first Heat scheduled for 13:30 local time. All five of this season’s Finals along with the FIM Long Track of Nations can be watched LIVE or watched on catch-up on FIM-MOTO.TV for just €34.90. To sign up click here.
For more Information about the 2024 FIM Long Track World Championship powered by Anlas, Kineo and HKC Koopmann click here.
Words by World Long Track – Images by Jesper Veldhuizen