Reigning champion and series leader Martin Smolinski strengthened his grip on the 2024 FIM Long Track World Championship powered by Anlas, Kineo and HKC Koopmann with a powerful performance on home soil in the Reiterwaldstadion Vechta, the venue for the fourth and penultimate Final of the year.
Defending champion Martin Smolinski extends lead with third win of the year Lukas Fienhage completes German one-two to consolidate second in the series British riders Zach Wajtknecht and Chris Harris tied for third with one round remaining The thirty-nine-year-old from Munich dropped just a single point through his five Heat races before powering to victory in the Grand Final to make it three victories from four GPs and open up what could prove to be a decisive eight-point lead as he attempts to complete his hat-trick of FIM Long Track World Championship titles.
Smolinski got his night off to a solid start with victory in his first Heat ahead of Denmark’s Kenneth Kruse Hansen to join the British pairing of Zach Wajtknecht – who led home former champion Romano Hummel from the Netherlands – and Chris Harris, who beat Czech racer Hynek Stichauer into second, at the top of the table.
After failing to score in his opening race, Britain’s Andrew Appleton won his second Heat and Wajtknecht got the better of Harris before Smolinski collected another four points with victory ahead of Hansen.
Smolinski and Wajtknecht remained locked together on maximum points after both won their third Heats and another win for Harris left him just one point behind, but the German then dropped a point to Wajtknecht in the fourth block of racing and the British rider moved into a clear lead as Harris’ third win of the night tied him with Smolinski for second.
With a full block of Heats still to run the three automatic qualifiers for the Grand Final were virtually guaranteed, but with the next five riders progressing to the Last Chance Heat where two more places in the main points-paying race of the night were at stake there was no shortage of drama.
In the fifth block Harris avenged his early defeat at the hands of Wajtknecht and Smolinski added a fourth win to his night’s statistics which meant the first three were tied on nineteen points each while behind them the riders progressing to the Last Chance Heat were decided.
The hero of Germany’s victorious 2024 FIM Long Track of Nations team, Lukas Fienhage had travelled to Vechta holding second in the championship, but after an uncharacteristically slow start he had to wait until his fifth Heat to claim his first victory of the night which put him into the Last Chance Heat along with Hansen, Stichauer, France’s Mathias Trésarrieu and veteran Appleton.
Fienhage knew that to keep his title aspirations alive it was vital he earned a place in the Grand Final and the 2020 champion stepped up when it mattered, racing to victory from Appleton who found himself in the unfamiliar situation of earning a place behind the tapes for the night’s main race for the first time since 2012.
The night could not have gone any truer to form with the top five riders in the championship lining up for the Grand Final and Smolinski reacted fastest when the tapes went up to lead out of the first turn and Harris, who narrowly lost out to the German in the 2023 championship chase, stayed with him as Wajtknecht and Fienhage swapped passes and Appleton began to drop off the pace.
As the leading pair charged into the final turn Harris closed dramatically before cutting back inside, but he just lost out on the drag to the line and Fienhage completed the podium ahead of Wajtknecht and Appleton.
The 2024 FIM Long Track World Championship powered by Anlas, Kineo and HKC Koopmann concludes this coming Sunday (22 September) at Roden in the Netherlands with Smolinski eight points clear of Fienhage and in pole position to retain his crown with Harris and Wajtknecht tied for third a further four points adrift.
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