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Freund invincible in Vigo
February 14, 2004
Michael Freund has turned out to be invincible during the two FEI World Cup Driving events in Vigo, Spain. After Bordeaux dropped out of the World Cup Driving circuit, Vigo offered to host two instead of one World Cup event.

Freund won the warm up competition and both World Cup competitions. The challenge however, came from an unexpected corner this time. In the warm up competition and the second World Cup, it was Mechelen-winner Gert Schrijvers who came very close to Freundıs time. In the first World Cup, Hungarian driver Jozsef Dobrovitz made only one fault and even though he could not compete with Freundıs time, the Hungarian driver ended on a deserved second place. Boyd Exell, driving a team of German warmbloods and Orlov trotters owned by Michael Freund, finished third in all three competitions, consistently having three faults and nearly finishing in the same time in all three rounds.

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Although Freund is the uncrowned king of indoor driving, he has to keep watching over his shoulder. During the first season he was beaten once by Chardon, in the second season Sandmann finished ahead of him in Göteborg. Gert Schrijvers set a very fast time (136.90) in the second World Cup competition and put the pressure on Freund even more. It nearly looked as if Schrijvers was going to go home with the first prize when Freund lost valuable seconds when his team nearly hit the boarding and had to come to a full stop.

Standings after CAI-W Vigo

But the double World Cup champion saved himself and passed the finish line 2.55 seconds faster than Schrijvers: OI am very happy that I won in Vigo in front of such an enthusiastic crowd. I am glad that I had to fight for my first place and that there was such little difference in the result.ı Schrijvers made up for his fifth place in the first World Cup competition and was very pleased with his second place: OIt is not a shame to come second behind Freund, but I regret it that my season is over already. My horses went just as well as in Mechelen. Yesterday they were too strong while as today they felt perfectly again.ı Schrijvers is currently second in the standings and will most probably end in the top four after the last competition in Göteborg.

The Hungarian drivers Jozsef Dobrovitz and Jozsef Bozsik travelled some 4000 kilometres to Vigo to compete in their second and third World Cup events. Dobrovitz, a 35-year old professional driver from Vecses, drove his team of Nonius and Lipizzaner horses smoothly through the course and peaked in the first World Cup, where he came second behind Freund: OI never expected to achieve this result. I did compete in an indoor competition in Hungary after Stuttgart to get more indoor experience, but I didnıt expect this, especially not after the warm up competition. I drove with Boszik's carriage because my carriage was broken. I could not really go for it, but that was different in the second competition when I used my own carriage again.

The team of Dobrovitz' fellow countryman Jozsef Bozsik needs some more indoor experience, but with one more competition to go, Bozsik can still climb in the standings. Wild card driver Juan Robles got better as the competitions went. The first day he was struck by bad luck when one of his grooms had to dismount twice because of a problem with his leader reins. Robles however, drove the course, designed by German course designer Falk Böhnish, smoothly all times and even came fifth in the second World Cup competition.

The next leg of the FEI World Cup Driving will take place in Os-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, on 28 March 2004.

Results CAI-W Vigo 1 (13/02/04):

1. Michael Freund (Ger) 135.66
2. Jozsef Dobrovitz (Hun) 153.97
3. Boyd Exell (Aus) 158.37
4. Jozsef Bozsik (Hun) 173.09
5. Gert Schrijvers (Bel) 175.83
6. Juan Robles (Esp) 200.61
 
Results CAI-W Vigo 2 (14/02/04):

1. Michael Freund (Ger) 134.35
2. Gert Schrijvers (Bel) 136.90
3. Boyd Exell (Aus) 159.18
4. Jozsef Dobrovitz (Hun) 164.13
5. Juan Robles (Esp 171.61
6. Jozsef Bozsik (Hun) 186.18

Created in 2001, the Driving World Cup has provided an innovative new style of competition for indoor events, with courses combining marathon and cone driving obstacles. The 2003/2004 season of the World Cup includes seven events with eight competitions: Stuttgart (GER), Stockholm (SWE), Mechelen (BEL) in 2003; Leipzig (GER), two competitions in Vigo (ESP), 's-Hertogenbosch (NED) and Göteborg (SWE) in 2004. The winner of the first two editions of the World Cup was Michael Freund (GER).