FEI World Cup™ Driving: the stage is set for an exciting 14th season

The world’s best four-in-hand drivers are getting ready for an exciting new FEI World Cup™ Driving season which kicks off this weekend at the Stuttgart German Masters. It follows the thrilling outdoor qualification period consisting of 13 events held all over Europe throughout the summer.

The year has been very successful for Australia’s Boyd Exell who won his fifth World Cup title in Bordeaux (FRA) in February and was crowned world champion for the third time in a row at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy in early September.

American driver Chester Weber, who won individual silver in Normandy and came in on top in Windsor (GBR), Saumur (FRA), and Aachen (GER), was leading the standings for most of qualification period but decided not to compete in the indoor World Cup.

IJsbrand Chardon, Koos de Ronde and individual world bronze medallist Theo Timmerman, who were on the invincible Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 Dutch team last summer, all qualified for the indoor season along with József Dobrovitz (HUN), winner of CAIO4* Vecsés in his home country, who finished in fourth position on the qualification standings.

Christoph Sandmann (GER), the marathon winner in Caen, and German national champion Georg von Stein have also secured World Cup starting places.

Hungary’s Zoltán Lázár, who won CAI3* Fábiansebestyen on home ground and placed eighth in the standings, decided to withdraw from the indoor series. Mark Weusthof (NED) came in ninth but being the fourth Dutch driver to make the Top Ten, he cannot compete in accordance with the series rules which permit a maximum of three athletes per National Federation. This allowed rookie Glenn Geerts (BEL), in 11th place, and the experienced FEI World Cup™ drivers Werner Ulrich (SUI), 12th, and Fredrik Persson (SWE), 13th, to start.

Second team
Most of the World Cup drivers have put together a second team of horses especially for the series. Newcomer Glenn Geerts usually drives a team of KWPN chestnuts but he is also training a team of Lipizzaners for his first FEI World Cup™ Driving season. Geerts received the wild card in Mechelen during the previous three years and is looking forward to his first World Cup competition in Stuttgart.

The new season
The FEI World Cup™ Driving season 2014/2015 consists of seven competitions organised in Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Hungary, Great Britain, and Belgium.

Five drivers will compete at each event and organisers may give wild cards. The top five drivers compete at four events, the remaining five drivers will start at three events.

The scores from the best three events count. The top six drivers after the last qualifier at CSI-W Leipzig (GER) qualify for the Final, which has just been allocated to Bordeaux (FRA) for the fourth consecutive time.

Competitors FEI World Cup™ Driving 2014-2015/

Final Standings World Cup qualification:

1. Chester Weber (USA) 92
2. Boyd Exell (AUS) 84
3. Theo Timmerman (NED) 84
4. József Dobrovitz (HUN) 77
5. IJsbrand Chardon (NED) 75
6. Christoph Sandmann (GER) 74
7. Koos de Ronde (NED) 71
8. Zoltán Lázár (HUN) 67
9. Mark Weusthof (NED) 60
10. Georg von Stein (GER) 58
11. Glenn Geerts (BEL) 57
12. Werner Ulrich (SUI) 56
13. Fredrik Persson (SWE) 53