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IJsbrand Chardon, who had won the Hannover qualifier earlier this season, made great use of the invitation he had received from the Leipzig organisers and put on an excellent performance with his experienced team of Lipizzan horses. Chardon stole the show in the nearly sold-out Leipzig Messe, driving fast and taking sharp turns on the tricky course, designed by Dr Wolfgang Asendorf (GER). Four-time world champion Chardon had not been pleased with his horses after the last qualifier in Mechelen (BEL) at the end of December and had trained his horses three times a week in the lead up to today’s event. Chardon used today’s competition to put his horses to the test. His training efforts paid off as Chardon was on fire in Leipzig.

Third Win
In the first round, Chardon had an unnecessary knock down which made him finish three seconds behind Eriksson, who had driven the only clear round. Chardon gave everything he had in the winning round, which took place over a shortened course. By driving sharp and fast turns, Chardon achieved a clear round and a very fast time which Eriksson was unable to beat. After 2007 and 2009, this year’s victory was Chardon’s third at the Leipzig fixture.

Last Chance Competition
Today’s competition was Tomas Eriksson’s last chance to qualify for the Final. Eriksson knew that he had to drive a clear first round and would not allow himself to take it easy. The double world champion drove an excellent clear round and knew he had secured a place among the top three and thus a spot for the Final as soon as he passed the finish line with his team of Swedish warmblood geldings. In the winning round, Eriksson missed a shortcut to the last gate of a marathon obstacle, which cost him precious seconds. He also knocked two balls down, but this did not jeopardise his second place and his ticket to the Final.

Focus on the Outdoor Season
Second wild card driver Christoph Sandmann had good memories of Leipzig, where he won the FEI World Cup™ Driving Final with a wild card in 2008. Sandmann, for whom this was his only World Cup start of the season, used his team of outdoor horses. Cheered by the enthusiastic crowd, of whom all drivers say it is the best in the world, Sandmann qualified for the winning round and was very pleased with his third place.

Retirement
Sandmann did not compete very frequently in the 2011 outdoor season as he had lent his horses to his daughter Anna and his stable manager Carola Diener, both of whom competed successfully at the FEI World Driving Championships for Pairs in Conty (FRA) last summer where Diener won individual gold.

After the FEI World Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand 2012 on home soil in Riesenbeck, Sandmann will retire as an active driver. He won his first gold team medal at the World Championships in Riesenbeck in 1992 and feels it is time to hand over the reins to his daughter.

Finalist Number Six
Zoltan Lazar had one knock down which prevented him from qualifying for the winning round. The Hungarian driver was however very pleased with his fourth place thanks to which he was sixth in the series’ overall standings thus securing a spot in the Final. Theo Timmerman (NED) was just a second short from beating Lazar. The Dutch driver was fifth, which put him in seventh place in the standings, just out of the Top Six.

2012/2013
German driver Georg von Stein started to enjoy this season’s FEI World Cup™ Driving once he had received the wild card for Leipzig. After some problems on the first day, Von Stein made some changes to his team but this unfortunately was not enough for a great performance. The riding instructor finished in seventh position, behind his compatriot Rainer Duen.

The German drivers will now concentrate on the outdoor season with the FEI World Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand on home soil as the highlight. One of their goals is to also qualify for the 2012/2013 season of the FEI World Cup™ Driving.

Quotes
IJsbrand Chardon (NED): “For me it was important to drive one very good competition after Mechelen. I am very pleased with my horses now and I am ready for the Final. Boyd Exell is the top favourite to win in Bordeaux, but I certainly think there are three other drivers who are able to challenge him, including myself.”

Tomas Eriksson (SWE): “I only had one goal here in Lepzig and that was to win enough points for the Final. I already knew after the first round that I was sure to go to the Final since both Chardon and Sandmann drove with a wild card and did not get points. The course was technical and difficult, but the two gates that were taken out for the winning round made it a little easier and faster.”

Christoph Sandmann (GER): “I am 100% pleased with my results in Leipzig and I enjoyed competing here. I used my outdoor horses and I trained at a small indoor event in The Netherlands two weeks ago to prepare for this event. My focus will from now on be on the outdoor season and the World Championships.”

Results CAI-W Leipzig 2012:
IJsbrand Chardon (NED) 232,61
Tomas Eriksson (SWE) 249,21
Christoph Sandmann (GER) 255,05
Zoltan Lazar (HUN) 136,44
Theo Timmerman (NED) 137,18
Rainer Duen (GER) 143,62
Georg von Stein (GER) 155,31

Standings after 7 of 7 events, Top 6 drivers qualified for the Final:
1   Boyd EXELL   AUS   30
2   IJsbrand CHARDON   NED   24
3   Koos DE RONDE    NED    24
4   Tomas ERIKSSON     SWE    22
5   Jozsef DOBROVITZ   HUN   15
6   Zoltan LÁZÁR    HUN   15
7   Theo TIMMERMAN    NED    12
8   Rainer DUEN      GER   8
Georg VON STEIN    GER   8
10  Werner ULRICH   SUI     6

Photo Caption: IJsbrand Chardon, winner of the seventh FEI World Cup™ Driving 2011/2012 qualifier held in Leipzig (GER) this weekend. ©Rinaldo de Craen/FEI