Boyd Exell (AUS) – ranked first on 30 points
The defending champion has won more individual world titles than any other four-in-hand driver in history. Winner of the FEI Driving World Cup Final 11 times and the FEI Driving World Championship seven times, he is aiming for his 12th title in Bordeaux, one that he first won in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2009. He has not won a consecutive Final since 2018, after which he and Bram Chardon of the Netherlands have traded titles.
Boyd tops the standings with a maximum 30 points which he gained by dominating the early to mid-stages of the season. Competing at seven out of the eight legs, he won the opening leg in Lyon, France then did it again the following weekend in Maastricht, the Netherlands.
He was a wild card in Stuttgart, Germany, which he won, then defied the odds to repeat the result in Stockholm (Sweden), despite having a broken left foot. The winning streak continued in Geneva (Switzerland) but ran out in London where he was a wild card. He missed Mechelen (Belgium) then had to concede in Leipzig (Germany), again driving as a wild card.
Ijsbrand Chardon (NED) – ranked joint second on 24 points
Still blazing a trail after forty years at the top, the Dutch legend has won more driving medals than any other athlete. A natural performer and enduring crowd entertainer, he brings passion and energy to his driving. It’s been ten years since he was crowned FEI Driving World Cup champion in 2016, but he’s been on the podium at most Finals since the first season in 2001-02, and he could well be there again.
Ijsbrand got off to a great start with second place in Lyon, and was second again in Stockholm. At the sixth leg in London he had a thrilling win, repeating the result from the previous year; his final leg was in Leipzig.
Dries Degrieck (BEL) – ranked joint second on 24 points
The talented Belgian’s season rose to a crescendo in Leipzig when he beat the best to take ten points and gained a mindset advantage going into Bordeaux. Last year he was the runner-up at the Final and if he maintains his winning streak – which he found as a wild card in Mechelen (Belgium) in December last year – then he will be the one who sets the pace.
Starting in Lyon where he was third, he then had a break before the pre-December shows in Geneva and London, where he was second. Mechelen sealed his first World Cup win, but there were no ranking points, whereas in Leipzig he gained the maximum ten points.
Bram Chardon (NED) – ranked fourth on 22 points
Three-time World Cup and European champion, Bram Chardon is always a force to be reckoned with. He had an early outing as a wild card in Maastricht (the Netherlands) when he was second, then he wasn’t seen again until the latter half of the season when his four qualifying events were from Geneva to Leipzig. He tends to build his team and performance as the season progresses, but an outright FEI Driving World Cup win has evaded him, despite some superb rounds and fearsome times.
Rarely out of the drive-off, he was fifth in Geneva but was third in London then second in Mechelen and Leipzig. The results don’t reflect his form or the tiny margins between the places – Leipzig was so nearly his, except for a late ball in the drive-off. He remains one to watch for the crown in Bordeaux.
Jérôme Voutaz (SUI) – ranked fifth on 19 points
The Swiss driver has been a firm fixture on the FEI Driving World Cup circuit since 2014, and he’s been a runner up twice at the Finals. He was first seen in Lyon where he was sixth, then had a great Stuttgart for second place and ten ranking points. Next it was seventh in Geneva in front of a strong fanbase, and third in Mechelen.
Christoph Sandmann (GER) – ranked sixth on 15 points
Making a welcome return to the Final is former champion Christoph Sandmann, who took the title in 2008. He arrived on the crest of a wave after a successful outdoor season which saw him gain individual silver at the European Championship at his base in Lähden – quite a feat to compete and host, and support his successful daughter Anna, who made her World Cup debut this season.
Christoph made a cracking start in Maastricht (the Netherlands) when he won the first competition, and took third in the World Cup which earned him seven points. He was fourth in Stuttgart, fifth in Stockholm and sixth in Mechelen. Due to be in Leipzig as a wild card, injury prevented him from attending, but he had done enough to secure a place in the final.
Wild card
The host nation’s wild card will again be Benjamin Aillaud of France, who raised the roof for French fans when he was fourth in Lyon, then made the top three for a drive-off in Geneva and third place.
Course design
Designing his first finals course is Switzerland’s Michael Mayer, who was also behind the courses in Geneva and London, which were praised by the drivers.
Competition one is late on Saturday night and competition two rounds off the show on Sunday afternoon. There is no drive-off after the first competition, but the results set Sunday’s running order and there is an accumulative scoring system where all rounds count towards the placings.
Watch the action via ClipMyHorse.TV here.
Source: FEI press release by Sarah Dance
