At the fourth leg of the Global Champions League in Madrid, Spain, the day started promisingly for Team Riesenbeck International. Ciaran Nallon, who was not entered by team manager Ludger Beerbaum in the team classification today, impressed with Casalla Blue PS in the individual competition and qualified for Sunday’s Grand Prix with a second-place finish.
In the team competition, the brothers Maximilian and Philipp Weishaupt entered the arena. Zuccero HV and Maximilian Weishaupt were the first pair to complete the demanding course and had three rails down, resulting in twelve penalty points. Even before Philipp Weishaupt and Mastermind RL, who had impressed with two clear rounds at the previous leg in Shanghai, took to the course, the team was already in a difficult position to qualify for the second round of the top ten teams. However, the second Riesenbeck pair also struggled in Madrid’s large grass stadium. Two rails fell; with a total of 20 penalty points, the team no longer had any chance of reaching the top 10 and finished the Global Champions League stage in Madrid in 14th place.
Only the Prague Lions, with Mexican rider Fernando Martínez Sommer and Belgian Thibeau Spits, managed to deliver two clear rides in the first round. In the second round as well, Fernando Martínez Sommer remained clear, and his substituted teammate, Belgian Niels Bruynseels, also produced a confident round with just one time penalty. This secured victory in Madrid for the Prague Lions.
Team manager Ludger Beerbaum, after the first-round elimination, said:
“After the strong start from Ciaran and Casalla Blue PS and the second place in the individual qualification, we had high hopes for our team in Madrid! The 14th place is undoubtedly somewhat disappointing, and after our strong performance in Shanghai, we have unfortunately slipped back in the overall standings. Nevertheless, we will try to draw the right conclusions from our performance and come back stronger at the next leg in Cannes.”
