FEI Driving World CupTM presented by Laiterie de Montaigu

Who can do better than Boyd Exell? Yet again, the Australian confirmed his position as the world's number 1 driver by winning the FEI World CupTM presented by Laiterie de Montaigu  on Saturday morning in the international arena at the Longines Equita Lyon, Concours Hippique International. 

Seven drivers of five different nationalities competed in this class, which combined manoeuvrability and marathon obstacles and took place over two rounds: an initial run against the clock and then a 'drive-off' (the equivalent of a jump-off), in which all the competitors started with their scores set at zero, starting in the reverse order of the rankings from the first round. 

So, a combination of precision, talent and strategy was needed to perform well in this format of class. And that was something Boyd Exell had fully understood. The fervent spectators in Lyon were somewhat surprised when he recorded the slowest time of all the competitors in the first round (209.37 seconds). Indeed, it was quite something to behold, considering Boyd Exell driving usually impresses everyone with its great speed and precision. 

However, the Australian's fans were not left disappointed for long. During the drive-off, the world number one really opened the throttle and his four bay horses had a field day. With ultra-tight turns, extremely precise trajectories and exhilarating gallops, the audience were amazed by his performance in the drive-off, and now all the pressure was suddenly on the champion's rivals, who had to do better than 162.49 seconds. The Dutch driver Ijsbrand Chardon tried his best to challenge the Australian, but came up short. With a time of 169.74 seconds, and a four-second penalty, he managed to take second place of the podium. 

Belgium's Dries Degrieck came third in this spectacular class, with a time of 174.31 seconds.  

The French drivers Benjamin Aillaud and Anthony Horde finished sixth and seventh respectively.    

"We were particularly pleased with the horses today. I decided not to tire them out too much during the first phase. It also means we can keep a bit in the tank with tomorrow's class in mind," explained Boyd Exell as he came off the course.