With one Final completed and two still to go, competitors in the 2026 FIM Long Track World Championship travel to Morizès in France this coming Saturday (5 September) where a talent-filled field – including four current and former champions – will be looking to make an impact as the series reaches the halfway point.
Following the opening Final at Scheessel in Germany last month, Erik Riss – champion in 2014 and again in 2016 – starts as the rider to beat after his commanding unbeaten performance on home ground where he began the campaign to complete his title hat-trick in dominant fashion. However, while the thirty-year-old Bavarian rider is clearly in fantastic form, the shorter Morizès circuit – that at five-hundred-and-thirty metres is almost half the length of Scheessel – presents a much different challenge and his rivals are queuing up to stake their claim to the crown. Top of the list of talented riders looking to catch Riss is Dave Meijerink from the Netherlands who dropped points in just one of his Heats in Scheessel before chasing the German for the full length of the Grand Final to claim second ahead of the vastly-experienced Chris Harris. The forty-three-year-old British rider – who won the silver medal last year to go with his silver from 2023 and bronze in 2022 – loves to ride wide, fast lines and that could play into his hands at Morizès having already shown his podium potential there when he was third the last time the series visited the circuit in 2023. Currently fourth and looking to improve, defending champion Zach Wajtknecht from Great Britain knows he must claw back the deficit to the three riders above him in the standings if he is to retain the title, but he is in good company with former champions Lukas Fienhage from Germany and Romano Hummel also on the start list. Champion in 2020 and runner-up in 2024 before winning bronze last year, Fienhage took a Heat win in Scheessel and came home seventh in the Grand Final and behind fast Finn Jesse Mustonen who will be aiming to improve on his sixth-placed finish at the opener. Hummel did not compete in Scheessel, but the Dutchman won at Morizès in 2023 and if he brings his best form must be considered a candidate for a podium finish, despite contesting just one Final in 2025. The Scandinavian pairing of Patrick Kruse from Denmark and Norwegian series newcomer Glenn Moi also picked up a Heat victory each in Scheessel, but consistency is key and both will need more wins during the course of the programme if they are to make the five-rider cut for the Grand Final where the major points are up for grabs. The opening Heat from Morizès is scheduled to get under way at 21:00 (local time). |
