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FIM Long Track World Champion at the age of just twenty-two, dynamic Dutchman Romano Hummel has so far struggled to replicate the fantastic form that carried him to the 2021 crown and while he has continued to show flashes of brilliance, they have not been bright enough or sustained for long enough to add to his tally of individual gold medals.
Hummel’s title came during a time when COVID was having a huge impact on sporting activities across the globe, but despite the pandemic he did enough to narrowly defeat current champion Martin Smolinski and take the title with polished performances in Marmande in France and Rzeszow in Poland. Since then he has been fifth in both 2022 and 2023 and the twenty-five-year-old currently lies fifth in the 2024 FIM Long Track World Championship powered by Anlas, Kineo and HKC Koopmann following the first three Finals in Herxheim, Marmande and Scheessel. “So far I am not satisfied with my performance,” he said, “so I try to score good points in the next two rounds.” It should be stated that the four riders ahead of him – Smolinski, Lukas Fienhage, Zach Wajtknecht and Chris Harris – are in incredibly consistent form and have so far dominated every podium this season, but Hummel’s talent is undeniable. With his machine emblazoned with the stand-out number 666 and his vibrantly-coloured racing suit complete with trademark arm tassels, Hummel cuts an unmistakably flamboyant figure on the track and this distinctive fashion statement certainly fits with his all-action style. However, the results have not gone his way this year and despite taking a Heat win in Marmande and another two last time out in Scheessel he has yet to make it through to a Grand Final. His speed is not in question – in last year’s FIM Long Track of Nations he remained unbeaten as he led the Dutch to a famous victory on home soil in Roden and he also won a GP in Morizès in 2023 – and the former youth Motocross racer, who was taught to ride at the age of four by his father, is aiming to mix it up at the front when the fourth and penultimate Final of the year is staged tomorrow (Saturday) at Vechta in Germany.
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