Exell to defend World Cup title

World four-in-hand Driving champion Boyd Exell will aim to defend his World Cup Driving title at the weekend’s FEI World Cup Driving Final 2015.

Exell is a five-time FEI World Cup Driving Champion who won four out of the six competitions in which he took part. He is the favourite to conquer the much coveted FEI World Cup™ Driving champion 2015 title but it won’t be an easy job for Exell who will face fierce competition from his Dutch opponent Koos de Ronde, winner of three out of four competitions.

Exell won rounds in Stuttgart (GER), Stockholm (SWE), Geneva (SUI) as well as in London Olympia (GBR), where he performed with a wildcard. At the series last qualifier in Leipzig (GER), where he also started with a wildcard, the Australian finished second behind Koos de Ronde. Exell has been very successful this season, driving his new leader horse Poker.

The renowned French show Le Jumping International de Bordeaux will play host to the Final for the fourth time in a row. Six of the world’s best four-in-hand drivers representing four nations have earned their tickets to what is set to be a breath-taking event. The qualification phase of the series took place over seven legs held from November 2014 to January 2015.

"We have had a great FEI World Cup season and the level is getting higher each year,” Károly Fugli (HUN), Chairman of the Driving Technical Committee, said. “The results of the drivers are getting tighter, which is excellent for the sport.

“Sooner or later we will have to look into the development of the FEI World Cup Driving. More and more organisers would like to host a leg and we might therefore have to consider raising the number of athletes who can qualify for the series. There is always room for improvement even though the format at the moment is brilliant as it is. It includes drama, winning and losing and all that within one hour! And the most important thing is that spectators understand and enjoy the indoor driving sport. This will hopefully lead to more spectators attending the outdoor events," Fugli, who is very much looking forward to the Final in Bordeaux pointed out.

Course designer

Dan Henriksson of Sweden has been appointed the Course Designer for the FEI World Cup™ Driving Final 2015. He has been responsible for the course of the Stockholm leg from the series’ onset in 2001 and also built the courses for the Finals in Gothenburg from 2002 to 2007 and in 2009.

The Jack Pemberton trophy

Honorary FEI Bureau member Jack Pemberton (CAN) has generously donated the trophy, which is awarded to the winner of the FEI World Cup™ Driving Final. The first Jack Pemberton trophy was presented to Australia’s Boyd Exell after the 2012 Final. Jack Pemberton, who chaired the FEI Driving Committee form 1995 to 2003, has been involved with the FEI since 1968 and has made a huge impact on equestrian sport. He has been part of over 20 equine associations in his life. He was made a life member of the British Horse Society and the Canadian Combined Driving Association. In 2007 Jack Pemberton was the inaugural recipient of the Equine Canada Lifetime Achievement Award.

Scoring

According to the scoring system introduced for the FEI World Cup™ Driving Final in 2012, 50% of the score differential between each driver and the leading driver from the first competition on Saturday evening converted into seconds will be carried forward by that driver into the competition on Sunday. Scores from the first round on Sunday will be carried forward by the qualified drivers into the drive off.

Timetable and live broadcast on FEI TV

The FEI World Cup™ Driving Final in Bordeaux will be broadcast live on FEI TV, the FEI’s official video platform, according to the following timetable:

Saturday, 7 February – 23.20 CET (local time in France, GMT + 1 hour), Competition 1
Sunday, 8 February - 13.25 CET, Competition 2