Report 2007

Final report of 12 August 2007

At the last second: Junior World Champion Alexz Wigg wins 14th International ADAC Night Trial in front of Martin Kroustek / Decision in front of 1,500 spectators in Uslar-Fürstenhagen is made in the last section

It couldn’t have been closer: With only one point of error ahead, the Englishman Alexz Wigg wins the 14th International Night Trial of MSC Weser-Solling ahead of the Czechs Martin Kroustek and Pavel Balas. In front of 1.500 spectators the decision about the victory was only made in the last of 24 sections.

The eleven drivers from four nations entered the competition on the motorsport grounds above the Solling town of Fürstenhagen with mixed feelings: After weeks of rain, the weather only cleared up on the day of the event. The track through the six obstacle sections, which had to be mastered four times each with the 80 kilogram off-road motorcycles, varied between slippery and smooth and was extremely difficult to assess. Added to this was the high technical standard of the track, for whose construction and support around 150 helpers were deployed.

Typical for the demanding sections was the newly created section, which was named “Kyrill” in reference to the great storm of last winter: “Difficult ascent, little space and to ride with a lot of balance”, was how the six-time Czech champion Kroustek summed it up. over two laps, numerous spectators had been incessantly cheering the riders on at the approach to a nearly five-metre-high, fully loaded timber transporter. Again and again the drivers failed spectacularly. Only the 29-year-old Czech drove over the obstacle to thunderous applause.

With 19 penalty points Kroustek was in the lead at halftime of the race, closely followed by Alexz Wigg with 22 points and defending champion Pavel Balas with 24 points. With twelve errors on the third lap, the triple night trial winner Balas soon said goodbye to the fight for victory and finally took the last podium place. Wigg, on the other hand, moved closer to Kroustek point by point. It came to a showdown in the final section: “When I started the engine, I knew that I had to drive absolutely faultlessly – all or nothing, that was very nerve-racking,” said the reigning Junior World Champion from near Oxford after the race. The only 17-year-old Wigg kept his nerves and crossed the finish line after two and a half hours with 33 penalty points and only one point ahead of Kroustek.

“That was a great event, highly professionally organised, with a great atmosphere and a great audience. I really enjoyed driving under floodlights. Everything outside the lane was in the dark and I was able to concentrate optimally,” said Wigg, who has just finished school and is aiming for a long-term world championship title among the professionals.

Kroustek was also satisfied despite the narrow defeat: “I quickly found a good rhythm. My night-trial experience certainly helped me with one or two difficult obstacles,” said the reigning Czech champion after the race.

The best German was 29-year-old Carsten Stranghöner from Herford in fourth place: “It’s a narrow ridge here, on which you drive. The first two runs went badly, the last two quite well. There was nothing more to do today,” said the six-time German champion after the race.

The organisers of the night trial are completely satisfied: “We prepared the track for over a month and hoped for good weather for almost as long. We caught the first dry day in weeks. The atmosphere was the best we have ever had. We are already looking forward to the next night trial. Thanks also once again to those who supported us,” said Andreas Hoffmeister, First Chairman of the MSC Weser-Solling e. V. in the ADAC Fürstenhagen. It was four in the morning and the MSC team was still celebrating at the start-finish tower. The sun was just rising. The 14th International Night Trial was history.