Dave Meijerink raced to a famous home victory at the fourth and deciding round of the 2025 FIM Long Track World Championship powered by Anlas, Kineo and HKC Koopmann at Roden on Sunday (21 September), but the big winner was Britain’s Zach Wajtknecht who clinched his first-ever FIM gold medal on a dramatic afternoon in the Netherlands.
- FIM Long Track World Championship concludes in the Netherlands
- Zach Wajtknecht clinches the crown as title fight goes down to the wire
- Home hero Dave Meijerink takes overall victory in Roden
Wajtknecht, who was second in 2022 and won bronze last year, started the day just two points behind Germany’s Lukas Fienhage and two ahead of his compatriot Chris Harris and with defending champion Martin Smolinski out injured the title was between the three-remaining stand-out stars of this season’s competition.
It was Denmark’s Kenneth Kruse Hansen who raced to victory in the first of the programme’s fifteen Heat races in the Speed Centre Roden from Britain’s Jake Mulford and French rider Mathias Trésarrieuwith conditions challenging on a damp and overcast afternoon.
Racing on home ground, Romano Hummel – champion in 2021 – then got his day under way with a win ahead of his compatriot Mike Meijer before Wajtknecht claimed an important early psychological advantage when he won from Meijerink and Fienhage.
After pulling out of his opening Heat race, Harris bounced back with victory second time out chased by Finland’s Tero Aarnio and Meijerink and then Trésarrieu won from Mulford and Meijer before the pendulum swung back in Fienhage’s favour when he led Hummel, Hansen and Wajtknecht across the line.
As conditions rapidly dried out, Hansen kicked off the third block with his second victory of the afternoon, this time from Mulford – who was making just his second appearance in this year’s championship – and Fienhage before Meijerink defeated Meijer and Wajtknecht won from Harris.
With two blocks remaining the battle for the three automatic places in the Final was incredibly closewith Hansen leading on ten points, just one ahead of a three-way tie for second between Wajtknecht, Meijerink and Mulford with Hummel, Fienhage and Meijer locked together on eight.
Keeping the pressure firmly on the leaders, Harris then roared back into contention with his second win of the afternoon from his compatriot Andrew Appleton who had started slowly with just two points from his first three outings.
Wajtknecht then took a vital victory from Trésarrieu and Fienhage as Hansen maintained his lead after winning ahead of Meijerink and Hummel before a dramatic final block that would have a major impact on the destination of the crown.
The first shock was when Wajtknecht pulled up just feet from the tapes after apparent contact with Hummel, leaving Meijer to race to victory from Trésarrieu to take his total to thirteen – the same as Wajtknecht.
Mulford, who was firmly in contention for a place in the Grand Final, was then disqualified from his final Heat for a false start that brought his day to a premature end.
Harris then suffered a technical issue at the beginning of the fifteenth and final Heat and Fienhage raced to victory chased by Meijerink and Aarnio, only to be disqualified for an issue with his dirt deflector. This sent the championship leader to the Last Chance Heat along with Harris, Trésarrieu, Hummel and Meijer as Meijerink qualified on top ahead of Hansen and Wajtknecht.
With the final two places behind the tapes for the Grand Final up for grabs, the Last Chance Heat was won by Trésarrieu from Harris and with Fienhage eliminated in fourth the twenty-six-year-old’s title hopes were over for another season, but Harris – who won last time out in Scheessel – was still very much in contention.
When the tapes went up on the deciding race of the season, Meijerink took an early lead before Wajtknecht dived around the outside of Harris and from there the positions were settled with the dynamite Dutchman powering to victory and Wajtknecht content to keep Harris behind him to make sure of the crown.