|
Even though iXS is not an abbreviation for international 4X sports, the Swiss company is likely to be linked to this kind of racing as well after last weekend, as the iXS Fourcross Race took place at Leogang’s Out of Bounds-Festival. And of course this was not just some race, but the finals of the Euro Fourcross Series.  The outset could hardly have been any more thrilling, as the series’ leaders Lukas Mechura (CZE - Chainreaction Cycles) and Johannes Fischbach (GER - Team Ghost ATG Pro) were separated by just one point after the qualification, with third-placed Joost Wichman (NED - RSP Racing Team) still in contention for the overall as well.
Different from what we’ve seen one week earlier at the Worldcup race on the same course, this time the conditions were perfect as the course dried up and the riders got really fast. Designed and built by Guido Tschugg, the Worldcup race had shown that the course allowed for plenty of passing action. In total, 32 riders qualified for the elite men’s race, which promised a lot of attractive heats.
The contenders for the overall win showed their class in the qualification: Joost Wichman clocked the fastest time, with Johannes Fischbach, Kamil Tatarkovic (CZE - Scott FDF Team) and Lukas Mechura following closely. Germany’s BMX racer Gregor Alff, who competed in his first fourcross race for a while, turned quite some heads as a surprising fifth.
About 1000 spectators showed up to see the racing, and in the semi finals Fischbach and Tatarkovic raced head-to-head spectacularly. The both wanted to get to the pro section’s tight run-in first, and as Tatarkovic had to back down, Fischbach prevailed and proceeded to the big final. But there he had a less than stellar start and attacked too hard going into the first turn, slipping and dropping to fourth position. This also cost him all chances to win the series’ overall. Freshly-crowned as European champion, Wichman delivered another sample of his current strong form, beating Mechura and Filip Polc (SVK - MS Evil Racing) to the line.
The overall was won by Mechura, who kept a narrow lead of 10 points on his closest followers Wichman and Fischbach. The rookies’ category was won by Piotr Kobus (POL - MTB Wieza Anna Szczawno Zdroj): Despite being unable to compete in the final due to a crash during practice, he defended the lead by just one point.
Next year, this spectator-friendly race is going to return, so start looking forward to it.
|
