The 10 best drivers in the world are competing at the World Equestrian Festival Aachen 2015. The STAWAG Prize on the last day of the show was correspondingly exciting. By way of exception, the four-in-hand obstacle driving competition wasn’t held in the Driving Stadium, but instead in the impressive setting of the Main Stadium. The teams had to overcome 12 obstacles. The Belgian driver, Glenn Geerts drove clear with his team of four horses in the fastest time. The two Dutch drivers, Ijsbrand Chardon and Koos de Ronde, also proved that they are in excellent form. Chardon, number two in the world rankings, managed to cross the finish line in the fastest time, but unfortunately he slipped back into second place after picking up 5 penalty points at the water obstacle, and thus finished on a final score of 152.35 seconds. Koos de Ronde, who was close on Chardon’s heels, ranked third after also collecting 5 penalty points (152.65 seconds).

The best German driver, Michael Brauchle, had to be satisfied with fifth place (155.44 seconds). Even though he didn’t make it under the top three, he was impressed by the competition in the Main Stadium: “The atmosphere here in the Main Stadium is fantastic; it was a totally new experience. The crowd in Aachen is simply terrific!”