01 May BEMER Young Riders Tour: Schornoz claims another stage victory for Switzerland
(Compiègne) The BEMER Young Rider Grand Prix was highly anticipated on Sunday afternoon at the Grand Parc of Compiégne, France. A strong field of 42 talented young riders from nine nations competed in the 1.45m Table A event with jump-off — including three members of the French team that secured the Nations Cup for the Tricolore on Friday, but also the top two riders from Thursday’s BEMER Young Rider lead-in class. Alexander ‘Sandy’ McLean (GBR) had saddled his top horse Gino F, Baptiste Eichner (FRA) again relied on the stallion Calyso. The two U21 riders initially lived up to their role as favourites and reached the jump-off alongside seven other competitors. But it was the 21-year-old Swiss lady, Shirel Schornoz, who surprised everyone today. The young rider opened the jump-off with her Swiss gelding Obama du Soufflet and finished the competition as one of only four double clear rounds. Her time of 39.42 seconds was enough for the victory.
Further ranking points for Belgium
Leon Brutsaert (BEL) and Dixy vd Fruitkorf Z rode a great clear round and finished in 39.63 seconds. The podium was completed by Jessica Hewlett. The British rider did not touch a pole with Ilmar HBC and stopped the clock after 39.63 seconds. Charlotte Slosse (FRA) and Drakar de Riverland played it safe and stayed clear for fourth place. Sandy McLean and Gino F were considerably faster through the course, but had to accept a rail and ended up as the best four-fault rider in fifth place. The Belgian rider Aaron Tijskens and Hurricane also dropped a pole. However, his sixth place comes with 10 important points for the BEMER Young Riders Tour Ranking, which will certainly benefit him in the course of the season. Because tour experts know: the key word for success in the BEMER Young Riders Tour is consistency. As nice as a big victory is — being really good once is not enough in the international series.
With Swiss precision
The Swiss know all about consistency. Punctuality, perfection and quality are top priorities for the Swiss and so it is perhaps not surprising that after the opening stage in Gorla Minore, the second BEMER Young Riders Tour rating competition also went to a Swiss rider. Shirel Schornoz lives with her family in Dombresson in the French-speaking canton of Neuchâtel. She is a member of the Swiss young riders’ squad for 2023 and has already taken part in the European Young Rider Championships with the twelve-year-old Ogano Sitte son Obama du Soufflet. The pair caused a small sensation in 2021 when they won the Grand Prix of the CSI2* Chevenez JU ahead of their more experienced colleagues Hans-Dieter Dreher (GER) and Katharina Rhomberg (AUT).
In the next few weeks, things will continue in quick succession for the U21 age group: Next weekend, the BEMER Young Riders Tour will be in Austria, where the traditional youth CSIO will take place in Lamprechtshausen from 3 to 7 May. In 2022, the Italian young riders dominated this competition, in particular the winner, Antonio Sottile, and the runner-up, Giulia Mattioli, who went on to finish fourth in the overall ranking. More information on the format of the BEMER Young Riders Tour and the current ranking is available at www.riderstour.de/en/bemer-young-riders-tour.
COMPETITION 01 – PRIX FRENZY SHOP – BEMER YOUNG RIDERS TOUR CSIOY – 1.45m – Table A against the clock
1. Shirel SCHORNOZ (SUI) & OBAMA DU SOUFFLET 0 / 39.42
2. Leon BRUTSAERT (BEL) & DIXY VD FRUITKORF Z 0 / 39.63
3. Jessica HEWLETT (GBR) & ILMAR HBC 0 / 42.42
4. Charlotte SLOSSE (FRA) & SCEA RIVERLAND 0 / 43.48
5. Alexander MCLEAN (GBR) & GINO F 4 / 37.41
6. Aaron TIJSKENS (BEL) HURRICANE 4 / 40.68
Full Results: https://results.worldsporttiming.com/event/137/competition/4410/result
The upcoming stops of the BEMER Young Riders Tour are :
Lamprechtshausen, AUT (3. – 7. May 2023)
Samorin, SVK (11. – 14. May 2023)
Zuidwolde, NED (30. Mai – 4. June 2023)
Future Champions in Hagen a.T.W. (13. – 18. June 2023)
Dielsdorf-Zürich, CH (23. – 27. August 2023)
FINALE: Opglabeek, BEL (13. – 17. September 2023)
Photo: Alexander McLean (GBR) wins the opening event to the BEMER Young Riders Tour rating competition in Compiègne (FRA 27. – 30. April 2023) (c) Agency Ecary