No luck for Blair as Dutch champion Ebbinge staves off late charge by Canadian

Dutch driver Rick Ebbinge has won his second world driving championship, surviving a spectacular late charge by Canadian Doug McNair on the final day at Trabrennbahn Mariendorf in Berlin.

But the day again proved fruitless for Kiwi rep Blair Orange, who had a fifth, two eighths, a ninth and a scratching, finishing in eighth place.

McNair started the day on 93 points, 46 points behind defending champion Rick Ebbinge (139). But with two wins, a second and a third in the first four races he charged into second place, just 11 points behind the Dutch driver.

His horse Spy Lord failed to figure in the final race, however, finishing eighth and leaving Ebbinge a winner by 13 points on 163.

Orange’s best placing on the final day was on Heartbeat who was reeled in down the home stretch after sitting parked.Belgium rep Hannah Huygens had another solid day, with a win and second to maintain her position on the points table, finishing third, also on 150 points.

Orange was up against it from the start of the day when his best chance, Dream Fashion, drawn the pole and the fastest runner in the fourth heat, was scratched, giving him the mandatory four points.

His other four drives drew two on the second row, five, six and seven, putting him at a disadvantage before he even stepped into the cart.

His first drive, Early Love, never cleared the rear from the second row and passed only a few tired runners in the stretch.

Orange was left parked out on Heartbeat in the second race and, while still there on the home turn, was crunched late into fifth.

The third race saw Orange and Easton Av again trapped in the death seat from the six alley. The horse started trotting roughly before the turn and dropped out to eighth.

Orange gave Crazy Boy a perfect trip in the final heat, one out three back, then one-one, but when he pulled three wide turning in, there was nobody home.

His final day’s driving was a reflection on the entire series which saw him drawn many lesser fancies and land just one winner and three other podium finishes in the 20 race series.

Queensland driver Pete McMullen, in second place after the first three rounds, had a bleak final day, with a sixth, eighth, and third before being disqualified in the fourth race, essentially putting an end to his hopes. His final fifth placing left him in sixth position.

Ebbinge, who has been driving for 15 years and also trains a team of 30 horses in Holland, did not feature on the final day with a fourth, two sixths and two sevenths, but took an unassailable lead after scoring three wins and two seconds in the second round.

While the Netherlands took its second title, New Zealand still remains the most successful country in the 30 runnings of the championships, with six wins - Kevin Holmes (1978), Robert Cameron (1983), Tony Herlihy (1985), Maurice McKendry (1991), Mark Jones (2003) and Dexter Dunn (2015) - though none of those wins have been recorded in Europe.

Canada is next best with five, Norway with four and the United States with three.