IL PRIMO WEB MAGAZINE AL MONDO DI MONACO DIVENUTO CARTACEO.

Published: Sunday, September 16th 2012

GCT heads for grand debut in Vienna after spectacular Swiss leg

Global Champions Tour will saddle up tonight and head to Vienna for the 11th leg of its world class 2012 season and the circuit’s first-ever event in Austria.

A fleet of luxury horse trucks will pull out of Lausanne, Switzerland, and hit the road for Austria for the penultimate GCT of the year with the battle for the championship at fever pitch. The Grand Prix in Lausanne was one of the most dramatic of the season with US rider Laura Kraut in blistering form on her Olympic gold medal horse Cedric to win the €94,050 1st prize and a beautiful Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso watch.

The Swiss leg saw Rolf-Göran Bengtsson dramatically close in on Edwina Tops-Alexander’s lead on the GCT ranking board with only 5 points separating the two star riders.

It means the Grand Prix in Vienna next Saturday will be packed with pressure for the leading riders as they set their sights on the championship. Rolf and Edwina both made clear their determination to fight to the finish setting up a thrilling climax to the top-level series.

Today Italian rider Luca Moneta blazed a trail to win the speed class on Jesus de la Commune in 53.70. Britain's Michael Whitaker was second on Ingliston Twister in 54.18 with Olympic team gold medallist Ben Maher in third on 54.23.

 
(Photo credit: Sportfot/GCT)

In the last competition of this GCT weekend in Lausanne Alvaro de Miranda of Brazil and AD Rahmannshof's Bogeno claimed the No 1 position in 39.74 seconds with a spectacularly fast round. Even the major talents of Christian Ahlmann and Ben Maher, who both did everything to come close to Alvaro's time, could not succeed. Christian Ahlmann and Lorena 111 finished second in 40.07 seconds followed by Ben Maher and Triple X III in third place in 40.43 seconds. 

(Photo credit: Sportfot/GCT)

GCT 2012

	Doha Qatar 5 Apr - 7 Apr 2012		Valencia Spain 4 May - 6 May 2012
	Hamburg Germany 16 May - 20 May 2012		Wiesbaden Germany 25 May - 28 May 2012
	Cannes France 14 Jun - 16 Jun 2012		Monte-Carlo Monaco 28 Jun - 30 Jun 2012
	Estoril Portugal 12 Jul - 14 Jul 2012		Chantilly France 20 Jul - 22 Jul 2012
	Valkenswaard Netherlands 17 Aug - 19 Aug 2012		Lausanne Switzerland 14 Sep - 16 Sep 2012
	Vienna Austria 20 Sep - 23 Sep 2012		Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates 22 Nov - 24 Nov 2012