Riss snatches fifth longtrack crown.

It took just 1000 metres of track to decide the 2004 Long Track speedway World Championships in New Plymouth today. Pity those who decided they had had enough of the burning sun and scurried away early from New Plymouth's Pukekura Raceway, packing up and leaving before the 26-race programme had run its full course.

They would have missed the most dramatic end to a world championships in many years ... the title favourite curled up in a ball and sobbing on the grassed infield, and a bemused by clearly elated unexpected champion lifting the huge silver FIM trophy aloft.

In the gruelling series that began with qualifying rounds in France in May, and stretched across Europe before ending up with the grand finale in New Zealand six months later, it had seemed the title had been virtually decided even before it reached Taranaki.

Englishman Kelvin Tatum had a 10-point advantage over close rival Gerd Riss (Germany) at the start of Taranaki's big day but, after a day of high drama, it was Riss who emerged the champion, collecting his fifth world long track crown in remarkable circumstances and with just one 1000-metre lap of action left in the day.

That Tatum had even qualified for the six-rider "A" final was probably remarkable in itself -- the 40-year-old three-time former world champion had been in danger of missing the cut after he did not finish the first of the day's qualifying heats. However, he did just enough in the next two races to squeeze into the A final. But that was only half the job done and Riss was still a strong threat, due to line up next to him.

If Riss won the A final, Tatum needed only to finish no lower than fourth in that all-important four-lapper to wrap up the world championship and it seemed he would do just that when he overtook fast-starting Riss on the second lap and began to pull away.

But Riss still had plenty of fight left and, within 500 metres he had closed in on Tatum and made the pass when Tatum ran wide in the turn.

The two riders swapped positions again and, with Tatum in the lead, his bike suddenly slowed. Distraught, Tatum hunched over the front of his bike as he nursed the dying bike off the track, his world title gone.

With Tatum gone, second place was gifted to Dutchman Theo Pjiper, while Germans Matthias Kroeger and Jorg Tebbe came home third and fourth respectively.

Tatum didn't wait around to congratulate Riss, the Englishman ferried away from the scenes of celebration by a sympathetic track official.

"It's the same in Formula One ... many engines break," Riss explained afterwards. "The tuner tries to make a faster engine and there's always a risk.

"Before that last race I was thinking I'm second in the championship, But the race is never over until the finish line comes. I think tonight we make a party," Riss said.

Event promotor Ivan Mauger was pleased with how it all turned out.

"Yes, it was good to have a bit of drama at the end of the day.

"I've been closely associated with Kelvin since he was about 17. I'd just finished saying to him before the race 'don't be a hero, you've only got to finish in the top four. It doesn't matter what Gerd does then'. I've been second probably a dozen times and I've lost it on the last lap on one occasion, so I absolutely know how he feels."