Excitement flowed to the final fence as the St Tropez Pirates duo of Laura Klaphake and Pieter Devos held off enormous pressure to sail to the team’s first win of the season at GCL Hamburg.

U25 German star Klaphake and Devos of the Pirates jumped fluid, fast rounds, with a single back rail of an oxer late on the course falling during Klaphake’s round, failing to dent their prowess. They claimed the top step of the podium in Germany, as the top four teams all finished within one fence of each other in a nail-biting showdown, keeping the packed grandstand on the edge of their seats.

By putting just four penalties on the board across their two riders, Jur Vrieling and Marcus Ehning, Valkenswaard United shot up the leaderboard from overnight fourth to finish second. The Shanghai Swans' Pius Schwizer and Shane Sweetnam held onto their overnight third spot.

"That was amazing,” beamed the 24-year-old German rider Klaphake, who once again rode the Oldenburg gelding, Catch Me If You Can. “Pieter did an amazing job, he had so much pressure but he just did it. It was quite difficult the course, but I think it was good building because everyone had fences down in different places.”

The 32-year-old Belgian rider Devos added: “There were some options and we said from the beginning that Laura should take the option here to the yellow oxer and if she had one down then I would go around [the longer route] because I knew I had to be clear, so I wouldn’t take the risk any more. But always when you’re in there the pressure is on and its not so easy to take these decisions in that moment." 

"That is what this is about, putting the pressure to the end. It was a super competition, it was really important to be clear. Laura did a super round, but had one down so I knew I had to go clear. It makes extra pressure, but makes everything more exciting. That’s what is is all about it was super sport today," Devos said.