WHILE a second place finish for Denis Lynch in the World Cup round at Leipzig last week provided the Tipperary rider with a much need points boost, Irish riders still have some way to go in order to book a place at the World Cup final which take place in Gothenburg, Sweden, in March.

Only the top 18 riders on the Western European leaderboard are guaranteed a place in the final and with just two more qualifying rounds remaining, Dermott Lennon is Ireland’s best-placed rider in 32nd position on 19 points, nine points adrift of Italian Emanuele Gaudiano who currently occupies the all important 18th place.

Lynch collected 17 points in Leipzig to move up to 33rd place while Wexford’s Bertram Allen is in 40th place with 15 points heading to the penultimate qualifying round at Zurich in a fortnight’s time.

Germany’s Christian Ahlmann leads the standings with 77 points following three wins and a second place finish so far.

Allen and his Irish compatriots will need to collect a large amount of points in Zurich and again in the last qualifying round in Bordeaux if Ireland is to have any representative in the 2016 final but with 20 points on offer for a win, anything is possible.

Allen finished third in his first ever appearance at a World Cup final in Las Vegas last year with Molly Malone V.

Ireland has never won the World Cup final, with Jessica Kurten and Castle Forbes Libertina coming second in Kuala Lumpur in 2006 and Trevor Coyle also taking the runner-up spot in the final at Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1999 with the legendary Cruising (ISH). Eddie Macken achieved third place at the inaugural World Cup Final in 1979 with Carrolls of Dundalk, which was also held in Gothenburg.