Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme : FIM Speedway World Cup

FIM and BSI Speedway announce new FIM SWC format

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 12:55:00 +0100

Sweden have been handed an automatic place in next year's FIM Speedway World Cup Final after rights holders BSI Speedway and the governing body, the FIM, announced an exciting shake-up ahead of the 2012 competition.

The Swedes will bid to win the Ove Fundin Trophy for the first time since 2004 when they stage the SWC decider at Malilla's G&B Arena on July 14, 2012.

But the battle to join Sweden in the meeting will be fiercer than ever as only the winner of next year's SWC Race-Off will earn a place in the last four, alongside the top sides from Events One and Two.

The SWC competition will be expanded from eight countries to nine and teams will track just four riders instead of five, strengthening each nation and allowing them to leave out their weaker links.

The change in team size will see each meeting staged over 20 heats.

Next season's final stages of the SWC competition kicks off at Bydgoszcz on July 7, where host nation Poland will launch their bid to win a fourth straight SWC crown against Denmark and Russia.

The winners of the second qualification round at Slovenian venue Ljubljana on May 5, which features Slovenia, Italy, Finland and the United States, will complete the field.

Team Great Britain get their campaign underway at King's Lynn on July 9 and take on Australia and the Czech Republic.

They will be joined by the winners of the first qualification meeting at German track Herxheim on April 22, where Germany meet France, Latvia and the Ukraine.

While the winners of Events One and Two join Sweden in the final, the second and third-placed teams from Bydgoszcz and King's Lynn will collide in the Race-Off at Malilla on July 12.

In previous years, the top two nations from one of world speedway's most cutthroat meetings have progressed into the final.

But this year's Race-Off promises to be one of the most dramatic ever, as only the side finishing on top of the podium earns a shot at the Ove Fundin Trophy.

BSI Speedway managing director Paul Bellamy feels the changes to the SWC will make one of the most thrilling weeks in the world speedway calendar even more dramatic.

He said: "With each country picking just four riders, only the crème de la crème will make it into their national team and team managers will have quite a headache as they decide who to leave out.

"It will also give more nations a chance of fielding a strong team and making a push for the gold medals.

"I'm sure the Swedes will be delighted to see their team already assured of their place in the final. But the battle to join them should be incredible and with just one team qualifying from this year's Race-Off, that meeting will be extra special."

Roy Otto, director of the FIM CCP track racing commission, said: "I'm confident these changes will result in one of the most unpredictable SWC tournaments we have ever witnessed.

"The tournament has become one of the most hotly-anticipated events on the sport's global calendar and we are delighted to play our part in its continued development."

2012 FORMAT

FIM SGP & SWC 2012 calendars - 2012 FIM SGP Permanent Riders Entry list

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:50:00 +0200

2012 FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship - Permanent Riders Entry list

1.Greg Hancock (USA)
2.Andreas Jonsson (Sweden)
3.Jaroslaw Hampel (Poland)
4.Jason Crump (Australia)
5.Tomasz Gollob (Poland)
6.Emil Sayfutdinov (Russia)
7. Kenneth Bjerre (Denmark)
8.Chris Holder (Australia)
9.Fredrik Lindgren (Sweden)
10.Nicki Pedersen (Denmark)
11.Chris Harris (Great Britain)
12.Antonio Lindback (Sweden)
13.Bjarne Pedersen (Denmark)
14.Piotr Protasiewicz (Poland)
15.Darcy Ward (Australia)

FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship – 2012 Calendar

Date	FMN	Event	Venue	Country
31 March	MNZ	FIM New Zealand Speedway Grand Prix	Auckland	New Zealand
28 April	PZM	FIM European Speedway Grand Prix	Leszno	Poland
12 May	ACCR	FIM Czech Speedway Grand Prix	Prague	Czech Rep.
26 May	SVEMO	FIM Swedish Speedway Grand Prix	Gothenburg	Sweden
09 June	DMU	FIM Dansk Metal Danish Speedway Grand Prix	Copenhagen	Denmark
23 June	PZM	FIM Gorzow Speedway Grand Prix	Gorwoz	Poland
28 July	HMS	FIM Croatian Speedway Grand Prix	Gorican	Croatia
11 August	FMI	FIM Italian Speedway Grand Prix	Terenzano	Italy
25 August	ACU	FIM British Speedway Grand Prix	Cardiff	Great Britain
08 September	SVEMO	FIM Scandinavian Speedway Grand Prix	Malilla	Sweden
22 September	DMU	FIM Dansk Metal Nordic Speedway Grand Prix	Vojens	Denmark
06 October	PZM	FIM Torun Speedway Grand Prix	Torun	Poland

FIM Speedway World Cup – 2012 Calendar

Date	FMN	Event	Venue	Country
07 July	PZM	FIM Speedway World Cup, Event One	Bydgoszcz	Poland
09 July	ACU	FIM Speedway World Cup, Event Two	King's Lynn	Great Britain
12 July	SVEMO	FIM Speedway World Cup, Race Off	Malilla	Sweden
14 July	SVEMO	FIM Speedway World Cup, Final	Malilla	Sweden

Malilla stages 2012 SWC Final

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:18:00 +0200

Sweden will host its first ever FIM Speedway World Cup Race-Off and Final as two of the sport's biggest meetings come to Målilla in 2012.

Dates and ticket prices will be confirmed at a later date, and speedway fans will have another big reason to visit Malilla next year as the G&B Arena will also stage the FIM Scandinavian Speedway Grand Prix for the eighth year running. This is after the club was handed a new one-year deal by SGP rights holders BSI Speedway.

The decision to bring the SWC to the forests of Malilla will come as a huge boost to a Swedish national team, which has made real strides in the last couple of years.

National champion Andreas Jonsson is in the form of his life after winning two of the last three SGP rounds in Terenzano on July 30 and Torun last Saturday. He almost claimed a third gold medal in Målilla on August 13, but was passed on the last turn in the FIM Scandinavian SGP final by Jaroslaw Hampel and had to make do with silver.

Antonio Lindback is guaranteed a Grand Prix berth for 2012 after winning the GP Challenge in Vetlanda on August 20, and Fredrik Lindgren is still fighting for a place in this year's top-eight automatic qualification spots.

BSI Speedway managing director Paul Bellamy is delighted to see one of world speedway's superpowers staging the SWC Race-Off and Final for the first time.

He said: "I'm pleased that Sweden, after everything it has contributed to the sport, is going to host the SWC Race-Off and Final. We looked at a number of venues, but Malilla with its superb facilities, great organisation and proven track record in the SGP series deserved to have the honour of hosting these two massive events.

"We have seen some memorable World Cup evenings over the last few years. The tournament never fails to deliver great racing and with some of the sport's best riders fighting for national pride on such a great track, the fans will be in for a treat next summer.

"Given that AJ's recent form has been absolutely fantastic and Antonio Lindback is getting better and better, Swedish speedway is very much on the up. With home advantage, it will be very interesting to see if Sweden can lift the Ove Fundin Trophy on home soil for the first time."

Malilla Motorklubb president Ove Johansson said: "It is an honour to have been given the chance to stage the first ever SWC Race-Off and Final on Swedish shale. For the past seven years, the club and our many volunteers have worked hard to make the Scandinavian SGP a success.

"We are delighted to be hosting a Grand Prix round again next year and with the SWC also being contested at the G&B Arena, it's going to be a special year for the Malilla Motorklubb."

Speedway - Tony Olsson

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:23:00 +0200

Tony Olsson, successor of Ole Olsen at the end of the 2009 season, will stay as FIM Speedway Grand Prix and Speedway World Cup Race Director. His contract with the FIM has been renewed for the next five years. His work during the last three seasons has been considered excellent.

Tony was a professional speedway rider in England from 1986 to 1997 and has held a FIM Clerk of the Course licence since 2005. He has also worked as Track Racing Coordinator at the Swedish Motorcycle Federation (SVEMO) and was Speedway Team Manager for Sweden from 2001 to 2004.

Asked about this new contract, Tony Olsson stated:
"I am really happy for this renewal; to sign a new contract for another five years will give me some stability. I have learned a lot during these last three seasons working for the FIM and I feel confident to be able to continue to fulfill my tasks in the best possible conditions."

Roy Otto, Director of the FIM Track Racing Commission (CCP), stated:
"The contract renewal of Tony Olsson is excellent news for the FIM and the world of Speedway Grand Prix. Tony has done an outstanding job as Speedway Race Director during the last three years and I have no doubt that he will continue to fulfill this tasks perfectly for the years to come."

Joker in the pack

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 11:12:00 +0200

Polish skipper Tomasz Gollob admits his tactical joker triumph made all the difference after leading his country to an unprecedented third straight FIM PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna Speedway World Cup gold medal.

The hosts reigned supreme in Gorzow on Saturday night after scoring 51 points and just fending off a furious Australian challenge.

The men from Down Under finished on 45, while Sweden narrowly escaped a run-off for the bronze and scored 30 to claim third ahead of Scandinavian rivals Denmark on 29.

The Poles were in last place after heat eight, but world champion Gollob transformed the meeting with two of the biggest race wins of his career. First he beat Darcy Ward, Gorzow team mate Nicki Pedersen and Andreas Jonsson to win heat nine.

Polish boss Marek Cieslak then sent him out for heat 10 as a tactical joker, and Gollob earned his side a massive six points by leaving Kenneth Bjerre, Freddie Lindgren and Troy Batchelor trailing in his wake.

This put the Poles just a point behind Australia and they powered on to victory. A delighted Gollob admits those nine points gave his side a huge lift and helped them overcome their early setup struggles.

He said: "It was very important when we played the joker in race 10. Six points was a lot and when I won that joker ride, it was really good for the team and our concentration.

"We made some changes to the bikes and we won. I think it was setup we struggled with at first, but then every guy went out and had a good meeting. To win a third title is fantastic for Poland.

"It was a good meeting for Jarek (Hampel) and Piotr Protasiewicz did well in his last two heats. We've had a very good team and a very good competition. I have to say thank you to all the guys for their co-operation this week."

Gollob stars for Gorzow in the Polish Ekstraliga every week and his race wins received an especially deafening ovation from the raucous Edward Jancarz Stadium crowd.

"I love racing this track," Gollob said. "I've got perfect fans here. They're the best fans in Poland and the whole of speedway."

Poland's big names will now turn their attention to chasing Grand Prix gold medals and league championships all over Europe.

But having become the first team to lift the Ove Fundin Trophy three times on the trot, Bydgoszcz-born legend Gollob is already hungry to win a fourth SWC crown in 2012.

He said: "Maybe we can get the title for a fourth time. But we're happy with this one and next year, I don't know what will happen."

SWC FINAL SCORES:

POLAND 51: 1 Krzysztof Kasprzak 8, 2 Jaroslaw Hampel 11, 3 Tomasz Gollob 17, 4 Piotr Protasiewicz 8, 5 Janusz Kolodziej 7.

AUSTRALIA 45: 1 Jason Crump 13, 2 Darcy Ward 4, 3 Troy Batchelor 10, 4 Davey Watt 3, 5 Chris Holder 15.

SWEDEN 30: 1 Andreas Jonsson 1, 2 Freddie Lindgren 12, 3 Antonio Lindback 8, 4 Jonas Davidsson 2, 5 Thomas H Jonasson 7.

DENMARK 29: 1 Mads Korneliussen 3, 2 Bjarne Pedersen 3, 3 Niels-Kristian Iversen 8, 4 Nicki Pedersen 5, 5 Kenneth Bjerre 10.

Boyce hails Aussie talisman Crump

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 09:53:00 +0200

Australian team manager Craig Boyce admits skipper Jason Crump's return has lifted morale this year after he led them to victory in the FIM PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna Speedway World Cup Race-Off.

The Aussies scored 51 points to win in Gorzow on Thursday night and qualify for the SWC Final at the Polish venue on Saturday.

They will be joined by Sweden, who finished second on 44. Event One winners Denmark and Event Two top dogs Poland complete a mouth-watering line-up for the gold medal decider.

Russia claimed third spot in the Race-Off on 33 points and Grand Prix star Emil Sayfutdinov notched 19 of his side's total. Team Great Britain finished last on 30 and were carried by their sole SGP star Chris Harris, who tallied 14.

The Aussies had plenty of scoring firepower in their ranks and led the meeting from heat seven all the way to the conclusion. Troy Batchelor was their star man on 13 points and Australian champion Chris Holder weighed in with 11.

Boyce was delighted with his team's spirit and performance, but reserved special praise for skipper Crump, who notched 12.

The three-time world champion missed last year's SWC to undergo surgery on a niggling arm injury. But Boyce says he is making his presence felt this year.

He said: "We have a great team spirit and it has been great to have Jason back in the team. That has boosted our morale again. We're really happy with tonight and it was a good Race-Off. It was a good practice for the Final. Everything went to plan and the boys pulled together well right from the get-go."

The Aussies struggled badly at the start of Event One in Vojens last Saturday and managed just five points in their opening five races.

There is no doubt a poor gate draw handicapped the men from Down Under early on in Denmark as they started four of their five opening heats from the graveyard gate two.

So Crump was pleased to see his side fly out of the blocks in Gorzow and admits the big, fast Edward Jancarz Stadium circuit suited his side's style far better than Vojens.

He said: "I think that in Vojens after about heat five or six, we actually scored more points than everybody else. We were just in the wrong place for five or six heats.

"Obviously it's hard to pull back six, eight or 10 points against Sweden and Denmark. We felt the track would suit us a bit better today and so it proved.

"Of course we are all very happy and everyone in the team got points when we needed them. If you can do that, then you are going to be in there at the end."

Sweden were inspired into the SWC Final by their skipper Andreas Jonsson, who led the charge on 16. This was despite the fact he suffered a hard tumble in heat nine, when Russian racer Roman Povazhny made a reckless dive up his inside on turn two.

Freddie Lindgren was full of praise for his Dackarna and Sweden team mate, but hopes to better the four points he managed in the Final.

He said: "I'm really happy we got through. I struggled today but all the other guys in the team did really well, especially Andreas.

"I must say he wasn't feeling very well after his crash, but came out and performed very well. I'm really happy we're in the Final. Bring it on."

None of the four teams were able to practice for the Race-Off after heavy overnight rain left the circuit requiring plenty of work in the hours leading up to the meeting.

After being faced with what looked like a ploughed field, the Gorzow track staff worked wonders to put on a good racing surface. Crump paid tribute to their efforts.

He said: "The racing was pretty good and if you had seen the state of the track at 11 o'clock this morning, you would have debated whether there was going to be a meeting on.

"So I think the people here at the club in Gorzow deserve some credit for getting the condition of the track the way it was today."

The draw for the SWC Final sees favourites Poland don the blue helmet colours. Denmark are in red, Australia wear white and Sweden have been allocated yellow.

SWC RACE-OFF SCORES:

Australia 51: 1 Davey Watt 6, 2 Chris Holder 11, 3 Troy Batchelor 13, 4 Darcy Ward 9, 5 Jason Crump 12.

Sweden 44: 1 Andreas Jonsson 16, 2 Freddie Lindgren 4, 3 Antonio Lindback 11, 4 Jonas Davidsson 6, 5 Thomas H Jonasson 7.

Russia 33: 1 Grigory Laguta 8, 2 Emil Sayfutdinov 19, 3 Roman Povazhny 5, 4 Denis Gizatullin 1, 5 Renat Gafurov 0. Team

Great Britain 30: 1 Chris Harris 14, 2 Ben Barker 7, 3 Lewis Bridger 1, 4 Edward Kennett 2, 5 Tai Woffinden 6.

Russian reinforcements

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:54:00 +0200

Russian sensation Emil Sayfutdinov will lead his country into tonight's Speedway World Cup Race-Off at Gorzow.

The Russians scraped through Event Two with a four-man team at King's Lynn on Monday, but they have wheeled out the big guns in a bid to reach the SWC Final on Saturday night.

Sayfutdinov is joined by Grigory Laguta, who has been scoring superbly for Czestochowa and Valsarna this year, and Bydgoszcz star Denis Gizatullin. Renat Gafurov and Roman Povazhny are the only two survivors from Event Two.

This is the same Russian quintet which shocked the sport when they stormed to victory over Denmark, Sweden and the Czech Republic at Vojens in 2009 to reach the first SWC Final in their country's history.

But they will go into tonight's meeting without any practice as the 12pm session was cancelled following very heavy rain in Gorzow overnight, which left the track requiring extra preparation work.

Australia make one change from the side they tracked in Event One at Vojens on Saturday as Davey Watt replaces Rory Schlein.

Three-time world champion Jason Crump, Aussie champion Chris Holder, World Under-21 champion Darcy Ward and the in-form Troy Batchelor keep their places.

Team Great Britain boss Neil Middleditch has drafted in Lewis Bridger in place of former SGP star Scott Nicholls, who has opted to stay in the UK and look after partner Sophie, who recently underwent surgery.

Grand Prix regular Chris Harris has made the trip to Gorzow along with fellow Cornishman Ben Barker, Edward Kennett and Tai Woffinden.

Sweden are the only country to name an unchanged team after finishing second in Event One.

They name three Grand Prix stars in Andreas Jonsson, Freddie Lindgren and Antonio Lindback. Jonas Davidsson and Thomas H Jonasson complete their line-up.

The referee for tonight's meeting is Jim Lawrence from Great Britain.

SWC RACE-OFF LINE-UPS

Australia (Red)
1.Davey Watt
2.Chris Holder
3.Troy Batchelor
4.Darcy Ward
5.Jason Crump
Team Manager: Craig Boyce

Russia (Blue)
1.Grigory Laguta
2.Emil Sayfutdinov
3.Roman Povazhny
4.Denis Gizatullin
5.Renat Gafurov
Team Manager: Stanislav Khan

Team Great Britain (White)
1.Chris Harris
2.Ben Barker
3.Lewis Bridger
4.Edward Kennett
5.Tai Woffinden
Team Manager: Neil Middleditch

Sweden (Yellow)
1.Andreas Jonsson
2.Freddie Lindgren
3.Antonio Lindback
4.Jonas Davidsson
5.Thomas H Jonasson
Team Manager: Bo Wirebrand

Poles apart at King's Lynn

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 09:01:00 +0200

Polish skipper Tomasz Gollob paid tribute to Krzysztof Kasprzak after he notched a 15-point maximum to inspire his country into the FIM PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna Speedway World Cup Final.

The Poles claimed a commanding victory in Event Two at King's Lynn on Monday night, scoring a sensational 62 points.

Team Great Britain were second on 49 and earned a place in the SWC Race-Off at Gorzow on Thursday night, where they will fight for one of two places in Saturday's SWC Final at the same venue.

They will be joined by Russia, who claimed a shock third place at the Norfolk Arena on 21 despite tracking only a four-man team. The Czech Republic lost out on 20 and are eliminated.

Poland's fantastic five all notched double figures to send a heavy Polish contingent within the bumper 4,950 crowd home happy.

Gollob, who scored 13, hopes his team can produce a repeat performance in Saturday's Final and was particularly delighted with Kasprzak, who ended an indifferent run of form in emphatic style.

The world champion said: "It was perfect racing from everybody. Krzysztof Kasprzak was really perfect tonight. He rides in the British league and he was great every time.

"I think 62 points is a lot, but I promise it will be the same result on Saturday."

Gollob also paid tribute to the scores of Polish fans who helped to create a superb atmosphere at the Norfolk Arena.

He said: "I have to say thank you to the fans. They really got behind us. I hope it will be the same at Gorzow and we will have around 20,000 people there."

Piotr Protasiewicz also starred for Poland on 13 points. The former King's Lynn rider feels a grippy track played right into his side's hands.

He said: "I think the track was too grippy for the British riders. When the track is slick, the British riders race much better, but this is no problem for the Polish team. We got a good result and had good starts. This is a very good race track."

The Poles collide with Event One winners Denmark in the Final. They will be joined by the top two from Thursday's Race-Off.

Team GB have been drawn into the white helmets for this meeting, while the Russians are in blue. Event One runners-up Sweden wear yellow and Australia complete the line-up in red.

The Lions go into the meeting without former Grand Prix star Scott Nicholls, who will remain in the UK to look after his partner Sophie, who recently underwent surgery.

His place will be taken by Lewis Bridger and team manager Neil Middleditch hopes he will rise to the biggest test of his career to date.

He said: "Lewis has made it public that he wanted to be involved and should have been involved. So I'll give him a chance. He has talked the talk. Now he has to walk the walk. He's a capable rider and we know he has the talent.

"This is the world stage and it's the toughest meeting he's going to have for a long, long time.

"He has been in contact with me to say he has new engines and has been testing things, so he is very keen to do well."

EVENT TWO SCORES: Poland 62: 1 Tomasz Gollob 13, 2 Jaroslaw Hampel 10, 3 Janusz Kolodziej 11, 4 Piotr Protasiewicz 13, 5 Krzysztof Kasprzak 15. Team Great Britain 49: 1 Chris Harris 16, 2 Scott Nicholls 6, 3 Tai Woffinden 10, 4 Edward Kennett 11, 5 Ben Barker 6. Russia 21: 1 Roman Povazhny 8, 2 Sergey Darkin 4, 3 Ilya Bondarenko 3, 4 Renat Gafurov 6, 5 No Rider. Czech Republic 20: 1 Ales Dryml 2, 2 Matej Kus 0, 3 Lukas Dryml 9, 4 Tomas Topinka 5, 5 Filip Sitera 4.

Russian Team change

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:07:00 +0200

Over the weekend the Russian federation (MFR) confirmed to the governing the body, the FIM, the following team for Event 2 of the 2011 FIM Speedway World Cup, that takes place on 11 July.

1. Roman Povazhny (Capt)
2. Sergey Darkin
3. Ilya Bondarenko
4. Renat Gafurov
5. -
New Team Manager: Romua Hetmanis

The remaining teams remain the same. The full line up for the meeting, that takes place at Norfolk Arena, King's Lynn, Great Britain, at 19:30: local time will be:

RED: RUSSIA
1. Roman Povazhny (Capt)
2. Sergey Darkin
3. Ilya Bondarenko
4. Renat Gafurov
5. -
New Team Manager: Romua Hetmanis

BLUE: GREAT BRITAIN
1. Chris Harris (Capt)
2. Scott Nicholls
3. Tai Woffinden
4. Edward Kennett
5. Ben Barker
Team Manager: Neil Middleditch

WHITE: POLAND
1. Tomasz Gollob(Capt)
2. Jaroslaw Hampel
3. Janusz Kolodziej
4. Piotr Protasiewicz
5. Krzysztof Kasprzak
Team Manager: Marek Cieslak

YELLOW: CZECH REPUBLIC
1. Ales Dryml(Capt)
2. Matej Kus
3. Lukas Dryml
4. Tomas Topinka
5. Filip Sitera
Team Manager: Milan Spinka

Denmark storm into Speedway World Cup Final

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 09:35:00 +0200

Denmark skipper Nicki Pedersen paid tribute to his side's spirit as they stormed into the FIM PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna Speedway World Cup Final with victory in Vojens on Saturday. The hosts triumphed in Event One with 50 points, but they had to hold off a furious challenge from Scandinavian neighbours Sweden, who finished on 48 and led the meeting several times. Despite a slow start to the night, Australia fought back hard and finished third with 47. Germany ended up fourth on nine and were eliminated from the competition. The Danes were led to victory by Bjarne Pedersen and SWC debutant Mads Korneliussen, who topped their team's scorechart on 12 apiece. Nicki Pedersen, who returned to the national side after missing last year's World Cup due to injury, scored 10 from his five outings. The Grand Prix star was over the moon with the mood in the camp and feels it made all the difference as the Danes secured their place in the SWC Final at Gorzow on Saturday. He said: "We worked hard yesterday and today to have the team spirit that we've always had, and I'm very happy and very pleased with the whole team. "We were laughing yesterday, we were laughing today, we were talking about setups and we were meeting up together between races. "Every time there was a new round of heats, we were talking about what we were doing well and how the setup was. Everybody was cheerful and happy, and going straight into the Final is definitely the way to go. "I'm pleased with the team and I'm sure that's the team we are going to use on Saturday." Sweden could still reach the Final as they join Australia in the Race-Off at Gorzow on Thursday. The teams collide with the second and third-placed sides from Event Two at King's Lynn on Monday, and the top two on Thursday night will also qualify for the Final. If defending SWC champions Poland fail to triumph at the Norfolk Arena against Team Great Britain, Russia and the Czech Republic, they would join the Swedes and Aussies in an exceptionally tough Race-Off. So Pedersen admits the Danes dodged a bullet by avoiding the last-chance meeting and securing an automatic place in the last four. He said: "We're very pleased. If the Brits win at King's Lynn, it's going to be a hectic one on Thursday. I'm very pleased we're straight into the Final." Pedersen and his Danish team mate Niels-Kristian Iversen both race their Polish Ekstraliga home meetings in Gorzow and should have a head start when it comes to finding the right bike setup for the Final. But Pedersen has played down the importance of his inside knowledge and is expecting a completely different track to what he is used to at the Edward Jancarz Stadium. He said: "Obviously it's my home track, but you know the Grand Prix and World Cup tracks are never going to be like they are in the league when they are grippier. "We will have a small advantage, but I'm sure it will be a slick track and I'm just looking forward to the practice on the Friday. We'll have to go down there and see how it is. "But the most important thing is the team spirit and I'm sure we'll get that working again on Saturday. We'll go to Gorzow on the Thursday, have a bit of lunch; then we might go and watch the Race-Off meeting together." SWC EVENT ONE SCORES:
Denmark 50: 1 Nicki Pedersen 10, 2 Bjarne Pedersen 12, 3 Kenneth Bjerre 11, 4 Niels-Kristian Iversen 5, 5 Mads Korneliussen 12. Sweden 48: 1 Andreas Jonsson 11, 2 Freddie Lindgren 10, 3 Antonio Lindback 12, 4 Jonas Davidsson 8, 5 Thomas H Jonasson 7. Australia 47: 1 Jason Crump 11, 2 Darcy Ward 13, 3 Troy Batchelor 4, 4 Rory Schlein 5, 5 Chris Holder 14. Germany 9: 1 Kevin Wolbert 2, 2 Max Dilger 4, 3 Tobias Busch 1, 4 Mathias Schultz 2, 5 Tobias Kroner 0.

Speedway World Cup teams unveiled

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 08:45:00 +0200

The teams for the FIM PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna Speedway World Cup have been revealed and Australian superstar Jason Crump returns to lead his country into Event One at Danish track Vojens on Saturday, July 9.

Aussie team manager Craig Boyce and his riders have made impassioned pleas for the 35-year-old to join them in the tournament after he sat out last year's SWC to undergo surgery.
So they will be delighted to see him line up alongside national champion Chris Holder, who is currently third in the World Championship. World Under-21 champion Darcy Ward, Troy Batchelor and Rory Schlein are all in scintillating form this season and complete a very promising line-up.

The men from Down Under come up against three-time world champion Nicki Pedersen, who also returns to the SWC after a year's absence to fly the Danish flag. The Odense-born racer teams up with SGP rival Kenneth Bjerre, Bjarne Pedersen, Niels-Kristian Iversen and surprise selection Mads Korneliussen. Nicki captains the side in the absence of Hans Andersen, who has been left out despite recovering from a broken foot.

The Danes also come up against Scandinavian neighbours Sweden, who are spearheaded by their national champion Andreas Jonsson and Fredrik Lindgren, who is enjoying the best season of his career. Grand Prix hotshot Antonio Lindback also takes to the track at the venue where he won qualification for the World Championship last August. Swedish SGP wild card Thomas H Jonasson and Jonas Davidsson claim the final two places.

Germany complete the four-team field at Vojens and they track a young side, led by Birmingham and Edinburgh man Kevin Wolbert. Tobias Kroner is also in the quintet, along with Max Dilger, Tobias Busch and Mathias Schultz.

The top two teams from each event qualify directly for the SWC Final at Gorzow's Edward Jancarz Stadium in Poland on Saturday, July 16. The second and third-placed teams from Vojens and King's Lynn enter the SWC Race-Off at Gorzow on Thursday, July 14, where the top two nations will also progress into the SWC Final.

Meanwhile, Tomasz Gollob and Jaroslaw Hampel lead Poland's chase for a third straight SWC title, which gets underway in Event Two at King's Lynn on Monday, July 11. They come up against Team Great Britain's finest, featuring SGP racer Chris Harris, six-time British champion Scott Nicholls, Coventry skipper Edward Kennett, Birmingham racer Ben Barker and Wolverhampton hotshot Tai Woffinden.

Gollob and Hampel are joined in the Polish side by their SGP rival Janusz Kolodziej, but there is no place for Rune Holta, who has opted to sit out and rest the wrist injuries which have blighted his season. In-form former Grand Prix regular Piotr Protasiewicz comes into the team, and Birmingham and Tarnow rider Krzysztof Kasprzak takes the final spot despite an up-and-down start to 2011.

The Brits and Poles also face stiff competition from Russia, who will be led into battle by Grand Prix sensation Emil Sayfutdinov. He is joined by World Championship rival Artem Laguta, who lines up with his brother Grigory. Poole Pirates' reserve powerhouse Renat Gafurov also gets the nod and Roman Povazhny completes the line-up.

The Czech Republic are also in action at the Norfolk Arena and their team is fronted by brothers Lukas and Ales Dryml. FIM Mitas Czech SGP wild card Matej Kus also rides, and King's Lynn legend Tomas Topinka and his team mate Filip Sitera will hope to score big on their British Elite League home track.

FULL SWC LINE-UPS:
EVENT ONE, VOJENS SPEEDWAY CENTER, VOJENS, DENMARK, (JULY 9)
Referee: Mick Bates (Great Britain)

Germany (Red)
1. Kevin Wolbert
2. Max Dilger
3. Tobias Busch
4. Mathias Schultz
5. Tobias Kroner
Team Manager: Rene Schafer

Sweden (Blue)
1. Andreas Jonsson
2. Fredrik Lindgren
3. Antonio Lindback
4. Jonas Davidsson
5. Thomas H Jonasson
Team Manager: Bo Wirebrand

Australia (White)
1. Jason Crump
2. Darcy Ward
3. Troy Batchelor
4. Rory Schlein
5. Chris Holder
Team Manager: Craig Boyce

Denmark (Yellow)
1. Nicki Pedersen
2. Bjarne Pedersen
3. Kenneth Bjerre
4. Niels-Kristian Iversen
5. Mads Korneliussen
Team Manager: Anders Secher

EVENT TWO,NORFOLK ARENA, KING'S LYNN, GREAT BRITAIN (JULY 11)
Referee: Krister Gardell (Sweden)

Russia (Red)
1. Roman Povazhny
2. Artem Laguta
3. Emil Sayfutdinov
4. Renat Gafurov
5. Grigory Laguta
Team Manager: Andrey Savin

Great Britain (Blue)
1. Chris Harris
2. Scott Nicholls
3. Tai Woffinden
4. Edward Kennett
5. Ben Barker
Team Manager: Neil Middleditch

Poland (White)
1. Tomasz Gollob
2. Jaroslaw Hampel
3. Janusz Kolodziej
4. Piotr Protasiewicz
5. Krzysztof Kasprzak
Team Manager: Marek Cieslak

Czech Republic (Yellow)
1. Ales Dryml
2. Matej Kus
3. Lukas Dryml
4. Tomas Topinka
5. Filip Sitera
Team Manager: Milan Spinka

Germany sails through to the Final and brings the house down !

Tue, 10 May 2011 10:39:00 +0200

The German Team is back in the Top 8 Speedway nations, since 10.00 p.m. Saturday night.

In front of an ecstatic 3000 plus crowd the home nation won the World Team Cup Qualifier and got the final ticket for the World Cup.

In a hard fought meeting the Germans reached 47 points and won the meeting ahead of the USA ( 39 ) Finland ( 38 ) and the Ukraine ( 26 ).

The next step for the German nationalteam will be Vojens on 9. July were they will meet Sweden, Australia and the Danes.

Highly motivated started the team around skipper Martin Smolinski who won the first heat ahead of J. Kylmakorpi and G. Hancock. Two further wins followed by C. Hefenbrock and F. Facher.

After 5 races the hometeam was well in front and never let the leading position out of their hands again. 12 out of a possible 15 points were an extremely good reward for Rene Schäfer´s team.

In the next 5 races the situation changed completely and Team Germany lost their comfortable lead.

Sipper Smolinski motivated his colleagues and from heat 11 on the confidence returned, the home nation took control of the meetingagain.

Team USA and the finnish team were never far behind the eventual winners.
It went as far as heat 23 until Frank Facher took the queckered flag and won the meeting for Germany.

A happy team manager Rene Schäfer said: "We were so often so close to qualify for the final, but at last this time it was our turn to go through."

Results:
1. Germany 47 Points
Martin Smolinski 14, Frank Facher 11, Christian Hefenbrock 10, Mathias Schultz 7, Tobias Kroner 5

2. USA 39
Ryan Fisher 14, Greg Hancock 12, Tyson Burmeister 8, Ricky Wells 5, Mike Buman 0

3. Finland 38
Kauko Nieminen 11, Joonas Kylmäkorpi 9, Tero Aarnio 9, Juha Hautamäki 8,
Kalle Katajisto 1

4. Ukraine 26
Kyryl Tsukanov 9, Oleksandr Loktaev 6, Yaroslav Poliuhovich 6, Andriy Kobrin 5,
Stanislav Ogorodnik 0

Greg Hancock lead USA Team in Landshut (GER)

Thu, 05 May 2011 16:57:00 +0200

The FIM Speedway World Cup QR comes to Landshut on 07.05.11 - Greg Hancock - 1997 FIM Speedway World Champion will lead the American Speedway Team in order to qualify for the SWC Tournament.

On Saturday 7.00 p.m. the FIM Speedway World Cup QR comes to Landshut´s Ellermühle stadium The teams from Ukraine, USA, Finland and Germany race for only one place in the World Cup Tournament.

Not just another race for Germany´s Speedway hot spot Landshut says ACL boss Helge Teuscher: "The tension mounts slowly up. There is a lot of work to be done for such an outstanding meeting, but we will give it our best shot".

Germany´s Captain Martin Smolinski (photo) can´t wait for Saturday to come:"It´s going to be a great meeting. To be able to ride for my country is always something special and riding at my hometrack puts really the icing on the cake". The home team is highly motivated but will that be enough ?

According the experts the Finnish team with Joonas Kylmäkorpi, who is in great form at the moment, will have a strong say in the final outcome.

Another strong force will be the the US Team, led by the SGP rider, 1997 FIM World Champion, Greg Hancock, together with a bunch of young wizzkids.

Not to be underestimated must be the Team from the Ukraine. They are relatively inexperienced but most of their young riders are riding regularly in the polish leagues.

Practice begins at 11.30 - Meeting starts at 19.00

Starting List:

Germany
1 SMOLINSKI, Martin (C),
2 HEFENBROCK, Christian
3 FACHER, Frank
4 Schultz, Mathias
5 KRONER, Tobias
Team manager: SCHAEFER, René

Ukraine
1 KOBRIN, Andriy (C)
2 OGORODNIK, Stanislav
3 TSUKANOV, Kyryl
4 LOKTAEV, Oleksandr
5 POLIUHOVICH, Yaroslav
Team manager: LYATOSYNSKYY Sergey

Finland
1 KYLMÄKORPI, Joonas (C)
2 AARNIO, Tero
3 HAUTAMÄKI, Juha
4 KATAJISTO, Kalle
5 NIEMINEN, Kauko
Team manager: PALOMÄKI, Juri

USA
1 HANCOCK, Greg (C)
2 WELLS, Ricky
3 FISHER, Ryan
4 BURMEISTER, Tyson
5 STARKS, Bryce
Team manager: CHILD, Richard

Photographer: Michael Eder (Landshut,Germany)

FIM Speedway World Championship GP & FIM Speedway World Cup 2011 provisional calendars

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:00:00 +0200

FIM Speedway Grand Prix series (SGP) rights holders BSI Speedway and the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) have unveiled the SGP and FIM Speedway World Cup calendar for 2011.

It features Poland's brand new SGP venue Gorzow, which will stage the final round of the World Championship next year.

Gorzow's Edward Jancarz Stadium is the only new venue on the list, while Polish track Torun and Croatian circuit Gorican stay on the schedule after successfully hosting their first SGP rounds this season.

The series opens with the FIM European SGP at Leszno's Alfred Smoczyk Stadium in Poland on April 30, 2011.

Meanwhile, Vojens Speedway Center in Denmark and King's Lynn's Norfolk Arena in Britain have been handed the opening meetings of next season's FIM Speedway World Cup (SWC).

Vojens stages Event One on July 9, before the competition comes to King's Lynn on July 11. The Race-Off and Final takes place in Gorzow on July 14 and 16 respectively, when Poland will bid to win their fifth FIM Speedway World Cup in just seven years in front of their home fans.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix

Date	FMN	EVENT	VENUE	COUNTRY
30 April	PZM	FIM European Speedway Grand Prix	Leszno	Poland
14 May	SVEMO	FIM Swedish Speedway Grand Prix	Gothenburg	Sweden
28 May	ACCR	FIM Czech Republic Speedway Grand Prix	Prague	Czech Republic
11 June	DMU	FIM Dansk Metal Danish Speedway Grand Prix	Copenhagen	Denmark
25 June	ACU	FIM British Speedway Grand Prix	Cardiff	Great Britain
30 July	FMI	FIM Italian Speedway Grand Prix	Terenzano	Italy
13 August	SVEMO	FIM Scandinavian Speedway Grand Prix	Malilla	Sweden
27 August	PZM	FIM Torun Speedway Grand Prix of Poland	Torun	Poland
10 September	DMU	FIM Nordic Speedway Grand Prix	Vojens	Denmark
24 September	HMS	FIM Croatian Speedway Grand Prix	Gorican	Croatia
08 October	PZM	FIM Gorzow Speedway Grand Prix of Poland	Gorzow	Poland

FIM Speedway World Cup

Date	FMN	EVENT	VENUE	COUNTRY
09 July	DMU	FIM Speedway World Cup, Event 1	Vojens	Denmark
11 July	ACU	FIM Speedway World Cup, Event 2	King's Lynn	Great Britain
14 July	PZM	FIM Speedway World Cup, Race Off	Gorzow	Poland
16 July	PZM	FIM Speedway World Cup, Final	Gorzow	Poland

Poland win World Cup

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 00:17:00 +0200

Polish star Jaroslaw Hampel hailed his side for holding their nerve as they retained the FIM PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna Speedway World Cup in Vojens on Sunday afternoon.

SWC legend Tomasz Gollob lifted the Ove Fundin Trophy for the fourth time after his side bagged 44 points to pip Denmark, who scored 39, to the gold. Sweden claimed the bronze with 35 points after edging Team Great Britain off the podium by two points in a last-race decider. The Poles were tipped as huge favourites going into the competition, but Denmark had no intention of going down without a scrap on home shale. The two sides traded the lead as the meeting headed to its climax and were level at 39 points apiece with two races left.

But World Championship challengers Jaroslaw Hampel and Tomasz Gollob saw their team home with second and first places respectively, while Danish duo Hans Andersen and Kenneth Bjerre both finished last. With a crippling weight of expectation on Poland's shoulders, Hampel was ecstatic his team stood the heat and won the nation's first world team title on foreign soil since 1996.

He said: "There was a good team spirit and we proved we could win everywhere and be world champions. There was a lot of pressure and we felt that. It's always very hard to race under pressure. But kept our nerves and tried to concentrate heat by heat. Everything has finished well for us."

Hampel and his side trailed the Danes by four points after five races. This was after Gollob was controversially excluded from heat three by referee Craig Ackroyd, when he collided with Danish star Niels Kristian Iversen on the first turn. The Poles followed this up with two last places, but they turned their fortunes around by winning four of their next six races and ending their night with a barnstorming display.

Leszno and Vetlanda man Hampel added: "That was a really hard job today. It was hard from the beginning.We were down on points and we had some trouble, but we believed we could get victory from the beginning. We tried to fight on the track all the time and in all the heats."

Having won their 2005, 2007 and 2009 SWC gold medals on Polish soil, Hampel was delighted his side showed their class at Vojens. He added: "That was a good day for us because everything wasn't so easy. Denmark knew the track a little bit more and which lines were best.

"We had some problems with the Danish guys because they know where is best to race here. It wasn't so easy because they were good from the gates, but we were fast and trying everything to keep the speed in the bikes. We found some good lines on the track; spoke with each other in the pits, and worked together to get this result."

Team Great Britain narrowly lost a tense battle for the bronze medal in the closing stages, mainly thanks to a final flourish from Sweden's Brazilian-born star Antonio Lindback. With the Lions four points ahead going into the final three races, Lindback romped to back-to-back wins in heats 23 and 24. This was before his team mate Andreas Jonsson beat Team GB's Scott Nicholls to second place in the final race to wrap up third spot.

SWEDEN (RED)
1 Fredrik Lindgren (1-2-0-0-T) 3
2 Jonas Davidsson (3-0-2-2-0) 7
3 Antonio Lindback (3-1-0-0-3-3) 10
4 Magnus Zetterstrom (2-0-0) 2
5 Andreas Jonsson (2-3-2-4 ^-0-2) 13
Team Manager: Peter Jansson

POLAND (BLUE)
1 Rune Holta (2-3-3-X-2) 10
2 Jaroslaw Hampel (2-3-3-1-2) 11
3 Tomasz Gollob (X-3-3-3-3) 12
4 Adrian Miedzinski (0-1-2-X-2) 5
5 Janus Kolodziej (0-R-2-3-1) 6
Team Manager: Marek Cieslak

DENMARK (WHITE)
1 Kenneth Bjerre (3-2-1-3-0) 9
2 Nicolai Klindt (1-1-1-2-1) 6
3 Niels Kristian Iversen (2-X-2-3-2) 9
4 Bjarne Pedersen (3-3-0-2-1) 9
5 Hans Andersen (1-2-1-2-0) 6
Team Manager: Jan Staechmann

GREAT BRITAIN (YELLOW)
1 Chris Harris (0-2-3-X ^-3-3) 11
2 Tai Woffinden (R-2-3-1-0) 6
3 Simon Stead (1-1-0) 2
4 Scott Nicholls (1-1-1-1-1) 5
5 Lee Richardson (3-0-1-1-3-1) 9
Team Manager: Rob Lyon

Speedway World Cup final postponed

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 23:15:00 +0200

The FIM PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna Speedway World Cup Final in Vojens has been postponed after four races due to adverse weather.

The FIM Jury has decided that the event will be re-run at 3pm local time (2pm UK) tomorrow (Sunday, August 1).

Danes up for SWC final showdown

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:54:00 +0200

Danish skipper Hans Andersen says his side has no fears about tackling FIM PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna Speedway World Cup favourites Poland on home shale, after winning the Race-Off at Vojens on Thursday night.

Andersen and his men scored 48 points to narrowly beat Sweden, who bagged 47. But both Scandinavian nations join defending champions Poland and Team Great Britain in the Final on Saturday.

A young Australia team missed out after finishing third on 36 points, while a battling Russian team far from disgraced themselves on 19.

The Danes were thrashed by Poland in Event One at Gorzow on Sunday afternoon and finished 23 points behind them.

But Grand Prix star Andersen says his team needed little lifting after that result and is certain the odds-on favourites will not have it all their own way on Danish shale.

He said: "There was no need to be picked up after Sunday. No-one was down and I thought the team did well. The Poles were magnificent and any other team that raced there would have had the same beating.

"We won the Race-Off with 48 points and we scored 45 in Poland, so it wasn't a big difference. It's just that now there are more teams to take points off each other.

"It will be very good. There are four teams and it's going to be important to score points in every race.

"Poland was a different track. They're always going to be fast on their own track and Vojens is very different from what we rode at Gorzow.

"Poland might be favourites, but it's an open field, four good teams and anything can happen."

The Danes made a somewhat sluggish start to the Race-Off and Sweden were seven points ahead of them after five heats.

Andersen, who topped the Danish scorechart on 11 points, admits his team was caught out by track conditions, but was pleased with his side's consistency once they got into their stride.

He said: "We just needed to sort the set-up out. I thought we rode fairly well and we were solid once we passed the first five heats. It's not about winning every race; it's about scoring points in every race because every team will take points off each other.

"It was good. The track conditions didn't really suit us, but it's the same for all and we did alright. I think the track might be a little bit different for the Final, depending on the weather.

"I made some good gates and felt like I had plenty of speed. I'm fairly happy with my own performance but, most importantly, everyone performed in the team, so it's happy days."

While riding in an SWC Final on home soil can bring added pressures, Andersen says a huge Danish crowd in Vojens has a vital role to play in helping his side regain the Ove Fundin Trophy on Saturday.

"The fans will be important," he said. "It will be just like riding in a home GP. They spur us on and probably make us go a little bit better.

"I wouldn't say it will be added pressure. We put pressure on our own shoulders because we don't want to let all the people down.

"But it should be good on Saturday. Hopefully it will be a full stadium and hopefully the Danes will be on top."

Following the Race-Off, the draw for the SWC Final handed Denmark the white helmet covers again. The Swedes race in red; 2009 winners Poland defend their title in blue, and Team Great Britain wear yellow for their first Final in three years.

RACE-OFF SCORES:
DENMARK (WHITE): 48
1 Kenneth Bjerre (2-2-2-2-2) 10
2 Nicolai Klindt (1-2-3-1-1) 8
3 Niels Kristian Iversen (1-1-3-2-2) 9
4 Bjarne Pedersen (2-2-2-2-2) 10
5 Hans Andersen (1-3-3-3-1) 11

SWEDEN (YELLOW): 47
1 Freddie Lindgren (3-3-2-3-0) 11
2 Jonas Davidsson (2-2-0-0-3) 7
3 Magnus Zetterstrom (3-1-2-3-3) 12
4 Andreas Jonsson (3-2-0-2-1) 8
5 Antonio Lindback (3-T-3-3-0) 9

AUSTRALIA (RED): 36
1 Davey Watt (1-0-2-2-2) 7
2 Darcy Ward (3-1-1-0-1) 6
3 Rory Schlein (2-3-1-1-3-1) 11
4 Troy Batchelor (1-X-1-2) 4
5 Chris Holder (2-3-0 ^-0-3) 8

RUSSIA (BLUE): 19
1 Artem Laguta (0-0-1-0-0) 1
2 Grigory Laguta (0-1-1-1-0) 3
3 Roman Povazhny (0-1-0 ^-1-0) 2
4 Denis Gizatullin (0-0-0-1-3) 4
5 Renat Gafurov (0-3-3-0-3) 9

Swedish star Andreas Jonsson returns for SWC Race-Off

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:22:00 +0200

Swedish champion Andreas Jonsson has declared himself fit for the FIM PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna Speedway World Cup Race-Off at Vojens on Thursday night.

The SGP star has been named in Peter Jansson's side in place of Valsarna rider Daniel Nermark, who scored just one point at King's Lynn on Monday.

Jonsson missed the meeting as he was suffering with muscle inflammation on his shoulder blade.

But after coming through a rain-affected practise in Denmark on Wednesday, the Dackarna and Bydgoszcz star looks set to offer his country some serious point-scoring power.

He will be joined in the yellow helmets by Grand Prix rivals Freddie Lindgren and Magnus Zetterstrom, Rio Rocket Antonio Lindback and Jonas Davidsson, who impressed with 14 points on Monday night.

The Swedes are the only nation to make a change to their line-up prior to the Race-Off, as Denmark, Russia and Australia stick with the same five riders who raced in Events One and Two earlier this week.

Hosts Denmark, who race in white, are still without three-time world champion Nicki Pedersen, but will be led by Vojens rider Hans Andersen and Kenneth Bjerre, who rode his Danish league meetings at the venue last season.

Bjarne Pedersen keeps his place after leading his side's scorechart at Gorzow on Sunday with 11 points. He is joined by Niels Kristian Iversen and Nicolai Klindt.

Australian champion Chris Holder spearheads his country's challenge and is joined by SGP series reserve Davey Watt in the red helmets. The in-form Troy Batchelor, World Under-21 champion Darcy Ward and Rory Schlein complete a young Aussie line-up.

Meanwhile, Russia track impressive teenager Artem Laguta, alongside his brother Grigory, Roman Povazhny, Renat Gafurov and Denis Gizatullin. They don the blue helmets as they bid to reach their second straight SWC Final.

FULL RACE-OFF LINE-UPS:

AUSTRALIA (RED)
1 Dave Watt (Captain)
2 Darcy Ward
3 Rory Schlein
4 Troy Batchelor
5 Chris Holder
Team Manager Craig Boyce

RUSSIA (BLUE)
1 Artem Laguta
2 Grigory Laguta (Captain)
3 Roman Povazhny
4 Denis Gizatullin
5 Renat Gafurov
Team Manager Stanislav Khan

DENMARK (WHITE)
1 Kenneth Bjerre
2 Nicolai Klindt
3 Niels Kristian Iversen
4 Bjarne Pedersen
5 Hans Andersen (Captain)
Team Manager Jan Staechmann

SWEDEN (YELLOW)
1 Fredrik Lindgren
2 Jonas Davidsson
3 Magnus Zetterstrom (Captain)
4 Andreas Jonsson
5 Antonio Lindback
Team Manager Peter Jansson

Poland storm into Speedway World Cup Final

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:39:00 +0200

Polish star Jaroslaw Hampel says his side will remain grounded ahead of the FIM PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna Speedway World Cup Final, despite storming to victory in Event One at Gorzow on Sunday.

The host nation racked up 68 points in 25 heats – the highest score ever recorded in the competition for a four-team event.

They dropped just seven points all afternoon, as Hampel was joined by Tomasz Gollob, Rune Holta and Janusz Kolodziej in scoring 14 points. Adrian Miedzinski added 12 and was the only Pole to drop down to third place in any of their races.

This commanding display relegated Denmark (45) and Russia (31) into the Race-Off at Vojens on Thursday night, where they will tackle the second and third placed teams from Event Two for the last two SWC Final berths. The Czech Republic crashed out of the tournament on just eight points.

While Poland have been given short odds by the bookmakers to retain the SWC title they won at Leszno last year, Hampel admits they are unlikely to be given such an easy ride in the Final at Vojens on Saturday night.

He said: "We are in the Final, but it could be totally different in Vojens. We are strong but we need to be ready because the rest of the teams want to improve. We know that.

"It's a totally different place and the track is totally different. It's pretty short with tight corners. The most important thing is that we read the track well from the beginning and get the best lines.

"There will be four strong teams over there. We've got a great chance, but we've got to work so hard.

"The Danish guys are strong, especially at home. Even without Nicki (Pedersen), they are good and the Russians can race well everywhere they go."

Hampel confirmed he will join his Polish team mates on the terraces for the Race-Off to get a sneak preview of the track conditions they will face in Denmark next weekend.

He added: "We are in the final and now is the time to think about Saturday. Of course, we'll go up there a little bit early because we want to watch the Race-Off on Thursday. We want to see how the track will look.

"I haven't raced at Vojens for two or three years, so I need to be there to look very carefully at how the track is."

While Hampel is trying not to get carried away after a sublime display, he admits this is the best Polish side he has ever raced in.

He said: "I think it is. Everyone has had good performances in the league meetings this year. Tomasz and I are racing well in the Grand Prix too.

"This was the best possible selection and we proved that on the track. Everything was under control from the beginning, but we couldn't make good gates in the first part of the meeting.

"Later on it was good and we had some very fast bikes. We knew the best lines on the track and we won by a lot of points."

Poland will be joined in the SWC Final by the winners of the Event Two showdown between Team Great Britain, Sweden, Australia and Finland at King's Lynn on Monday night.

HEAT SCORES:
Poland (BLUE) 68
1 Jaroslaw Hampel (2-3-3-3-3) 14
2 Rune Holta (3-3-2-3-3) 14
3 Tomasz Gollob (3-3-2-3-3) 14
4 Adrian Miedzinski (2-3-3-1-3) 12
5 Janusz Kolodziej (3-2-3-3-3) 14

Denmark (YELLOW/BLACK) 45
1 Kenneth Bjerre (3-0-4 ^-1-2) 10
2 Niels-Kristian Iversen (1-1-2-2-1) 7
3 Hans Andersen (2-1-2-3-2) 10
4 Nicolai Klindt (3-0-1-2-1) 7
5 Bjarne Pedersen (2-2-3-2-2) 11

Russia (RED) 31
1 Artem Laguta (1-3-3-0 ^-1) 8
2 Renat Gafurov (2-1-1-2-1) 7
3 Grigory Laguta (1-0-0-1-2) 4
4 Denis Gizatullin (1-1-X-1-1) 4
5 Roman Povazhny (1-2-1-2-2) 8

Czech Republic (WHITE) 8
1 Lukas Dryml (R-1-1-0-0-0) 2
2 Ales Dryml (0-2-0-0-0) 2
3 Martin Malek (0-0-0-0) 0
4 Zdenek Simota (0-0-0-0-0) 0
5 Matej Kus (0-2-1-1-0 ^) 4

Ht 1: Bjerre, Hampel, A Laguta, L Dryml, (1-2-0-3).
Ht 2: Holta, Gafurov, Iversen, A Dryml, (3-5-0-4).
Ht 3: (re-run) Gollob, Andersen, G Laguta, Malek, (4-8-0-6).
Ht 4: Klindt, Miedzinski, Gizatullin, Simota, (5-10-0-9).
Ht 5: Kolodziej, Pedersen, Povazhny, Kus, (6-13-0-11).
Ht 6: A Laguta, Kolodziej, Andersen, Simota, (9-15-0-12).
Ht 7: (re-run) Hampel, Kus, Gafurov, Klindt, (10-18-2-12).
Ht 8: Holta, Pedersen, L Dryml, G Laguta, (10-21-3-14).
Ht 9: Gollob, A Dryml, Gizatullin, Bjerre, (11-24-5-14).
Ht 10: Miedzinski, Povazhny, Iversen, Malek, (13-27-5-15).
Ht 11: A Laguta, Holta, Klindt, Malek, (16-29-5-16).
Ht 12: Pedersen, Gollob, Gafurov, Simota, (17-31-5-19).
Ht 13: Miedzinski, Bjerre (joker), Kus, G Laguta, (17-34-6-23).
Ht 14: (re-run) Kolodziej, Iversen, L Dryml, Gizatullin (f.exc), (17-37-7-25).
Ht 15: Hampel, Andersen, Povazhny, A Dryml, (18-40-7-27).
Ht 16: Gollob, Iversen, Kus, A Laguta (joker), (18-43-8-29).
Ht 17: (re-run) Andersen, Gafurov, Miedzinski, L Dryml, (20-44-8-32).
Ht 18: Kolodziej, Klindt, G Laguta, A Dryml, (21-47-8-34).
Ht 19: Hampel, Pedersen, Gizatullin, L Dryml, (22-50-8-36).
Ht 20: Holta, Povazhny, Bjerre, Simota, (24-53-8-37).
Ht 21: Miedzinski, Pedersen, A Laguta, A Dryml, (25-56-8-39).
Ht 22: Kolodziej, Bjerre, Gafurov, Malek, (26-59-8-41).
Ht 23: Hampel, G Laguta, Iversen, Simota, (28-62-8-42).
Ht 24: Holta, Andersen, Gizatullin, Kus (joker), (29-65-8-44).
Ht 25: Gollob, Povazhny, Klindt, L Dryml, (31-68-8-45).

Event one postponed

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 11:23:00 +0200

Following a track inspection and consideration of the local weather forecasts, the FIM Jury has taken the decision to postpone Event One of the FIM PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna Speedway World Cup.

The Jury has decided to restage the meeting at 3pm CET (2pm UK time) tomorrow (Sunday, July 25). All tickets for the clash between Poland, Denmark, Russia and the Czech Republic will be valid for the rearranged meeting.