European Speedway Championship, Güstrow: Maciej Janowski secures victory with a sensational start

In the second final race of the Speedway European Championship in Güstrow, the heats were incredibly close, and ultimately the difference between direct qualification for the final and missing out on the Last Chance Heat was just two points. Jan Kvech and Michael Jepsen Jensen made it straight through to the final with just eleven points; in Grünberg (Zielona Góra), such a haul was only enough for the last-chance heat. Jepsen Jensen had emphasised in a TV interview that the track in Güstrow was not one of his favourites, but apart from a zero-point finish in the first heat, the Dane consistently scored points and thus earned his place in the final.

From a German perspective, hopes rested on Kai Huckenbeck, who had secured a strong position after the first final in Grünberg. With a victory, the German got off to a perfect start. In his second heat, the rider from Werl got off to a poor start from the tricky blue starting position, but managed to score two points with a strong first corner. From the third heat onwards, things did not go well for Huckenbeck, who was completely knocked off course in the first corner of the ninth heat and fell back. In the fourth heat, Huckenbeck fell back again in the first corner, but still managed to fight his way up to third place. With two points in the final race behind Maciej Janowski, the 33-year-old limited the damage and remains within striking distance of the podium places in the overall standings, as the leading group is closely bunched following the race in Güstrow.

Last-chance heat: Last year’s winner Madsen out

The Last-Chance Heat brought the evening’s racing to an end for Leon Madsen on his 38th birthday, as he failed to get past Kacper Woryna and Maciej Janowski – who got off to a better start – from the blue starting position.

What Madsen failed to achieve in the Last-Chance Heat, Janowski managed in the final: the Pole had to make do with the blue starting position – from which only one victory had been secured in the previous heats – and made the most of it. He shot out of the gates at the start and led until the final was abandoned following a crash by Kacper Woryna. Woryna, who had touched the barrier and crashed after hitting a bump in the final bend, was excluded from the re-run, and the final was restarted with three riders.

Janwoski repeated his sensational start and, over the four laps, skilfully fended off all the attacks from the tenacious Jan Kvech to secure his first victory in a European Championship final. “The set-up was very important in Güstrow because all the riders are competing at a very high level here,” emphasised the Red Bull rider. “We made a mistake in the third heat and learnt from it.”

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Haupt puts in a strong performance against the European elite

Tyler Haupt made quite an impression on his European Championship debut. The remarkable 16-year-old left two Grand Prix riders – Patryk Dudek and Andzejs Lebedevs – behind him in his first race and picked up another point against Nazar Parnitskyi, who, as U21 world champion, also competes in the Grand Prix. With four points, Roberto Haupt’s son put in a very respectable performance and raised high hopes for the future.

Results of the European Speedway Championships, Güstrow, Germany: