U19 European Speedway Championships, Krško: Germany celebrates Patrick Hyjek’s bronze

In the U19 European Championship, two Germans – Janek Konzack and Patrick Hyjek – had originally secured their places in the final. After Konzack broke his collarbone during a league race in Landshut, Germany was left with just one rider still in contention: Hyjek.

The 19-year-old won the first heat, thereby laying a solid foundation for the rest of the competition. After dropping points in his second and third heats against Kevin Malkiewicz and Bartosz Banbor – who would eventually finish ahead of him – he secured another victory in the fourth heat, which earned him ten points in the interim standings.

With his points tally, Hyjek was tied with Maksymilian Pawelczak in third place behind Malkiewicz (12 points) and Banbor (11), opening up the chance to secure a medal in a head-to-head battle with Pawelczak in the 17th heat. Right from the start, Hyjek took the lead in the decisive heat. Pawelczak had to fend off several attacks from the British rider Cooper Rushen, but lost control of his motorbike at the start of the third lap and crashed. The Pole was disqualified, and in the re-run Hyjek managed to score two points, which meant a total of twelve points and the European Championship bronze medal.

Results of the U19 European Speedway Championships, Krško, Slovenia: