Speedway World Cup: Australians got off to a flying start and clinched the title

In speedway, getting off to a good start is often half the battle, and that’s exactly how the Australians began the World Cup final in Warsaw: the team from the fifth continent won the first four heats in convincing fashion, going into the race undefeated. With twelve points after the first heat, the Aussies had twice as many points on the board as hosts Poland. In the second heat, the Australians conceded points for the first time, and only Ryan Douglas – who slotted seamlessly into the team in place of the injured Jack Holder – won a heat for the Aussies. Nevertheless, they managed to extend their lead to eight points.

Denmark’s and Poland’s ‘three-man teams’ closed the gap

In the remaining heats, the evening’s racing at the PGE Narodowy Stadium proved more evenly matched, and the Danes in particular – who, as in the qualifying round in Riga, had botched the first heat – worked their way up to the top. After the second heat, the Poles took Maciej Janowski and Dominik Kubera out of the race and brought on Bartosz Zmarzlik as a tactical reserve and Kacper Woryna from the reserve position instead, meaning the home side competed with just three riders in the final 12 heats. By the end of the first four heats, the Danes were just four points behind the Aussies, and after the 17th heat of the evening – which Kacper Woryna won ahead of Leon Madsen and Ryan Douglas – the field had closed in even further. Denmark closed the gap on Australia to just three points, whilst Poland’s deficit to the top was now only five points.

Bartosz Zmarzlik (li.) gegen Mikkel Michelsen, der zu Boden ging

Foto: jarek pabijan

Heated Heat 18: Boos for Mikkel Michelsen

The 18th heat proved decisive: Max Fricke had led the heat, whilst Zmarzlik, in third place, attempted to overtake the Dane Mikkel Michelsen. At the start of the third lap, Michelsen left a gap for the Pole; Zmarzlik overtook him on the inside and the Dane went down without any contact. Michelsen reacted emotionally and even tried to storm into the paddock, which earned him boos from the spectators – he was rightly excluded from the re-run for causing the interruption. This effectively ended the Danes’ title hopes, whilst Zmarzlik was once again presented with the chance to close the gap on the Australians. Fricke, however, showed nerves of steel, taking the lead of the field in the re-run as well and thus effectively sealing the title in favour of the Australians. Brady Kurtz sealed the title in the 19th heat, when he scored two more points and put the Australians out of reach at the top of the standings. In the final heat of the day, the Danes secured the silver medal ahead of Poland despite Michael Jepsen Jensen scoring zero points, as Kacper Woryna also managed just one point.

For the British team, only Robert Lambert – who rode in six heats – managed to score points consistently, meaning they missed out on the podium by six points.

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Speedway World Cup results, Warsaw/PL:

Kacper Woryna stürzte einmal hollywoodreif

Foto: jarek pabijan