European Speedway Round-Up (W/E 11th April)

In the week where the Terenzano Grand Prix was cancelled due to the latest issues surround Covid-19, we entered the second weekend of the Polish season where Sparta Wroclaw and Czestochowa both made their 2021 bow on home shale, while GKM Grudziadz and Motor Lublin were seeking to showcase that their apparent weaknesses on paper were simply that of theory and they would be able to spring a surprise this campaign. Let’s see how it all happened…

Zielona Gora 51-39 GKM Grudziadz

Following defeat to newly-promoted Apator Torun last week, Zielona Gora got their season going with victory over a decidedly middle-heavy GKM Grudziadz that saw two-thirds of their team tally scored by just two riders.
In a display that saw all of Piotr Zyto’s top five riders score seven or more points, it was the evergreen Piotr Protasiewicz that top-scored with an impressive 12, ably deputised by the in-form Patryk Dudek with 11+1.

The visitors were well matched to Gora in the early stages and managed to stay level on the scoreboard through six races but eventually, they succumbed to the hosts’ strength in depth, conceding five heat advantages without reply. There was only Nicki Pedersen’s five-win 16-point haul to really shout about, backed up by Przemyslaw Pawlicki with 10, but even this didn’t include a race win or bonus point.

Sparta Wroclaw 51-39 Apator Torun

Potential dark horses for the Championship top spot Sparta Wroclaw opened their campaign with a useful 12-point victory over Apator Torun.
Last season’s semi-finalists have recruited well over the off-season; their top order looks capable of matching any other in the league but points were scored from all positions on their 2021 curtain-raiser. After taking the lead at the end of heat three, Wroclaw never looked in danger of letting it slide and gradually opened up a healthy lead over the course of the meeting. Tai Woffinden continued his impressive form from last season, leading the way with 12+1, while Maciej Janowski (11+1) and debutant Artem Laguta (10+1) also making a double-figure contribution.
As for Torun, they relied heavily upon Robert Lambert (11+1) – once again deployed at number eight – and the Holder brothers for the bulk of their scoring; both Miedzinski and Przedpelski missed the heights of the scoring they posted last time out.

Stal Gorzow 52-38 Motor Lublin

A maximum from Bartosz Zmarzlik, together with a paid maximum for Martin Vaculik (13+2), ensure Stal Gorzow made it two wins from two as they turned over a poor Motor Lublin side.
The hosts led from the third heat onwards but Lublin did well to hang on to Gorzow’s coattails, restricting them to just a two-point lead at the halfway point, following a Michelsen/Laguta 5-1 over Anders Thomsen (11+1) and junior rider Wiktor Jasinski. But this was immediately paid back with interest as, in the last seven heats, Gorzow ran in three maximums of their own without the visitors even registering a heat advantage of any kind. And while their main big hitters bore much of the heavy lifting, credit also goes to Szymon Wozniak, who turned his evening around with back-to-back wins after taking just two points from his opening two rides.
As for Lublin, Mikkel Michelsen will feel he worked overtime for his ten points, having been sent crashing twice, one of which appearing to put him in a lot of discomfort in a first-bend incident with Thomsen. But with just three heat winners all afternoon – one of which from the junior race – it’s clear to see where their issue lay.

Czestochowa 41-49 Unia Leszno

Unia Leszno survived an early scare to get their first victory of the season at Czestochowa, who were riding their first meeting of the season due to last weekend’s postponement due to Covid-19.
Having got off to a flying start and twice opening up a six-point lead, Czestochowa fell victim to the superior power of Unia Leszno’s top order. As the racing line opened up towards mid-track and beyond, Piotr Baron’s side first drew level with the last third of the meeting to go, and then run three heat advantages to end with a convincing winning margin. Emil Sayfutdinov was somewhat off the pace on the evening, only running a single race victory in his seven -point return and not even being nominated for an extra ride in either of the final two heats. With the junior positions likely to remain an issue for Leszno, it fell to the middle order to ensure the win and they didn’t disappoint. Janus Kolodziej continued his flying start to the season with 13+1, while former world champion Jason Doyle and Piotr Pawlicki both also came in with solid double-figure returns.
The hosts scorecard was less attractive to behold however, as outside Leon Madsen’s classy 14-point outing, nobody looked like troubling a meaningful contribution. Jakub Miskowiak did well from the junior position, opening up with a pair of victories, including one over Jason Doyle in his second ride, but he also faded as the meeting went on.

Standings at 11th April 2021

Elsewhere in Europe:
Poland 1 Liga
Lodz 50-40 Unia Tarnow (Brady Kurtz 13; Rohan Tungate 16)
Gdansk 45-45 ROW Rybnik (Wiktor Kulakow 14; Kacper Gomolski 11+1)

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