NEWSDESK
EIFFEL
VOLUME 73 NUMBER 7
8 COPPERGATE MEWS, BRIGHTON ROAD,SURBITON,
SURREY,KT6 5NE
EDITORIAL
Telephone: (020) 8335 1113 E-mail: star@pinegen.co.uk Editor: Andrew Skeels Assistant editor: Tony McDonald News and feature writers: Paul Burbidge, Peter Oakes and Phil Lanning Art editor:Mick Smith Production editor: Mark Frankham Front cover design: Jeff Davies
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The 30th year of the Speedway Grand Prix series begins in the City of Love but PHIL LANNING asks: is there still the same affection for the series?
THE punch, wall of death and handbags.
There have certainly been a plethora of talking points during the Speedway Grand Prix series since its inaugural season of 1995.
Arguably there have been no bigger moments than Craig Boyce KO-ing Tomasz Gollob, Tony Rickardsson riding up the fence to win in Cardiff and the chaotic Emil Sayfutdinov and Scott Nicholls slugfest.
But the big question now is: what’s in store for 2024?
The SGP season was officially launched with a bit of je ne sais quoi in Paris last week.
Warner Bros Discovery staged their SGP press and media days in the French capital, host city of this year’s Olympic Games.
It was rather refreshing to see the riders in a dramatic setting and iconic backdrop with an Eiffel Tower meets horsepower vibe.
Yet perhaps the biggest talking point is whether the series over the past few seasons has lacked a bit of vava-voom.
It’s hard to believe we are now entering the 30th year of the Grand Prix.
There’s little doubt it has polarised opinion among purists. Most of us grew up with the old one-off World Final formula, the culmination of knockout rounds including the British Final, Commonwealth Final, Overseas Final and InterContinental Final.
The truth is that Ole Olsen’s GP brainchild has been a resounding success.
It’s far more palatable to the mainstream media to understand a Grand Prix series in line with other motorsports. No matter how many of us look back on the ‘good ol’ days’ with fondness, the racing is consistently better now, as are the venues and big occasions.
There have been plenty of highlights. As well as the aforementioned, there’s also been Billy Hamill’s breathtaking last-gasp title win of 1996, Jason Crump flopping to the ground after finally winning in 2004, the sea of Union Jacks as Chris Harris snatched victory on home shale, the Sam Masters flying fists of Melbourne and the sheer drama of Tai Woffinden’s run to the title in 2013.
The racing has been off the scale at times. Gollob's unbelievable last corner pass of Jimmy Nilsen at Wroclaw in 1999 and Mark Loram's sensational wild card final win in Linkoping, also in 1999. And
PPoles reign in Europe
OLAND began the season in dominant style by comfortably retaining the European Team Championship on home soil in Saturday’s final at Grudziadz.
The rampant Poles won 13 of the 20 heats to finish 16 points clear of Denmark, with Sweden – who didn’t provide a single race winner – 31 adrift of the hosts.
Dane Anders Thomsen and Swede Fredrik Lindgren.
Patryk Dudek was Poland’s top scorer, dropping just one point from his five rides, while Birmingham’s Piotr Pawlicki matched Zmarzlik’s total of 13. His brother Przemyslaw Pawlicki tallied 10, while reserve Wiktor Przyjemski added one point.
As expected, Czech Republic were a distant fourth, although Birmingham’s Vaclav Milik did at least manage to grab their only race victory in the four-team tournament format.
World Champion Bartosz Zmarzlik dropped his only points in his third ride, finishing well behind
It’s Poland’s third consecutive triumph in this competition, having won both of the previous two finals, at home in Poznan in 2022 and in Stralsund, Germany last year.
Report and riders’ scorechart from Grudziadz on page 43.
2 speedway star April 13,2024
