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VOLUME 73 NUMBER 29 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 CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions manager: Dave Fairbrother Telephone: (020) 8335 1113 (9 am-2.30 pm) E-mail: subs@pinegen.co.uk Or visit www.speedwaystar.net and click on the subscriptions link. SUBSCRIPTION RATES UK (52 issues): ......................................£128 UK (26 issues): ........................................£65 UK (13 issues): ........................................£33 EUROPE (52 issues): ............................£144 EUROPE (26 issues): ..............................£74 USA (52 issues):....................................£164 USA (26 issues):......................................£84 REST OF WORLD (52 issues) ................£174 REST OF WORLD (26 issues): ..................£89 DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS www.exacteditions.com/speedwaystar ADVERTISING Advertising manager: Mick Hooker Office: 01279 771125 Mobile: 07957 814639 E-mail: coveadv@gmail.com ACCOUNTS Accounts manager: Marina Abbott Telephone: (020) 8335 1104 E-mail: accounts@pinegen.co.uk Speedway Star is published by the proprietors Pinegen Limited. Printed by: Warners Midlands PLC Printers Distributed by: Seymour Distribution Ltd., 2 East Poultry Avenue, London EC1A 9PT. Registered at the Post Office as a newspaper © copyright 2024 Pinegen Limited 2 speedway star September 14, 2024 NEWSDESK DANISH racer Mikkel Michelsen’s 2024 season is over as he faces surgery after suffering a catalogue of injuries at the OlyBet FIM Speedway GP of Latvia – Riga last Saturday. Michelsen produced a fine first turn in Heat 4 and looked set to round World Champion Bartosz Zmarzlik but lifted fractionally with the pair in close proximity. The Pole locked up and, on an unforgiving Riga track, he ploughed the European Champion into the fence. The horrifying crash involving Mikkel Michelsen and Bartosz Zmarzlik at Riga that ended the Dane’s 2024 season. Picture: JAREK PABIJAN The Slangerup and Czestochowa star was taken to hospital for checks before being relocated to a hospital near Katowice – closer to his Rybnik base. Posting on his official Facebook page on Tuesday morning, Michelsen’s team confirmed he will miss the final two rounds, in Vojens on Saturday and Torun on September 28, and he was due to undergo surgery as Speedway Star went to press on Tuesday morning. The team’s post read: “On behalf of Mikkel Michelsen Racing, we would like to first of all apologise for the lack of information regarding Mikkel’s injuries. It has been a few hectic days since the accident in Riga, getting back to Poland and determining the extent of the injuries. “Second; we would like to send our sincere gratefulness for all the concerns and get-well messages, as it means a lot in these difficult times. “Regrettably, we must confirm that Mikkel’s racing season has come to an early conclusion. He has sustained significant injuries to his right shoulder that require immediate surgical EUROPEAN U19 CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINAL: GÜSTROW SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 SCUNTHORPE’S Luke Harrison has qualified for his first major European Final at senior level. Harrison scored a well-earned nine points in the FIM European Under-19 semi-final in Gustrow, Germany on Saturday, which included two race wins. Harrison, who has previously competed in European finals at 125cc and 250cc levels, joins Oxford’s Luke Killeen in the European U19 Final which also takes place in Germany, at Herxheim, on October 3. Another Oxford youngster, Ashton Boughen, also hopes to be part of the event after he qualified as first reserve from Pila. Britain’s other representative in Gustrow, Redcar’s Ben Trigger, scored three points but gained invaluable experience. Denmark’s Bastian Pedersen won the qualifier. He dropped his only point to Oskar Paluch but as Paluch himself was beaten by fellow Pole Kacper Halkiewicz, a run-off was required to decide the overall winner. In the run-off, it was Pedersen who got the better of Paluch. Third place on the podium went to Adam Bednar, who scored 11 points despite a fall in his first ride. Scorers: Bastian Pedersen (Denmark) 14+3, Oskar Paluch (Poland) 14+2, Adam Bednar (Czech Republic) 11, Sammy van Dyck (Sweden) 11, Kacper Halkiewicz (Poland) 11, Luke Harrison (Great Britain) 9, William Drejer (Denmark) 8 (all qualify). Jan Jenicek (Czech Republic) 7+3, Ben Iken (Germany) 7+2, Alfred Aberg (Sweden) 7+1, Tino Bouin (France) 6, Rasmus Karlsson (Sweden) 5, Hannah Grunwald (Germany) 4, Ben Trigger (Great Britain) 3, Otto Raak (Finland) 2, Magnus Klipper (Norway) 1, Magnus Rau (Germany, reserve) 0. Report: CHRISTIAN WEBER MICHELSEN intervention, potentially within the next 24 hours. “Additionally, Mikkel has suffered severe damage to his humerus and a fractured elbow, which we are hopeful will heal naturally. There is also damage to his right foot, which will be addressed after his shoulder surgery. “Mikkel is currently receiving excellent care at Klinika Nieborowice (near Katowice), in the expert hands of Dr Krzysztof Onaczyszyn and Dr Henryk Noga. We extend our deepest gratitude to them and the entire medical team for their professionalism and support.” Michelsen is set to be replaced in the final two rounds by SGP third substitute Kim Nilsson of Sweden. His early exit in Riga leaves him fifth in the standings on 101 points and opens the door to Britain’s Dan Bewley (sixth on 100) and Australia’s Jack Holder (seventh on 95) to overhaul Michelsen. It means he will almost certainly need a permanent wild card to retain his SGP status for 2025. But having raced to victory at Landshut and reached two more finals, in Gorzow and Wroclaw, Michelsen has never had a better case to retain his SGP spot. Danish fans will also be sweating over 2023 Vojens winner Leon Madsen, who suffered a heavy knock to the head when he crashed in Heat 18 in Riga last Saturday, casting doubts over his appearance in his home event on Saturday. If he is also absent, Danish star Rasmus Jensen is waiting in the wings to replace him as fourth reserve – joining wild card Anders Thomsen in flying the home flag. Report: PAUL BURBIDGE Masters...back on! THE 2024 Grasstrack Masters Championship will be raced after all. The dramatic news broken by the ACU on Monday comes after one of the sport’s former elite clubs, Wimborne MCC, stepped out of the shadows, with an offer to stage their first race meeting for six years on Sunday, October 20. The sport’s governing body confirmed former promoter of the Sidecar Supercup, Paul Miller, has come on board to assist Wimborne in their bid to revive the club and so stage the Masters. Merley Hall Farm, Corfe Mullen, will be the setting for the action, so evoking memories of the 2015 finals where James Shanes and Colin Blackbourn/Carl Pugh took the respective solo and sidecar honours. We will have more on this developing story in next week’s issue. Report: JON BATHAM
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N OUT n CHRIS Morton (above) was hoping to get the go-ahead to fly home from Poland on Tuesday afternoon He had been barred from flying for 10 days as he recovered from an emergency hernia operation at the end of his 14-day European bike ride for the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund. He felt a plain in his groin while waiting to complete a lap of the Olympic Stadium track before the Wroclaw Grand Prix last month. On Monday, he said: “I’m hopefully coming home tomorrow, I’m going to the hospital to see the doctor and if I am cleared to fly, I will get a flight to Liverpool. “The op has gone well and I will be okay. It was just the last hour before doing a lap of the track that it all started to go wrong, up to then I’d had no indication whatsoever. “I never felt anything at all during the ride from Cardiff to Wroclaw. I don’t want to dwell on it, but I didn’t feel it on the ride. To be fair the hospital and everyone has been great, and my recovery has been straightforward, but it will be good to get home.” • Agony and Ecstasy – turn to pages 24-25. Bartek bounces back B ARTOSZ Zmarzlik is almost “king of the castle” once again after a fascinating Grand Prix of Latvia. The reigning World Champion bravely picked himself up from a horrific opening race second bend pile-up with Mikkel Michelsen to win in Riga. Zmarzlik stretched his lead at the top of the standings to 17 points, ahead of runner-up on the night Freddie Lindgren. Another big performance in Vojens on Saturday and he will wrap up title number five. However, it could have been such a different story for the powerhouse Pole on another night of high SGP drama. Zmarzlik was shoulder to shoulder with Michelsen as they exited the second bend when they smashed together in a horrid melee of men and machines. The Dane smashed off the fence at high speed and took no further part after being taken off by ambulance with a suspected broken collarbone. It was a very tough call for Danish referee Jesper Steentoft. Zmarzlik rode a brutally hard second bend to try and push Michelsen wide. As he did that, the Dane was trying to resist the move and leant across to keep his racing line as they became entangled. Steentoft excluded Michelsen and Zmarzlik finished third in the re-run. But that point was pivotal to him securing a semi-final place – and ultimate victory. If not for that moment and his nerves of steel to win his final qualifying ride, the title race could have been wide open with Lindgren and Robert Lambert breathing down his neck. But now the Pole is in position to be crowned yet again in Denmark on Saturday night. Four-time champ Greg Hancock admitted: “Watching that first heat and what Bartek did was horrific. You could see in the restart, he wasn’t himself. “The way he composed himself, got back into it and won so dominantly in the end. It just raises the question for me: has he really been challenged all year like this? Or is this just kind of a moment to show everybody ‘I’m here to play ball’. “He might have some issues. But you can see this guy, he really gets flustered there. It was a big hit. But he came back at them like it was no big deal. “The guy knows what he wants. Obviously swapping engines, he knew that was right for this track. Those guys probably worked their butts off tonight. “The guy was dominant. You’ve got to feel the energy and the inspiration he can build throughout the night. Hats off to the dude. No wonder he’s already the world champ four times. “It’s getting closer and closer and Bartek has really established himself now and said: ‘I’m the king of the castle here. If you guys want it, you are going to have to offer a little bit more’. “Vojens is going to be a big one for these guys. Theoretically, Bartek could nail it there if he has another night like tonight.” Report: PHIL LANNING WHAT’S ON FIXTURES: SEPTEMBER 12-23 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 Leicester v Ipswich (Premiership Play-Off semi-final) 7.30 pm Sheffield v Belle Vue (National Development League) 7.30 pm FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 Scunthorpe v Oxford (Championship Play-Off semi-final) 7.30 pm Edinburgh v Scunthorpe/Sheffield 7.00 pm (National Development League) followed by Edinburgh v Belle Vue (National Development League) SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 Workington v Poole (Championship Play-Off semi-final) 3.00 pm Edinburgh: British Youth Championships 1.30pm SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 Redcar: Championship League Riders’ Championship 3.00 pm Glasgow: British Youth Championships 2.00 pm MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 Belle Vue v Sheffield (Premiership Play-Off semi-final) 7.30 pm THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 Sheffield v Belle Vue (Premiership Play-Off semi-final) 7.30 pm FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 Edinburgh v Leicester (National Development League) 7.30 pm SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 Oxford: British Under-19 Championship 3.00 pm Iwade: Eastbourne v Thurrock (Challenge)12.00 pm MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 TBC v TBC (Premiership Grand Final, 1st leg) TV TIMES TV TIMES Compiled BY PHIL LANNING THERE are six HUGE meetings in five days on Eurosport and BSN, with the destiny of the World Championship, Premiership, Championship and Riders’ title all at stake on your screens. It starts on Thursday night with Eurosport’s coverage of the Leicester v Ipswich top-flight play-off semi-final, second leg, swiftly followed by the Scunthorpe v Oxford second tier play-off decider on BSN. On Saturday it’s the second leg of the other Championship semi between Workington and Poole. Then, on Eurosport, all eyes shift to Vojens for the potentially decisive 10th GP of the season and Bartosz Zmarzlik’s bid to clinch his fifth world title. Less than a day later, BSN cover the CLRC at Redcar, where Charles Wright will defend his crown on home soil. Then comes the first leg of the Belle Vue v Sheffield play-off semi at the National Speedway Stadium. LIVE SPEEDWAY THIS WEEK EUROSPORT/DISCOVERY+ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14: Deluxe Homeart FIM Grand Prix of Denmark, Vojens, 5.55 pm. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12: Leicester v Ipswich, ROWE Motor Oil Premiership Play-Off, Semi-Final, 2nd Leg, 7.30 pm. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16: Belle Vue v Sheffield, ROWE Motor Oil Premiership Play-Off, Semi-Final, 1st Leg, 7.30 pm. BRITISH SPEEDWAY NETWORK (watch.britishspeedway.co.uk) FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13: Scunthorpe v Oxford, Cab Direct Championship Play-Off, Semi-Final, 2nd Leg, 7 pm. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14: Workington v Poole, Cab Direct Championship Play-Off, Semi-Final, 2nd leg, 2.30pm. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15: Championship League Riders’ Championship, Redcar, 2.30 pm. CLUB STREAMINGS BERWICK: tv.berwickspeedway.com BIRMINGHAM: https://www.brummies.tv EDINBURGH: www.edinburghmonarchs.co.uk/live-stream LEICESTER: www.leicesterspeedway.com/ Home/LionsTV OXFORD: https://livestream.oxfordspeedway.club PLYMOUTH: plymouth-speedway.com/live-streaming POOLE: livestream.poole-speedway.com REDCAR: www.redcar-speedway.com SCUNTHORPE: tv.scunthorpe-speedway.com Au-

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N OUT

n CHRIS Morton (above) was hoping to get the go-ahead to fly home from Poland on Tuesday afternoon

He had been barred from flying for 10 days as he recovered from an emergency hernia operation at the end of his 14-day European bike ride for the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund.

He felt a plain in his groin while waiting to complete a lap of the Olympic Stadium track before the Wroclaw Grand Prix last month.

On Monday, he said: “I’m hopefully coming home tomorrow, I’m going to the hospital to see the doctor and if I am cleared to fly, I will get a flight to Liverpool.

“The op has gone well and I will be okay. It was just the last hour before doing a lap of the track that it all started to go wrong, up to then I’d had no indication whatsoever.

“I never felt anything at all during the ride from Cardiff to Wroclaw. I don’t want to dwell on it, but I didn’t feel it on the ride. To be fair the hospital and everyone has been great, and my recovery has been straightforward, but it will be good to get home.”

• Agony and Ecstasy – turn to pages 24-25.

Bartek bounces back B

ARTOSZ Zmarzlik is almost “king of the castle” once again after a fascinating Grand Prix of Latvia.

The reigning World Champion bravely picked himself up from a horrific opening race second bend pile-up with Mikkel Michelsen to win in Riga.

Zmarzlik stretched his lead at the top of the standings to 17 points, ahead of runner-up on the night Freddie Lindgren. Another big performance in Vojens on Saturday and he will wrap up title number five.

However, it could have been such a different story for the powerhouse Pole on another night of high SGP drama.

Zmarzlik was shoulder to shoulder with Michelsen as they exited the second bend when they smashed together in a horrid melee of men and machines.

The Dane smashed off the fence at high speed and took no further part after being taken off by ambulance with a suspected broken collarbone.

It was a very tough call for Danish referee Jesper Steentoft. Zmarzlik rode a brutally hard second bend to try and push Michelsen wide. As he did that, the Dane was trying to resist the move and leant across to keep his racing line as they became entangled.

Steentoft excluded Michelsen and Zmarzlik finished third in the re-run. But that point was pivotal to him securing a semi-final place – and ultimate victory.

If not for that moment and his nerves of steel to win his final qualifying ride, the title race could have been wide open with Lindgren and Robert Lambert breathing down his neck.

But now the Pole is in position to be crowned yet again in Denmark on Saturday night.

Four-time champ Greg Hancock admitted: “Watching that first heat and what Bartek did was horrific. You could see in the restart, he wasn’t himself.

“The way he composed himself, got back into it and won so dominantly in the end. It just raises the question for me: has he really been challenged all year like this? Or is this just kind of a moment to show everybody ‘I’m here to play ball’.

“He might have some issues. But you can see this guy, he really gets flustered there. It was a big hit. But he came back at them like it was no big deal.

“The guy knows what he wants. Obviously swapping engines, he knew that was right for this track. Those guys probably worked their butts off tonight.

“The guy was dominant. You’ve got to feel the energy and the inspiration he can build throughout the night. Hats off to the dude. No wonder he’s already the world champ four times.

“It’s getting closer and closer and Bartek has really established himself now and said: ‘I’m the king of the castle here. If you guys want it, you are going to have to offer a little bit more’.

“Vojens is going to be a big one for these guys. Theoretically, Bartek could nail it there if he has another night like tonight.”

Report: PHIL LANNING

WHAT’S ON

FIXTURES: SEPTEMBER 12-23

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 Leicester v Ipswich (Premiership Play-Off semi-final) 7.30 pm Sheffield v Belle Vue (National Development League) 7.30 pm FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 Scunthorpe v Oxford (Championship Play-Off semi-final) 7.30 pm Edinburgh v Scunthorpe/Sheffield 7.00 pm (National Development League) followed by Edinburgh v Belle Vue (National Development League) SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 Workington v Poole (Championship Play-Off semi-final) 3.00 pm Edinburgh: British Youth Championships 1.30pm SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 Redcar: Championship League Riders’ Championship 3.00 pm Glasgow: British Youth Championships 2.00 pm MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 Belle Vue v Sheffield (Premiership Play-Off semi-final) 7.30 pm THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 Sheffield v Belle Vue (Premiership Play-Off semi-final) 7.30 pm FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 Edinburgh v Leicester (National Development League) 7.30 pm SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 Oxford: British Under-19 Championship 3.00 pm Iwade: Eastbourne v Thurrock (Challenge)12.00 pm MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 TBC v TBC (Premiership Grand Final, 1st leg)

TV TIMES TV TIMES

Compiled BY PHIL LANNING

THERE are six HUGE meetings in five days on Eurosport and BSN, with the destiny of the World Championship, Premiership, Championship and Riders’ title all at stake on your screens.

It starts on Thursday night with Eurosport’s coverage of the Leicester v Ipswich top-flight play-off semi-final, second leg, swiftly followed by the Scunthorpe v Oxford second tier play-off decider on BSN.

On Saturday it’s the second leg of the other Championship semi between Workington and Poole. Then, on Eurosport, all eyes shift to Vojens for the potentially decisive 10th GP of the season and Bartosz Zmarzlik’s bid to clinch his fifth world title.

Less than a day later, BSN cover the CLRC at Redcar, where Charles Wright will defend his crown on home soil.

Then comes the first leg of the Belle Vue v Sheffield play-off semi at the National Speedway Stadium.

LIVE SPEEDWAY THIS WEEK EUROSPORT/DISCOVERY+ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14: Deluxe Homeart FIM Grand Prix of Denmark, Vojens, 5.55 pm. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12: Leicester v Ipswich, ROWE Motor Oil Premiership Play-Off, Semi-Final, 2nd Leg, 7.30 pm. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16: Belle Vue v Sheffield, ROWE Motor Oil Premiership Play-Off, Semi-Final, 1st Leg, 7.30 pm. BRITISH SPEEDWAY NETWORK (watch.britishspeedway.co.uk) FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13: Scunthorpe v Oxford, Cab Direct Championship Play-Off, Semi-Final, 2nd Leg, 7 pm. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14: Workington v Poole, Cab Direct Championship Play-Off, Semi-Final, 2nd leg, 2.30pm. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15: Championship League Riders’ Championship, Redcar, 2.30 pm. CLUB STREAMINGS BERWICK: tv.berwickspeedway.com BIRMINGHAM: https://www.brummies.tv EDINBURGH: www.edinburghmonarchs.co.uk/live-stream LEICESTER: www.leicesterspeedway.com/ Home/LionsTV OXFORD: https://livestream.oxfordspeedway.club PLYMOUTH: plymouth-speedway.com/live-streaming POOLE: livestream.poole-speedway.com REDCAR: www.redcar-speedway.com SCUNTHORPE: tv.scunthorpe-speedway.com

Au-

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