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the same because we have allocations – places in the Speedway GP qualification rounds. If the federation nominates them, they can start.
“This is nothing illegal and everything is being done according to the regulations and rules. If we all want to find a way to bring them back into the GPs, maybe we can.”
It’s unclear whether both Laguta and Sayfutdinov would get a place in the SGP qualifiers in the same season if they opted to race on Croatian licences. But Pavlic is certain she could accommodate at least one.
“Croatia can get at least one place without a problem,” she said. “The number of places is always decided by how many riders you have in total. But every country and national the league Pirates departed at the end of 2019, Ford insisted: “I have made it abundantly clear that until the Premiership will allow our club to ride on a Wednesday, we will not be going back up. We are quite happy where we are. This is working perfectly.
“You saw the crowd for the Grand Final. There isn’t a Premiership crowd like that. None of them get crowds like that.
“We rode on a Thursday for one year and our crowds dropped by 22 per cent – and we were champions at the time. It’s not happening again. Only fools want to give their money away and I don’t class myself as a fool.”
Ford may not give his money away, but he nearly saw a second straight Championship crown slip from Pirates’ grasp as Oxford put up a huge fight, leading the tie by 14 points after the opening race in Dorset.
federation has the right to at least one spot in every qualification. The FIM would never say zero if you ask for one.”
Even if the triple Speedway of Nations world champions were licensed by the HMS, Pavlic says they may have to race with the Polish flag on their chest, with the Russian one banned and competing with no flag or as stateless athletes not an option under FIM rules.
She said: “Everybody confuses your flag and your federation. They cannot start under the Croatian flag – they need a passport for that, so that’s not an option.
“You can change your federation every year if you want to – it could be whichever federation is closest to the rider or the one from the country they live in. If the federation is willing to nominate the rider for the different championships, then that’s okay.
“I am not sure if they want to race with the Polish flag. Everybody talks about them racing with a neutral flag but I don’t see any legal option for them to get a neutral flag.”
One huge stumbling block to Laguta and Sayfutdinov switching to HMS is the fact that they race in Poland’s PGE Ekstraliga as Polish-licensed riders.
With each club forced to pick two Polish seniors in their starting line-up, the pair are far more valuable to teams as Poles. As two of the best in a relatively small group of riders, the laws of supply and demand dictate that both men would potentially command more lucrative contracts as Poles than if they raced as
“It was honestly one of the hardest finals,” Ford said. “I know it sounds strange because you would think riding in the Elite League, or Premiership as it now is, would be tougher. But it isn’t. It doesn’t matter what level of the sport it is; if you find yourself in any final, it’s incredibly tough.
“Oxford were really in the ascendancy after the first leg. To be honest, I almost thought about not coming over. I thought it was a done deal. But then I saw the weather was changing and I only booked a flight on the Tuesday morning. I’m so happy I came across and witnessed this spectacle – an absolutely incredible meeting by two great teams.
“That’s trophy No. 30 for Neil Middleditch and I and No. 7 for Dan since he has been here. One incredible stat is that since we’ve been in this league, in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 there have been 10 finals and we have been
WHAT’S ON
FIXTURES: OCTOBER
international riders.
Pavlic knows this is a consideration for the riders and their clubs, who are limited to just two international seniors. Wroclaw already boast Dan Bewley and are rumoured to be signing Brady Kurtz, while Torun have Robert Lambert and Mikkel Michelsen lined up for 2025.
“We always said everybody would think of their clubs first to protect their position and contract,” Pavlic said. “For them, the Polish league is No. 1 and I can understand that. It’s never an option to make problems there.
“We need to respect the PZM and the PGE Ekstraliga because they have built something that nobody else has. We cannot disrespect any of the people involved.
“If you make them choose between the league and the GP, which may happen in 2026, the league is somewhere you make your living and earn money for your family and that’s tough. I understand that.
“But does that mean we should lose quality and prestige in Speedway GP and have riders choosing something else over the World Championship? I don’t think we can allow that either.”
Pavlic’s very public offer of a solution to the SGP outcasts is a brave one in a hostile political climate, which has seen the Polish in all 10.
“What a legacy Dan is bringing to this club. I am proud of him and everyone connected with Poole Speedway – the people who help us financially and make it all possible. I’m very happy.”
When Pirates made a lastminute swoop for Brennan, forcing them to drop Anders Rowe and Kyle Newman from their plans, they had to look for a 4.00 rider to fill the gap in the side.
Ford took advantage of a little-known rule to bring in Danish star Tobias Thomsen – the fact he only raced in Denmark’s second tier gave him a 4.00 assessed figure rather than the usual 5.00 for Super League riders.
“Occasionally people can miss a trick,” Ford said. “There was a rule and it was open to us all, allowing us to take any of the guys from the Danish second division on a four-
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17 Oxford v Poole (Championship KO Cup Final) 7.30 pm federation take a hardline stance on keeping the two riders off the world stage.
Despite her role as a jury president at FIM events and a key member of the FIM Track Racing Commission, Pavlic admirably refuses to remain silent when it comes to supporting two stars of the sport.
“I’m not thinking about positions, titles or money,” she said. “For me, it’s just about speedway. I will always stand by their side, even when it is controversial or nobody else would speak up.
“We need to take care of our riders – otherwise we will lose them. It’s really easy to lose them. I watch my brother (Jurica Pavlic) practice and Matej Zagar comes here too. He hasn’t raced anything other than our
GP this year.
“It’s easy for them to say they’ve had enough. But we need to fight for each of these speedway riders. They are a rare species.”
Artem Laguta point average.
“Tobi hadn’t really achieved anything here before. He was really not very good at Birmingham in 2019. But people hadn’t noticed his improvement, so we picked him up on a 4.00 average. When it came to it, that aggression was there – he’s like a Viking. He was just awesome.”
While Ford enjoyed another night of celebration, he did spare a thought for Oxford reserve Luke Killeen and admits his withdrawal from the second leg due to concussion cost Cheetahs dearly.
He said: “One reason we won this final was the injury to Luke. I think he’s an exceptionally good young rider and he was awesome at their place. He was great here last time too.
“If he had ridden the whole match fit, it could well have been a different result. I am a realist about these things. Luke’s absence for them played a part.”
Report: PAUL BURBIDGE
October 19, 2024 speedway star 3
