The pre-Easter afternoon at the speedway in Gdansk belonged to the Swedes. They confidently won the B Final of the European Team Championships and advanced to the Grand Final in Grudziądz (6 April at 14.00). It will also feature the Danes and the Czechs, who proved to be the best in the A Final, held in Pardubice. And, of course, the Poles, who will defend their title.
Our southern neighbours won 33 points at their home arena in Pardubice, which allowed them to overtake the Latvians in a correspondence duel. The Latvians, in turn, scored 31 points in Gdańsk, which was also enough for them to win second place, but they fell a little short to go to the Grand Final.
The rivalry in the Zbigniew Podlecki Stadium was more even than in Pardubice. The Germans did well at the beginning, then the Ukrainians had their good moments, but finally the Latvians woke up and came in second.
The favourites did not disappoint
The Swedes took the top spot with confidence and performed well as favourites. They showed their strength right from the start. Fredrik Lindgren showed a very good side. The world vice-champion scored 10 points in four starts. Jacob Thorssell and Kim Nilsson had one more race each with 12 points. Antonio Lindbaeck and Casper Henriksson also added their own.
– It was not an easy competition. The track was demanding and so were the rivals, but we still managed to collect a lot of points. We can be satisfied with ourselves and we will focus on the Grand Final in the coming days – said Fredrik Lindgren.
The fans in Gdansk were witness to many interesting races. A very solid performance was given by Andžejs Ļebedevs – the winner of 11 points, who, however, did not avoid one serious mistake, notching up a fall.
– I am happy that the season has started, although there is still a lack of training. My head boiled once, but I think it will get better with every training session. We had an interesting fight, the fans could be satisfied. It was nice that the weather was good and our fingers didn’t freeze while riding – concluded Ļebedevs.
Third place went to Germany. It was the country’s representative, Erik Riss, who was the best in the 20th race – the Zbigniew Podlecki Memorial. He was the most successful rider of the team from across the Oder River. He collected nine points in the entire competition. “The talented Norick Blodorn was one point behind.
Ambition cannot be refused to the Ukrainian team, who finished last, but their players were able to win on the Gdansk track. They could also count on a lot of support from the Ukrainian fans. The most successful rider of the informal hosts of the event was Stanislav Melnychuk, who scored 8 points. Marko Levishyn also drove well, although unluckily.
Dominance of Denmark
In Pardubice, on the other hand, the Danes definitely prevailed. They rarely saw the back of their rivals and gave their rivals no chance with 49 points. The Czechs came in second, although they had to work hard to qualify for the Grand Final.
– This was our goal before the competition and we are very happy to have achieved it. It will certainly be an interesting competition in Grudziądz. I already invite everyone to the tournament,” said Vaclav Milik, leader of the Czech national team.
The Norwegians also gave a good account of themselves, keeping pace with the hosts for a long time. The Slovenians, with only three riders, had no chance of competing effectively.
In the Grand Final, which will take place in Grudziądz on 6 April at 2 p.m., we will therefore see the Czech, Danish, Swedish and Polish teams. Tickets can be purchased online at tickets.speedwayevents.pl and at ebilet.pl.
Results
European Team Speedway Championship – Final A – Pardubice
I. Denmark – 49 points
1. Mikkel Michelsen 11 (3,3,2,3,-)
2. Mads Hansen 14 (3,2,3,3,3)
3. Rasmus Jensen 12 (2,3,3,3,1)
4. Anders Thomsen 8 (3,2,-,-,3)
17. Bastian Pedersen 4 (1,1,2)
II. Czech Republic – 33 points
5. Jan Kvech 10 (2,2,2,2,2)
6. Vaclav Milik 12 (3,1,3,3,2,0)
7. Daniel Klima 1 (1,0,-.-,0)
8. Jan Macek 1 (1,-,-,-)
18. Adam Bednar 9 (2,0,2,2,3)
III. Norway – 23 points
9. Matthias Pollestad 12 (2,3,1,3,1,2)
10. Truis Kamhaug 4 (2,1,0,0,1)
11. Glenn Moi 3 (1,0,1,-,1)
12. Lasse Fredriksen 4 (1,1,1,1,t)
IV. Slovenia – 15 points
13. Matic Ivacic 10 (0,3,2,0,2,3)
14. Anze Grmek 5 (0,1,2,1,1)
15. Luka Omerzel 0 (0,0,0,0,0)
16. Brak zawodnika
European Team Speedway Championship – Final B – Gdansk
I. Sweden – 42 points
9. Jacob Thorssell – 12 (3,2,3,3,1)
10. Antonio Lindbaeck – 7 (1,2,2,2,-)
11. Fredrik Lindgren – 10 (3,3,2,2,-)
12. Kim Nilsson – 12 (3,2,2,2,3)
19. Casper Henriksson – 1 (0,1)
II. Latvia – 31 points
1. Andžejs Ļebedevs – 11 (3,0,3,3,w,2)
2. Oļegs Mihailovs – 0 (0,-,0,-,-)
3. Jevgeņijs Kostigovs – 9 (1,1,2,3,2)
4. Daniils Kolodinskis- 8 (1,1,1,3,2)
17. Francis Gusts – 3 (0,3)
III. Germany – 27 points
5. Valentin Grobauer – 4 (2,0,-,2,-)
6. Erik Riss – 9 (2,3,0,1,0,3)
7. Kevin Woelbert – 5 (2,1,1,1,0)
8. Sandro Wassermann – 1 (1,-,-,-,-)
18. Norick Bloedorn – 8 (2,3,1,2,0)
IV. Ukraine – 19 points
13. Marko Lewishyn – 6 (w,3,3,w,ns)
14. Andriy Karpov – 3 (0,1,0,1,1)
15. Stanislav Melnychuk – 8 (2,3,w,0,3)
16. Vitalii Lysak – ns (-,-,-,-,-)
20. Nazar Parnitskyi – 2 (0,d,1,0,1)
