FIM SPEEDWAY OF NATIONS FINAL IN MANCHESTER SATURDAY & SUNDAY

Photo credit: Taylor Lanning

LAMBERT:  LIONS FANS CAN ROAR US TO VICTORY…

Great Britain racer Robert Lambert believes the British fans will provide the home advantage as the Lions go for gold at the Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Final in Manchester on Saturday and Sunday.

The Brits face Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, Latvia and France in the world championship pairs event – the sport’s ultimate test of team riding.

All seven countries face off over 21 heats on Saturday and 21 heats on Sunday, with the top-scoring team over 42 races advancing to the Grand Final, with the second and third-placed sides meeting in the Grand Final Qualifier. The winners make it into the Grand Final, where two nations will battle it out over four laps for the Monster Energy SON world title.

Former European champion Lambert teams up with triple world champion Tai Woffinden and 2021 British Under-21 champion Tom Brennan this weekend.

The Lions are among the favourites for gold in one of the most open Finals since the Monster Energy SON was launched in 2018.

While they will race on their home track at Manchester’s National Speedway Stadium, Lambert admits the roar of the Lions fans will be their true home advantage as they seek the country’s first world team title since 1989.

 He said: “I think the advantage will come from the crowd cheering us on. It’s a nice feeling to have. Everyone at this level is fairly set up with the bikes, so I don’t think there will be much of a home-track advantage. But having this Final in the UK and having the fans behind us will definitely give us that extra boost. 

“It’s obviously going to be tough. The countries will all be fighting each other and they won’t just be looking at us; they’ll be looking at every other team as well. It’s an open field, but if we give everything we can, I am sure we can do well. We have the best opportunity we have had in a while. That’s a positive thing. We just need to work it to our advantage.”

The Brits take on a Polish team featuring double world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik, world No.4 Maciej Janowski and FIM Speedway Under-21 world champion Jakub Miskowiak. The Danes include 2021 European champion Mikkel Michelsen and former world No.2 Leon Madsen, while the Australian side features 2017 world champion Jason Doyle and double Aussie champion Max Fricke.

The Swedish challenge is led by Pontus Aspgren and Jacob Thorssell, while France and Latvia line up in their first-ever world finals.

The Latvians track former European champion Andzejs Lebedevs and 2020 World Under-21 bronze medallist Olegs Mihailovs, while the French side features Speedway European Championship regular David Bellego and former World Long Track champion Dimitri Berge.

Lambert knows it will be no easy task for the Brits as they chase their first world team title since they won the 1989 World Team Cup Final at Bradford.

He said: “You can be very optimistic and say it could be the year, but we just need to see what happens. It’s a two-day event and there’s a lot that can happen – a lot of things can go right and a lot of things can go wrong as well.

“We are all looking good in the build-up to it. We are all feeling good in ourselves. There are no injuries in the camp this year. We are all fighting fit and feeling ready for it. As long as that stays the case, I don’t see why we can’t go all the way.”

Woffinden and Lambert came within four laps of gold at the 2018 Monster Energy SON Final in Wroclaw, Poland, as Russia defeated them in the Grand Final, despite GB topping the score chart over two days.

But that disappointment only makes Lambert more determined to make sure the Lions peak at the vital moment this weekend.

He said: “We know it’s all on the last race and we just need to build up to that. As long as we can build up a good performance beforehand and finish strong, that’s the key.”

Tickets for both days of the Monster Energy SON Final are sold out. For more information about travel to the event and the Final format and rules, click here: https://bit.ly/3p3ZX9M.

MONSTER ENERGY FIM SPEEDWAY OF NATIONS FINAL LINE-UPS:

GREAT BRITAIN: 1 Tai Woffinden ©, 2 Robert Lambert, 3 Tom Brennan (U21). Team Managers: Simon Stead and Oliver Allen.

POLAND: 1 Bartosz Zmarzlik ©, 2 Maciej Janowski, 3 Jakub Miskowiak (U21). Team Manager: Rafal Dobrucki.

SWEDEN: 1 Pontus Aspgren ©, 2 Jacob Thorssell, 3 Philip Hellstrom-Bangs (U21). Team Manager: Morgan Andersson.

DENMARK: 1 Leon Madsen ©, 2 Mikkel Michelsen, 3 Mads Hansen (U21). Team Manager: Hans Nielsen.

AUSTRALIA: 1 Jason Doyle ©, 2 Max Fricke, 3 Keynan Rew (U21). Team Manager: Mark Lemon.

LATVIA: 1 Andzejs Lebedevs ©, 2 Olegs Mihailovs, 3 Francis Gusts (U21). Team Manager: Vladimirs Ribnikovs.

FRANCE: 1 David Bellego ©, 2 Dimitri Berge, 3 Steven Goret (U21). Team Manager: Laurent Sambarrey.

MONSTER ENERGY SON FINAL DAY 1 (SATURDAY) DRAW:

A – GREAT BRITAIN

B – LATVIA

C – POLAND

D – AUSTRALIA

E – SWEDEN

F – FRANCE

G – DENMARK

MONSTER ENERGY SON FINAL DAY 2 (SUNDAY) DRAW:

A – LATVIA

B – SWEDEN

C – AUSTRALIA

D – FRANCE

E – GREAT BRITAIN

F – POLAND

G – DENMARK