DOYLE’S “MASSIVE HONOUR”

Aussie ace Jason Doyle says reaching the Prague FIM Speedway GP of Czech Republic podium again was “a massive honour” as his Marketa Stadium love affair continued with a third place on Saturday night.

Doyle won the event in 2016 and 2017, as well as finishing fourth in 2019 and third in 2020 round five.

And he enjoyed another taste of the Prague champagne on Saturday, when he followed Slovak hero Martin Vaculik and triple world champion Tai Woffinden home in the final.

While Doyle would have loved to make it a hat-trick of victories at Marketa Stadium, he was elated to be back on the box at his happiest Speedway GP hunting ground.

He said: “It was not the result I wanted, but to be on the podium is a massive honour – especially when we come to Prague.

“I love the place and I love the city. Saturday showed the strong riders, not just the ones that ride the slick tracks. I would like to say congratulations to Martin. It was a great honour to be on the podium.”

Doyle’s rostrum charge was even more remarkable after he finished last in qualifying practice – 0.506 seconds short of fastest rider Bartosz Zmarzlik.

While Doyle would have loved to deliver a faster time, he was also keen to ensure his setup was right for the racing.

He said: “I need to maybe pull my finger out in the qualifiers. I just haven’t clicked with that qualifying system at the moment. I just take it as a practice and that’s what we did on Saturday.

“We worried about how to get the bike setup rather than trying to get a quick time. I was 16th in the qualifier and came third in the final, so I am very happy with that. Hopefully we can move forward and get the speed.”