FIM SPEEDWAY: POLAND’S UNBEATEN RUN CONTINUES…GP RETURNS TO LATVIA AFTER SIX YEAR ABSENCE

POLAND’S UNBEATEN RUN CONTINUES

Polish hero Mateusz Cierniak admits patience paid dividends after leading his country to a record-breaking 16th FIM Speedway of Nations Under-21 World Championship in Latvian capital Riga on Friday night.

The Poles won the DeWalt FIM SON2 event to lift sport’s junior team championship for the 10th straight season, with Cierniak leading partner Wiktor Przyjemski to a 7-2 victory over Danish duo Esben Hjerrild and Jesper Knudsen in the Grand Final.

This was after Poland topped the score chart over 21 heats on a commanding 39 points. Denmark joined them in the title-decider after beating hosts Latvia 5-4 in the Grand Final Qualifier.

Despite Latvian racer Ricards Ansviesulis winning the race, Hjerrild and Danish teammate Emil Breum fended off Riga favourite Francis Gusts for four laps to break the home side’s hearts. But Latvia still made history, winning bronze – their first-ever medal in an FIM Speedway team championship.

But the night belonged to Poland and Cierniak, who led their scoring on 22 points from a possible 24, before winning the Grand Final.

Along with teammates Przyjemski and Bartlomiej Kowalski, Cierniak had to fight furiously for his points on a number of occasions and admitted patience was the key as he captained his country to an historic gold, adding to the senior side’s Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup win in Wroclaw on July 29.

Cierniak said: “We did a lot of good work. I had speed. I had a very fast bike, but I had to be patient and keep calm during the races. 

“When I had to pass the riders, I had to think a lot because this is a very tight track, and you cannot make any mistakes. This track makes you think a lot and be patient to be faster during the race. 

“Of course, it was a very good finish for us. For me and Bartek, this is our last season of our junior career. It’s great for us to win today and now we take the next step. Next year, it’s for Wiktor to do this again.”

GP RETURNS TO LATVIA AFTER SIX YEAR ABSENCE

Latvian ace Andzejs Lebedevs is delighted to see the OlyBet FIM Speedway GP of Latvia – Riga come to the nation’s capital on Saturday, but admits the event is so popular that even he can’t get tickets!

After a six-year absence, Speedway GP returns to Latvia, with the action taking place in the nation’s capital from 17:00 local time (16:00 CET and 15:00 UK) at Bikernieki Speedway Stadium – part of the country’s top motorsport complex.

Poland’s triple world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik holds a 20-point Speedway GP World Championship lead over Swedish racer Fredrik Lindgren, with Zmarzlik on 102 points and world No.4 Lindgren on 82.

Third-placed Jack Holder of Australia, who has 79 points, misses the event after suffering a hand injury in the Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup Final in Wroclaw on July 29. Nearest rivals Martin Vaculik of Slovakia, Dan Bewley of Great Britain and Aussie icon Jason Doyle, who are deadlocked on 69 points in fourth, fifth and sixth respectively will all hope to capitalise and push up into the top three.

But they will have to take on Latvia’s top two riders, 2017 European champion Lebedevs, who replaces Holder in the line-up, and Riga-born wild card Francis Gusts, with the pair set to be roared on by a sell-out crowd at Bikernieki.

Tickets sold fast for Riga’s much-anticipated Speedway GP debut and Lebedevs cannot wait to race in front of a home crowd. The Latvian round traditionally took place in his home city Daugavpils, and Lebedevs admits the speed of ticket sales in Riga caught him pleasantly by surprise. 

 He said: “When I tried to get tickets for my family, I realised it was sold out! That was a shock, but the good side is it shows how hard the organisers have worked. The event looks really nice, and I am excited to see what happens on Saturday night. 

“I am really happy it’s coming to the capital city of Latvia. We can show the Latvian fans some high-level speedway. For me, it’s an important thing. It’s a chance to show some new fans in Latvia our discipline. 

“Before, it was just a Daugavpils sport. Now we have the chance to show the racing to many more people who will be coming to the stadium for the first time. I am very excited and happy we are doing this in Riga.”