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Events World Ice Speedway Championship Rounds 9 &10: Assen, Holland By Eric Ian Steele Photos by Ian Charles ASSEN,HOLLAND,MAR.13-14 hen it came right down to it, the World Ice Speedway Championship was a wideopen affair, with four main contenders: Russians Alexander Balashov, Vladimir Fadeev, Viatcheslav Nikulin and last year's number two, Kyril DrogaIin. It was a spectacular meeting - not least for the potentially horrendous crash of Markus Schwaiger. He walked away after careening off the finish traight on Sunday into the central track area occupied by track marshals, who had the notto-be-envied sight of an ice bike coming straight at them at head height. Saturday saw Fadeev beat ikuIin in his first race of the meeting. In race 10, he managed to pip Balashov into econd place and kept out countryman Dro- • gaIin in race 14. Balashov and Nikulin had an exciting battle, with Nikulin leading Balashov until hitting an ice rut and slipping into second. Several laps of sparring ensued until Balashov finally came home first. Fadeev won the A final, with Balashov a close second. A slip by Nikulin put Drogalin into fourth, while Stefan Svensson and Vladimir Loumpov were the best of the rest. On Sunday, riders lower down in the points changed bikes and positions with confusing irregularity and were little more than a hindrance to the Russians and the battling Swede, Svensson. W I I] ; ii Q • s: - ... e ~ CD 2 42 (Above) Alexander Balashov (1) leads Vladimir Fadeev (7) In their battle In the World Ice Speedway Championship round held In Assen, Holland. (Left) B11lashov celebrales at Asaen, knowing he lakes a two-polntlead Into the Ilnal two rounds in Sweden. The best race of the day was undoubtedly race seven - a sJugfest between Bala hoy and Fadeev. Balashov gained an early lead but was swiftly overtaken by Fadeev. For the next three laps, both riders passed each other in turns, until the outcome was final! y decided by a spectacular outside overtaking maneuver by Balashov in the final corner. Svensson earned himself a place in the A final, but DrogaJin's day was made worse when he was relegated to the B final, coming in a lowly third. The A final was a smooth race that clearly showed the order of the day. Balashov won, with Fadeev second and Nikulin third. Balashov came out leading the championship with 192 point, only two ahead of Fadeev. Nikulin maintained his third place with 177. But with his score being the nearest to those of the two Russians, it seems that the final contest will be not so much a championship as a showdown. _ World Ice Speedway Championship Assen, Holland Results: March 13-14, 1999 (Rounds 9 & 100112) S~turd.llY A FINAL: 1. Vladimir Fadeev; 2. Alexander Balashov; 3. ViatchcsLlV Nikulin; 4. Kyril Drogalin. B FINAl.: 1. Vladimir Loumpov; 2. tefan Svensson; 3. Per-Clof Screnius; 4. Franz Zorn. C FINAL: 1. Valeri Pert:sev; 2. Aki Ala-Riihimaki; 3. Genit Rook; 4. Tjitte Bootsma. o FINAL: 1. Markus Schwaiger; 2. Antonin Klatovsky Jr.; 3. Jurgen Leibmann; 4. Jan Ahlborn. Sunday A FINAL: 1. Al~xander Balashov; i. Vladimir Fadeev; 3. Viatcheslav Nikulin; 4. Stefan Svensson. B RNAL: t. Vladimir Loumpov; 2. Franz Zom; 3. KyriJ Dragalin; 4,. Valeri Pertsev. C FINAL: 1. Per-Olof Serenius; 2. Aki Ala~ Riihimaki; 3. Gerrit Rook; 4. Jurgen Leibmann. D FINAl" 1. Erik Rydberg; 2. Antonin KJatovsky Ir.• 3. Tjitte Bootsma. WORLD ICE SPEEDWAY CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS (Afler 10 of 12 rounds): 1. Alexander Balashov (92); 2. Vladimir Fadeev (190); 3. Viatc:heslav 4. Kyril DrogaJin (176); 5. Stefan Svensson NikuJin (44); 6. Franz Zorn (118); 7. Valeri Pertsev (09); 8. Vladimir Loumpov (l0l); 9. AIti AJa·RiihiJnakj (81); to. Per-Olo( Serenius (65). • om;