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(Above) Billy Hamill (right) kept his championship hopes afloat with a sixth-place finish at Bydgoszcz. Hamill now sits eighth In the series standings. (Above right) Greg Hancock (foreground, right) suffered a disappointing elimination In Poland, dropping Into a tie for 11th In the points race. then repassing Sullivan in the first semi-final. Hamill, who won the European Grand Prix at Bydgoszcz in 2000, started with a third when Mikael Karlsson suffered an engine failure while in second place in heat 11, then won heat 15 from the gate ahead of Crump, but was third again in heats 19 and 21, being passed on either side by Sullivan and Rickardsson on the third and fourth turns on lap two in heat 19 before once more giving way to surprise frontrunner Rune Holta in 21. Fellow Coventry rider Andreas Jonsson also found himself pitched in against Hamill in heat 21, with a place in the semifinals the reward for finishing first or second. Holta's move to the front left the two Coventry Bees riders squaring up against each other, and Hamill gave Jonsson no quarter in closing down his space against the fence in a frantic run-in toward the checkered flag. Jonsson, who looked quicker than Hamill and came as close as was possible to squeezing past, admitted: "It was hard speedway, but I would have done the same to Billy. It was between going through or being eliminated and he did nothing wrong. I felt I was going to get past him so I was very disappointed with myself that I missed out." Despite reaching the semifinals, Hamill admitted to mixed feelings. He was unhappy that he lacked power on the night, and felt that it affected his confidence ahead of his semifinal in heat 24. "It was very much a night of mixed feelings," Hamill said. "It was good in one sense to reach the last eight again, especially as it means I start in the main event once more at Cardiff. But I didn't really find the right bike setup until the semi-final, and because of that I never really went into the race in the right frame of mind. You can't afford to do that with the competition being so fierce, and with the caliber of riders in the Grand Prix. It is brutal at times. Sometimes you roll the dice, and they don't fall right for you, and I think that was the case. I felt on the pace in my last ride, but I needed that earlier on. I got passed in one race, and I then had a real battle to keep Andreas Jonsson behind me." Hamill also said that Gollob winning is good for Polish speedway and perhaps it has come just at the right time for the sport in Poland. "I am sure the fans will also be glad to see Tony drop some points, as nobody really wants to see any rider run away with the championship," he said. Hancock ran two thirds, sandwiched around a second place, behind Holta in heat six. But he remained positive, despite only adding four GP points to his seasonal total. Piotr Protasiewicz cut back under Hancock in heat two, and his new Team GSR colleague, Nicholls, shot past him down the back straight in heat 11 to signal an early exit for the 1997 World Champion. Hancock was disappointed afterward, but as always he retained a positive outlook. "There is not a lot I can say, really: Hancock said. "It wasn't a bad finish for me in Norway and I went to Bydgoszcz to try and do a better job. I felt I was on the right track and I rode my butt off, but things just didn't happen. I gave it my best, but I just got beat. My recent league form has been good in Poland and Sweden, and I am happy with myself, my bikes and the people around me, so I can't really put my finger on what was up." Next up is the Millennium Stadium at Cardiff on June 8, and both Hamill and Hancock know that they can't afford to slip too far behind, even though there are still seven rounds to come after the British GP. eN Polonia StlIdium BydIIlSZl:Z, Poland Results: May 15. 2002 IRa ad 2 ., IJ SEMI 1 (top two transfer to A Anal): I. Tomas: GolJob: 2. Mark Loram; 3. Ryan Sulliven; 4. Rune Holta. SEMI 2 (top two tronsrer to A FUlllI): I. Tony Rickardsson; 2. Jllson Crump; 3. Leigh Adems; 4. Billy Hamill. A FINAL: 1. Tomosz. Gollob; 2. Tony Rickardsson: 3. Mark Loram: 4. Jason Crump. FIM WORlD CHAI'\PIONSHIP SPEEDWAY GRAND PRIX SERIES POINTS STANDINGS (After 2 or 9 rounds): 1. Tony Rickardsson (45/1 win); 2. Rye" Sullivan (33): 3. To"",sz Gollob (32/1 win); 4. Joson Crump (32); 5. Morl< Lorom (26); 6. Leigh Adems (26); 7. /'\ikoel Kerlsson (25); 8. Billy Hamill (22); g. Todd Wiltshire (Ig); 10. Cert Stanehewer (18); 11. (TIE) Rune Hollo/Greg Hencock (12); 13. Andreas Jonsson (II); 14. Andy Smith (10); 15. Gn:egon: Walasek (9); 16. (TIE) Scott Nicholls/Niklas Klingberg/Sebastian Ulomek (8); 19. (TIE) Piotr P'totasiewicz/Knysrto( Cegielski (7). Upcoming Rounds: Round 3 - Cardiff, Wales, June B Round 4 - Krsko, Slovenia, June 22 (Below) The podium: (Left to right) Rickardsson, Goliob and Loram. (Right) Fonner World Champion Mark Loram stepped his perfonnance up at Bydgoszcz to finish third In the A Final. cue I e n e _ S • JUNE 12, 2002 43