Rickardsson tastes victory at the Grand Prix of Europe
triumvirate of hopeful Australians,
two semifinals after drawing the
reached the final. Sullivan was
STORY AND PHOTOS
By JOHN HIPKISS
unfavored gate three.
ish second behind the Swede master
in the final, with Czech rider Lukas
CHORZOW,POLAND,MAY17
handicapped by a recently broken
Instead Danish star Nicki Pedersen
Dryml third and Polish icon Tomasz
'l7 ony
collarbone, and while Crump and
proved Rickardsson's biggest threat,
Gollob fourth. Greg Hancock, flying
Adams both reached the last eight,
fighting his way through from heat
the Stars and Stripes all alone in the
they finished at the back in the
four - and a harsh exclusion - to fin-
Grand Prix for the first time following
Rickardsson has the hunger
~ to become speedway's most
decorated World Champion of all
time, and the super Swede took his
first bite out of the 2003 Grand Prix
cherry with a consummate victory at
Chorzow in Poland on a Saturday
night.
The five-time World Champion,
bidding to equal the record six title
of the legendary New Zealander Ivan
Mauger, was in a different class from
the rest of the field, storming to five
straight wins and from three different
gate positions. Rickardsson, who has
landed the Grand Prix title in four of
the last five years, also stole a significant march on his main rivals from
last season, as neither Jason Crump,
Ryan Sullivan nor Leigh Adams, the
(Right) Rickardsson won every race he
entered at Chorzow. Another
championship at season's end would
tie him with the legendary Ivan
Mauger atop the all-time World
Speedway Champions' list, with Slll.
34
MAY 28, 2003'
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