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claimed a second behind Adams in heat IS to take him through to heat 20, which was a semifinal qualifier. He was third going down the back straightaway for the first time but barged under Polish rider Piotr Protasiewicz on turns three and four to follow Adams home. The loss of World number two the referee was thinking. The field did get tight coming into that corner, but Hancock claimed that was due to kdams' mistake. "There's no reason why they can say it was my fault," Hancock said. "He made a bad judgment there, and that's grueling. He says I came from the back with too much speed, so what am I supposed to do? I'll slow down next time and put my indicators on!" Sullivan, battered and bruised after aggravating his collarbone injury in a British League match five days before the Grand Prix, was leading the race at the time of the stoppage, and he again got out of the unfavorable gate three to win the re- run from Dryml and Adams and move to within seven points of joint series leaders Tony Rickardsson and Dryml. "I was in considerable pain, and obviously my collarbone is not healed, but I had to put that to the back of my mind," Sullivan said. "I was making starts more out of desperation than anything else, but it was worth it." Rickardsson, the reigning champion, surprisingly failed to make the final on his home Swedish League track when he was kept in third place by Dryml in the first semifinal. Rickardsson twice appeared to have gotten the measure of the young Czech, but DrymJ had both the power and the purpose to steal back in front of the reigning champion and keep him at bay in a gripping duel. Dryml's second place in the final then moved him level on points with Rickardsson. The switch from the Olympic Stadium in Stockholm to the Avesta track - 130 kilometers northwest of Stockholm - was forced upon the Grand Prix organizers by a strike of public sector workers, but it meant the 24 protagonists were given a traditional track rather than a one-off surface and all the inherent problems that brings. Hancock opened the proceedings by winning heat one, and a second behind Sullivan and in front of Mikael Max and Hans Andersen took him into the Main Event. The early departures included Andreas Jonsson and Lee Richardson, two of Hancock's former colleagues at Coventry and who both ride with the Californian for Swedish League club Rospiggarna. Jonsson, who also broke a collarbone three weeks ago, ran two third places, while Richardson came off on the outside of Sullivan chasing second place in his opening ride in heat four and retired at the back on his second bike in heat five. Scott Nicholls, part of Hancock's Team GSR setup, also went out early, nervously jumping the tapes in heat three and then losing out in a photo finish for second place with Ronni Pedersen, the Dane who had replaced the injured Mark Loram, in heat six. In the Main Event, Hancock past Hancock for third, and it meant it was do or die in heat 21 for a place in the last eight. This time Hancock went off gate two, with Polish prospect Tomasz Bajerski off the inside, which had produced 13 of the previous 20 heat winners. Hancock bolted away from the start to dominate and even had time to look back at the action behind him as Bajerski cleverly kept the chasing Nicki Pedersen at bay for second. The ballot for the first semifinal Jason Crump in heat 17 appeared to have left Rickardsson with a clear run to the final, with the Swedish master taking heats nine, 13 and 19 from the inside gate, much to the delight of a packed 15,OOO-strong crowd. The latter win clinched Rickardsson a place in the semifinals, but Hancock did things the hard way after finishing last in heat 20. He was off the outside, and though the four riders were line abreast entering the back straight, the American got trapped on the inside and found himself in third place. Dryml put the pressure on to get gave Hancock the inside, with Rickardsson off three and Dryml between them, and Sullivan on the outside. All eyes were on Rickardsson, but Hancock got the jump from the start, and the five-time World Champion suddenly had a real battle on his hands with Dryml. The Czech rider refused to bow to Rickardsson's pressure, and the winner of the first GP in Poland was out of the final. Hancock's fourth place banked him 16 points and gives him 24 overall after two rounds, 14 behind joint leaders Rickardsson and Dryml going into the third Grand Prix at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on June 14. Hancock has not had the best of times in Cardiff in the last two years, finishing 13th and 17th, so a change in fortune is very much the order of the day next weekend. eN Avesta Stadium Avesta, Sweden Results: May 31, 2003 [Round 2 of 91 SEMI 1 (Top 2 advance to Final): 1. Greg Hancock; 2. Lukas Dryml: 3. Tony Rickardsson: 4. Rune Holla. SEMI 2 (Top 2 advance to Final): I. Ryan Sullivan; 2. Leigh Adams; 3. Mikael Max; 4. Tomasz Bajerski. FINAL: 1. Ryan Sullivan; 2. Lukas Dryml: 3. Leigh Adams: 4. Greg Hancock. FIM WORLD SPEEDWAY GRAND PRIX SERIES POINTS STANDINGS (Arter 2 of 9 rounds): I. (TIE) Tony Rickardsson (38/1 win)/Lukas Dryml (38); 3. Ryan Sullivan (31/1 win); 4. Leigh Adams (29); 5. Nicki Pedersen (28); 6. (TIE) Greg Hancock (24)jTomasz Gollob (24)jRune Holt. (24); 9. Mlkael Max (20); 10. (TIE) Piotr Protasiewicz (19)/Jason Crump (19). Upcoming Rounds: Round 3 - Cardiff, Great Britain, June 14 Round 4 - Copenhagen, Denmark, June 28 eye I e n e _ 50 • JUNE 18, 2003 45