World Cup
STORY AND PHOTOS BY JOHN HIPKISS
VOJENS,DENMARK,AUG.9
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TEAM SWEDEN STOPS THE AUSSIES
wed en are the 2003 Speedway
C:;World Cup Champions - but they
had to pinch themselves to prove
they were not dreaming it.
A famous comeback saw the super
Swedes make up a 13-point deficit in
the last seven races of the final at
Vojens in Denmark to beat Australia
by five points and deny the defending
champions a hat trick of Speedway
World Cup titles.
Their victory was all the more
remarkable in that they achieved it
without five-time World Champion
Tony Rickardsson, who had pulled
out of the tournament two days earlier still suffering with the aftereffects
of a concussion, and that they were
the last team to qualify for the final as
runners-up in the five-team race-off.
With seven heats of the final
remaining, a third Australian triumph
in a row appeared to be a formality.
(Top) The Swedish Speedway World
Cup team came through to win the
World Cup with a comeback effort,
topping the Australian team by five
points in Denmark.
(Left) Mikael Max (leading) scored the
most points at the event, leading
Sweden to the win.
