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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128327
I Round 3
WORLD SPEEDWAY
Ham pe l and
Protasiewicz
claimed a Polish one-two in heat
14, but Rickardsson flexed his
muscle by passing Richardson in
heat IS, switching from the inside
to the outside to do so, and the
British rider also surrendered second place to Bjarne Pedersen in
disappointingly dropping fro m first
to third .
Nicki Pedersen used the dirt on
the outside to find the grip to
sweep under Adams in heat 16, a
race won by Gollob as the Poles
continued to give the home fans
ple nty to get excited about.
Two British riders - Loram and
Richardson - made the ir exit in
heat I7 behind Jonsson and
Sullivan, but Loram rode his socks
off to try to catch the Aussie, and
he was only a wh isker away in a
photo finish.
Brhel and Max followed Loram
and Richardson is packing up for the night
in heat 18, but only after a crazy first lap
and a lost chain for Brhel. Max led coming
out of the second turn , only for Hancock
to ride a tight line and force his way into
the lead . But he then hit a hole down the
back straight. Brhel picked up the pieces
to re legate Hancock to second, only then
to lose a chain on the third lap. Max had
gone fro m first to last as Adams claimed a
grateful life line in second place.
36
I May
2 9, 2 0 04
~
FIM World Individual Speedway Championship
w ith Sullivan at the back - and Hampel
then exploded off the outside to leave
Rickardsson , Nicki Pedersen and Adams
to chase him, the latter uncharacteristically looking short on power.
So the final lined up Protasiewicz,
Rickardsson, Bjarne Pedersen and
Hampel , and it was the Dane who made
it all the way to give his campaign a major
boost. Protasiewicz finished last in the
final and fourth overall, but after accruing
just three points from the opening two
GPs, his performance was every bit as
impressive as the winner's.
With three of the nine rounds completed, just 20 points separate the top
eight, but it is Rickardsson who leads the
way once more as the bandwagon rolls
on to Cardiff's plush Millennium Stadium
on Saturday, June 12.
On a sad note, It was lea rned at the
event that Rafal Kurmanski, the 21-yearold Pole who rode in last year's European
Grand Prix at Chorzow, tragically committed suicide over the weekend of t»e
Wroclaw GP. The full details of the
tragedy are sketchy, but the highly rated
Kurmanski is reported to have been
involved in a drink-drive incident with the
police on Saturday night, and he was
found hanged in a hotel room Sunday
afternoon.
Kurmansk i, who had rece ntly joined
the British club Swindon, rode for
Zielona-Go ra in Poland, and he counted
Billy Hamill as a teammate until the
Ame rican left the club toward the back
end of last season. Swindon promoter
Alun Rossiter was devastated.
'" just cannot believe what has happened, as Rafal was so happy whe n he
dep arted for home on Friday morning ,"
Rossiter said."He had a ready smile, and
he came acro ss as a really nice lad . We
have had a number of problems to ove rcome this season , but this sad news really
puts everything into perspective."
eN
OLYMPIC STADIUM
WROClAW, POlAND
RESULTS:
The drama intensified in heat 19 when
Rickardsson, having wound it on to pass
Walasek going into the last lap, ended up
in the safety fence to allow Nicki
Pedersen to follow Walasek past the nag.
Another great battle saw Gollob and
Hampel swap pos itions in 20 as Crump
was left at the back, Bjarne Pedersen getting the better of Gollob on the last lap to
follow Hampel home.
Crump went out behind Protasiewicz,
JUNE 9, 2004 • CYCLE NEWS
who made a blinding start off the inside,
and Adams in heat 2 1, Adams slipping
past his fellow Australian by keepi ng close
to the white line on lap o ne.
Gollob, disturbed by a ragged start,
and Hancock bowed out in heat 22,
which left three Poles in the semifinals but Gollob not amongst them.
Protasiewicz made the most of the
inside to win the first semifinal as Walasek
finished third behind Bjarne Pedersen -
40th Annl
r ar
MAy 29, 2004
(ROUND
3)
SEMI I: I. Piotr ProtaslewKz; 2. 8 jame Pedersen; 3.
Gnegorz WaWek (Il); 4. Ryan 5011""," (II).
SEMI 1: I. [erek Hampel; 2. Tony Rickardsson; 3.
N;ckJ Pedersen (I l); 4. L.e;gh Adam< (II).
FINAL" I . Bjame Pedersen (2S); 2. J
erek Hampel (20);
3. Tony Rickardsson ( 18); -4. Piotr Protasiewkz (16).
F1M WORLD INDIVIDUAL SPEEDWAY CHAMPI .
ONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS (After 3 of 9 rounds):
I. Tony
(S4); 2. Juon Crump (Sl); l . Le;gtl
Adam< (49); 4. jarek Hampel (4l) ; S. Bjame Pedersen (l7);
6. Toman GoIIob (l6); 7. (TIE) Nkld Pedersen (34)/Ryan
Sullivan (34); 9. Greg Hancock (32); 10. lee Richardson
(27); II. (TIE) And""" Jam"'" (19)/ f'io<, "''''''':.wicz
(19)/80 Bmel (19); 14. (TIE) Marl< L.,...", (IB)/~ B.
Jensen (IB); 16. (TIE) RuneHoIta (I S)IM;kael Max (I S); 18.
(TIE) Hans Andenen (Il)/Gnegon WaIasek (Il); 20.
Lukas DrymI {l l]: 21. Scott Nichols (9); 22. (TIE) Kaj
laukkanen (S)/Aies DrrnI (S)/Raf>! Dobrud<; (S); 2S. (TIE)
Fredrik Undg