Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Sweden Wins Controversial World Cup S weden retained the Speedway World Cup at Poole Speedway in England, on August 7, but cons piracy theo ries abounded after a con troversial finish saw Team Great Brita in cruelly denied its first win in the tournament since 1989 , The two teams were locked together on 46 points apiece ahead of the last race, which ended with Sweden's Peter Karlsson defeating Britain's Scott Nicholls, though in wha t many in a large and patriotic crowd saw as a Scandinavian stitch -up. Denmark's Hans Andersen appeared to look fo r Karlsson, allowing the Swede through into the lead and briefly trapping Nicholls behind him. Though Andersen, ironically a teammate of Nicholls at Ipswich in the British League , denied any wrongdoing, Neil Middleditch, the Team G8 manager, was less than impre ssed. "It was a fantastic display, and we are guned, devastated, sick - there are not many euphemism s I can't use to describe ou r feelings," Middled itch said. I "We should have won, and I am so proud of the Team Sweden retained its World Cup Speedway lads. What Hans Andersen did in heat 25 was not title after a controversiol final event at Poole, good . He came out of the co rner, loo ked over his Eng land, on August 7 . shoulder and parked it in front of Seony. It looke d so o bvious, and I hope he sleeps well after that ." Kolodziej threw a chain to baulk th e Brit, who was in Nicholls was involved in two other major incidents, third place , Gary Havelock, however, wa s unlucky in firstly when he avoided an exclusion fo r plowing into heat 21, his lead being wiped out when Nicki Ped ersen Denmark's Bjarne Pedersen o n the first turn In hea t took out Mikael Max to necessitate a rerun. seven, and then when he pulled up in third place in Havelock, wh o finished third in the restart, was also heat 18, claiming he had seen a red light to stop the involved in one of the best races in SWC history in heat race . It turned out to be either from a camera or video 19, passing and being repassed by impressive Polish carnera being used In the crowd, and the lost point youngster Marcin Rempala on nearly every comer of a proved crucial. breathtaking duel. With Denmark failing to stay the pace and Poland Britain and Denmark had won the two qualifiers at never in the hunt, Britain led for most of the meeting, Eastbourne, with Sweden and Poland then seeing off though the team's luck was mixed. Lee Richardson was Australia, the 200 I and 2002 champions, in the lastfortunate to get a second bite to win heat 23 when refchance race-off at Poole . Tomasz Gotlob beat Jason eree Mick Bates halted the first running after Janusz Crump in the final heat to eliminate the Aussies. John Hipl

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