FIM World Individual Speedway Championship
Adams and reigning World Champion
Pedersen both bow ing out.
"Bydgoszcz is my favorite track," said
Gollob, who had won in Bydgoszcz in
both the last two years , as well as back in
199B. "I've ridden here for 16years . I live
here and I really wanted to repeat last
year's win. I did it, and it is a pity I won't
become World Champion . But congratulations to Jason [Crump] and Tony
[Rickardsson], who are higher than me in
the rankings. I praise them both . but I am
happy with my result. and I dedicate it to
my daughter. family and sponsors. I think
mechan ical problems have stopped me
from achieving some thing like this earlier
in the season. I do not have such qulck
equipment as others and this may be the
reason for my poo rer performances on
the one- off tracks."
Gollob said that he was very focused
before the race .
"In one of my races I fi nished third
because the track changed during the
meeting ," he said. " I had planned six
races , but gate three was not the best ,
and I was o ne of the victims of that. The
race where I finished third forced me to
swap bikes, as the first o ne had done
three races in a row, and I felt it was getting weaker. That 's why I went out on
another bike. which took me to the
semifinals and then to the final. "
California-hopeful Greg Hancock had
exited in heat 17 as his title dream was
blown to pieces. while LeighAdams. who
went into the meeting as the only rider
apart from Rickardsson and Hancock who
cou ld still threaten Crump. suffered the
misfortune of sheding a chain while in second place on lap three of heat 19. He salvaged a semifinal place by work ing hard
to pass Hans Andersen in heat 22 but
then finished third off the inside gate in
the first semifinal.
So that left o nly Rickardsson able to
(Right) Greg Hancock (5) saw his title hopes disappear when he was
eliminated before the semis. Hancock still loaks goad for third place in the
series, and he is already turning his attention to next season,
26 SEPTEMBER 29.2004 • CYCLE NEWS
