Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

happen. If I had crashed and been out of the meeting with a broken hand or something, then my lead could have been pegged back." Crump, who could now relinquish his crown in the next GP at Malilla in Sweden on August 13, left himself with a salvage operation after scraping three points from his first three rides, but he then bagged five in his last two - including a crucial win in heat 20 - to nudge Leigh Adams and Andreas Jonsson out of the semifinals. Having beaten Rickardsson in the second semi, Crump then went for broke off the outside grid in the final and was left at the back after doing his utmost to make the wide line work for him. Nicholls had started by salvaging second place in his opening ride after being shunted wide on the first bend. He first passed Hampel and then pursued Greg Hancock to catch the Californian on the line. He then won his next four rides, sailing from last to first in heat eight as he joined fellow Brit Lee Richardson in going on either side of Tomasz Chrzanowski and then repelling the challenge of Jonsson in heat 10. He came under Tomasz Gollob in stupendous style in heat 13 after first seeing off Rickardsson, and he did the same to Nicki Pedersen in heat 19. All eyes were on Nicholls going into semifinals, and he appeared to have drawn the easier option in avoiding Rickardsson, Crump and Nicki Pedersen. He was up against Hampel, Ryan Sullivan and Bjarne Pedersen and had first choice of the inside gate. But Nicholls, bidding to become the first British rider to win a Grand Prix round since wildcard Martin Dugard won at Coventry in 2000, never quite got the drop and hit a hole on the first turn, getting out of shape. He nearly collided with Hampel's rear wheel, and though he reclaimed third place from Sullivan, he couldn't catch Bjarne Pedersen for second. "That's just the way it goes," Nicholls said. "Everything was working so good. I felt good on the bike. Everything was there. But it comes down to that semifinal. All the work you've done goes out the window. I didn't make the start I wanted to make. I chose gate one because I felt that was the right choice to make, and I still believe it was. But the problem with gate one on any track is if you don't make a level start, you get boxed in - and I got boxed in." Nicholls moved up to ninth-place overall in the standings, and the last three rounds will now focus on the top eight and the cut to win automatic qualification into the 2006 series. Hancock slipped to seventh place after scoring only seven points, while Hans Andersen, suffering with an ear infection, dropped out after he could only muster three points, his place being taken by Hampel. Hampel, the Polish pretender to Gollob's crown, has now finished on the rostrum three times this season, but he missed two GPs through injury and managed only eight points in Copenhagen. Bjarne Pedersen, now up to fourth-place overall, also has three rostrum places to his credit but in the other rounds has scored four, three and three. eN • SUZUKI. Bostrom MARKETA STADIUM PRAGUE, CZECH RJ;PUBUC RESULTS: JULY 9, 2005 (ROUND 6 OF 9) X-Eleven Bostrom Replica SEMI I: I. Jarek Hampel; 2. Bjame Pedersen: 3. Scott Nicholls; .... Ryan Sullivan. SEMI 2: I. Jason Crump; 2. Tony Rickardsson; 3. Toman Gollob: 4. Nicki Pedersen. FINAL: I. Tony Rickardsson; 2. Bjame Pedersen; 3. Jarek Hampel: 4. Jason Crump. FIH WORLD SPEEDWAY GRAND PRIX SERIES POINTS STANDINGS (After 6 of 9 rounds): I. Tony Rickardsson (145/5 Wins); 2. Jason Crump (91/1 win); 3. Nkki Pedersen (78); .... Bjame Pedersen (66); 5. leigh Adams (64); 6. Antonio Undback (59): 7. Greg Hancock (58): 8. Jarek Hampel (56); 9. Scott Nicholls (18); 10. Hans Andersen (16); II. Toman GoIlob (45); 12. Andreas Jonsson (-40): 13. Ryan Sullivan (38); 11. Lee Rkhardson (26); 15. Toman Chrzanowski (20). UPCOMING ROUNDS ROUND 7: Mollilo, Sweden, August 13 ROUND 8: 8ydgoszcz, Poland, August 27 AMA Superbike Laguna Seea July 9 1st Place ERIC BOSTROM CYCLE NEWS • JULY 27, 2005 37

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