WORLD
sPC€DWAY
April 23, 2006
World sp€Gdwag
Gnand Prix S€Pi€s
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PHoros BY Joxx Hrpxrss
Pedetsen Sootes
Firs]
icki
Pedersen dr.rg deep to
draw first blood in the
race for the
2006 World
Speedway
title in Slove-
nia, the feisty Dane claim-
ing
his first win in nearly three
years
in
taking rhe top
honors at the l'4atiie
Gubca
Stadium in Krsko.
Pedersen, the 2003
World Champion,
made light of a
niggling wrist iniury to
record his first win in 25 GP rounds, fend-
ing off a massive
challenge from Aussie
ace
Jason
Crump
in a breathtaking
final-
A
pulsating
launch to the
World
Championship
campaign
bubbled up into
a
gripping finish, with Pedersen and
Crump
bouncing off each other in a
rous-
ing clash for top
place
on the
podium,
and
the early lead in this
year's
expanded l0-
round series.
Pedersen, involved
in a tremendous
scrap for second behind
Crump
with
Antonio Lindback and Niels-Kristian
lversen in a blanket baftle
in heat 16, this
time drove into the
lead around the
field
down the
back straiSht.
It
was
gung-ho
Grand
Prix racing on
the edge, as the
pair
then
rode neck and
neck, making contact
a couple of times, as
no
quarter
was asked and none expected,
Pedersen, due
to have an operation to
correct his
long-standing wrist
problem
this week.
was on the outside, and
Crump
chipping away
on his inside.
Several times Crump, who
has made
a
spectacular start
to the league season in
both Britain
and Sweden, appeared to be
in front,
but
Pedersen refused to bow
to
his
persistence,
and he finally
pulled
away
to celebrate
his first GP win since he took
the
honors
at
the 2003 British round at
Cardiff
's
Millennium Stadium.
The spectacular
Tomasz
Gollob,
who
had looked
good
for a surprise
win with
four-straight first
places,
ahead of the
final, was third; and defending champion
Tony Rickardsson, bidding
for
a
record-
breaking seventh title in what
is his
farewell season in the sport. had to be
content
with finishing fourth.
There could have been no better
advertisement
for speedway as the 23
races
produced
some
stirring action for a
4,
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F
46
MAY 3, 2006
.
CYCLE
NEws
,vlqtii3 Gubco
Stadium
Krrko, Slowcnio
ar,
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Nicki
Pedersen wins the
opening
round of theWorld
Speedwoy
Chompionship
The first Iinol of
the
yeor
ieofurod Nitki
Pcdcrrcn, Tony
Rickordsson, Jo.on
Crump ond lomosz Gollob.
\-
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Austrolion: Jolon Crump ond
Leigh Adoms bottle on one of
their heot .q(er.
17
