Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1542395
Tomasz Gollob, extolling the viftues of switching from Jawa engines to GMs, finished third, and Nicki Pedersen was fourth, on a night that saw the leSendary Tony Rickardsson continue his dramatic fall from grace. Rickardsson looked short of speed as he mustered iust four points, and his bid for a record seventh title is already looking washed out. The six-time World Champion ran last in his first ride, recovered with a win ahead of Bjarne Pedersen in his second, but then managed just one point from his last three rides after experiencinS engine prob- lems out of the start in heat 13. Rickardsson has looked strangely languid in the GPs this season, and with only 26 points to his name from the flrst three rounds - 44 adrift of Crump - he now needs a mlracle if he is to bow out of the sport at the end of the year as the most-decorated World Champion of all time. Hancock was in top form from the outset, riding high and low on a slick track and possessing the horsepower to boot. He came down on the first tum of heat two when he was squeezed out off the qutside grid when Rickardsson gave Nicki Pedersen a nudge and Hancock was left with no room to turn. But he got up, dusted him- self down and produced an authoritative performance in the first and second turns in the rerun to force his way ahead of Jaroslaw Hampel and Pedersen. Hancock then won heats eight, I I and 14, riding out of his skin in the latter to hold back a strong early challenSe from Biarne Pedercen. Crump was the big danger to his maximum in heat 17. but iust as in Wroclaw tvyo weeks earlier, Hancock had the speed to keep Crump behind him, though rhe Aussie was close to the Californian on more than one occasion. Hancock then won his semifinal from the inside after the race had been stopped when Andreaslonsson slid off, but he was unable to stave off Crump for a second time in the final. All the same. second place did lift him from fifth overall in the standings to equal third, behind Crump and Pedersen. "l had it working well, and I iust tried to keep making thinSs that little bit bette('' Hancock said. ''For the flnal, I went for a bi8 change, which turned out okay but not quite enouSh to win it. Jason seems to save his best for the last race, but I think I am riding better than I have] for a long time, and there is still a long way to go. lt was another good night for me, but Jason's pulled out all the strings when it comes to the final, and you've got to hand it to him yet agarn - hats off to the guy. "To win seven races out of seven would have been so great for me, especially after the start I had when I crashed. I feel great right now and this is one of the best years I've had for a long time. My bikes are working extremely well, and maybe it's fatherhood, too - maybe l'm a bit more relaxed. lget up every day still feeling like I can be a World Champion, and I'll keep fighting for that." Pedersen had also defeated Crump in heat six, and won a tremendous duel with the Aussie in the second semifinal, as Leigh Adams pressed in third place. But he 8ot bunched out on the first turn in the flnal and was unable to make up ground. British Champion Scon Nicholls failed to reach the semifinals for the first time in this season's three rounds, and once again he had cause to re8ret a tapes exclusion in his first ride. Nicholls didn't seem to have the power to pull back from a first-race blob and finished with iust five poihts. He lost out for second place in a hard battle with wild-card rider Freddie Lindgren in his second ride, landed himself a lifeline with a second behind Hancock in heat I l, but then finished with two more third places. Lindgren, a 20-year-old Swede, performed with plent/ of credit to score seven points and was only robH ofa semi- linal spot when Bjarne Pedersen fougk his way past .laroslaw Hampel in heat 20 for second place, behind Adams. Fellow Brit Lee Richardson fared even worse that Nicholls, equaling Antonio Lindback's unwanted record from last season of running live consecutive last places. He is consistently dropping points at Grand Prix level, and his health has again become an issue after he withdrew from a guest booking for Poole in the British Elite League recently, complaining of fatigue. Keeping Richardson company at the wrong end of the scorechart was Piotr Protasiewicz, who scraped up just three points and now has just seven from the first three roundS. It makes the decision to include the Pole at the expense of Dane Hans Andersen - who is believed ro have spoken out of turn in criticizinS some of the GP tracks - the biggest mistake in the l2-year history of the Grand Prix series, "lt is an awesome night," Crump said, "and hopefully we will have more than a couple of rides this time. lt can't be any wgrse than last year." Cil SWEDEH GRAND Pslx Esl(llsruNA, SIJVEDEN RcaurTs: MaY 20, 2006 ScoiES: I - len crump (2s)i 2. cre€ HancGk (20); l. Tom8z Gollob ( l8): 4. Ni.ki Pede6s ( I 6): 5- Leish Adams ( I I )i 6. Aid.ed lonsron ( I 0): 7. larosraw Hampl (8)i 8. (rlE) Biarne Pederten (7)/Fredrik Lind8ren (4; I0. Antonio Ljndbacl (6)i I l. S.on Nrcholls (5)r 12. (TlE) Tony Rick&d$on (4)/Nieb-Kristi& lve6en (4)/Marei Zasd (4): 15. Pror Pr6b5iewicz (l)i 16. Le Ri.hardson (0)i t7. WORLO CHAMPIONSHIP BOINTS STANDINGS (AftGr f or l0 .ound.); l. l on Crump (70/2 wL$)i 2 Ni.ki Ped.ren (55/l wn), l. (TIE) cre8 Han@krlomdz Gollob (4s)i 5 Matel Zgar (ll)r 6. Legh Adam, (28); 7. larorlaw Hmpd (28)i 8. Tony Rick dson (26): 9. AidlB lonsson (?l)i I 0. Scon Nrcholis (21). UPCOMING ROUNDS Round 4 . Cordifi, Englond, June 3 Round 5 - Copenhogen, Denmork, June 24 (From left to right) Greg Honcock, Joson Crump ond lomosz Gollob telebrote their one.two- rhree {inish in Sweden- CYCLE NEWS . MAY 31, 2006 49 l" *, .1, g ID E \ ,; E .:I s .da .8ae I Lrts-- e ( \ B l-u qsr. Two Ausries: Leigh Adom.fight to keep Crump ot boy, l ^. ) I I t T I t i I ..4 I l I vl fil 4