VOL. 52 ISSUE 35 SEPTEMBER 1, 2015 P27
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
JOHN
HIPKISS
American Greg Hancock (far left)
made his first final of 2015.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
JOHN
HIPKISS
my health, not where I was going
to finish in the end," Zagar said.
"Of course it was a tough night
and I'm lucky I didn't do some
serious damage. I have big
aches in my belly and I'll have to
get that checked out later."
Runner-up Greg Hancock was
delighted to reach his first final
of 2015. He trails Woffinden by
27 points in third place. But he
refuses to give up hope of retain-
ing his world crown.
"I wouldn't say it has been a
bad year; it has just been one
of those years where I haven't
found the form I look for," Han-
cock said. "Finally things are
coming back. I'll keep plugging
away and there is still a long way
to go."
There's no doubt Pedersen's
withdrawal from the meeting
gave Woffinden's title bid a huge
shot in the arm as he increased
his overall lead from 13 to 24 in
one meeting. He is now odds-
on to become a double world
champion, but he pledged to
stay focused until the gold medal
is secure.
"It was a good night for me,"
Woffiden said. "Unfortunately,
Nicki had that crash and I don't
like to see any rider ruled out.
Matej had one as well. For Matej
to be at the point where he was
nearly going to say no to riding
and come out and do that is a
great achievement. Congratula-
tions to Matej.
"Everything is going well. I'm
plugging away and keeping my
head down. Everything is work-
ing for me and it isn't over yet.
There are still four rounds to go.
We'll just see what happens and
keep going. I want to say thanks
to all my sponsors and thanks to
my engine tuner Peter Johns."
The Gorzow SGP top trio sent
their best wishes to Aussie ace
Darcy Ward after he sustained
serious spinal damage in Poland
last Sunday.
Ward thanked fans from his
hospital bed in the UK after his
name was chanted throughout
the night, with the crowd paying
tribute to the 23-year-old with
songs, banners and t-shirts.
Hancock thanked the sup-
porters who showed such great
support for his good friend.
"I want to say thank you to all
the Polish fans and everybody
who has stepped up to the plate
to support Darcy Ward," Han-
cock said. "This is massive and
you guys deserve the biggest
round of applause of all.
"What happened to Darcy
puts our lives and careers into
perspective. We know what can
happen to a rider, even of the
best ability he has. It's hard. It
hurts. But we have to be strong
for him. The kid has a long road
ahead of him and we'll be there
all the way."
John Hipkiss
