Danish star Leon Madsen launched his bid for a third Speedway European Championship with victory at round one in Zielona Gora on Saturday.
The Speedway GP regular topped the podium on his PGE Ekstraliga home track after beating triple SEC winner Mikkel Michelsen in second, reigning champion Patryk Dudek in third and former Danish champion Michael Jepsen Jensen in fourth to win the final.
Dudek and MJJ led the charge for the final on 13 points apiece, qualifying automatically after five rides. Madsen was forced to do things the hard way in the last-chance heat, and he delivered – taking victory ahead of Michelsen in second as both progressed, with Norwegian star Mathias Pollestad in third and Germany’s Kai Huckenbeck in fourth missing out.
Huckenbeck fell narrowly short of automatic final qualification after five rides on 12, while Madsen scored 11 in heats and Michelsen and Pollestad both notched nine.
Victory in the final and 11 points in the heats sees Madsen top the Speedway European Championship standings on 14 points in total – tied with Dudek. MJJ has 13 overall in third, with Huckenbeck on 12 in fourth and Michelsen fifth on 11 points and Pollestad sixth on nine.
FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Lodz wild card Piotr Pawlicki and current SGP rider Kacper Woryna both left Zielona Gora with eight, while Czech charger Jan Kvech and Przemyslaw Pawlicki scored seven.
Latvian ace Andzejs Lebedevs, former world No.2 Maciej Janowski and Swedish star Kim Nilsson all bagged six, with Britain’s Adam Ellis scoring three, Poland’s Damian Ratajczak adding two and Ukrainian SGP star Nazar Parnitskyi failing to score.
Courtesy of FIMSPEEDWAY.COM
Madsen celebrates - Photo Courtesy of FIMSPEEDWAY.COM
