Steve Shovlar

Bournemouth Echo BUT for an untimely ignition problem for present day Grand Prix rider Hans Andersen, Poole would have had three of their assets on the Vojens rostrum on Saturday (August 14). Antonio Lindback and Tomasz Chrzanowski finished first and second, respectively, in a cut-throat final to officially add their names to the 2005 Grand Prix starting list. For Andersen, though, it seems as if it will be necessary for him to win favour with the selectors as one of the permanent wild-cards if he is going to extend his GP career beyond this season. Currently languishing in 19th place in this year's World Championship GP series and some 28 points outside of the top eight cut-off zone, this qualifying round looked set to be a safety net for the Dane as he romped to four impressive heat wins in the qualifying heats. Andersen was headed home just once and that was by Lindback in a re-started heat eight after Polish rider Wielsaw Jagus fell on the first turn as Andersen took up the pace. The Dane, who courted so much controversy in the World Cup Final, received a slice of good luck in the semi-final as Damien Balinski, scorer of 10 points in the heats, just one of four riders to claim a double figure return, suffered an engine failure as he and Chrzanowski led for most of the opening lap. Things certainly looked to be going the way of the Danes, for in the second semi-final Russian sensation Roman Povazhny drove hard up the inside of Kenneth Bjerre on the last lap to move into second place behind runaway leader Lindback. The speed of Povazhny appeared to alarm Bjerre and he fell. The race appeared to continue, although the flag marshalls did display the red flags to alert the finishers to the fact that Bjerre was still on the track. And then on came Povazhny's exclusion light with World Cup referee Mick Bates awarding second place to Bjerre. That left the final sporting two Danes (Andersen and Bjerre), one Pole (Chrzanowski) and a Swede (Lindback) with just two GP places on offer. Lindback, who like Andersen had not finished outside the top two in any of his rides, a recipe for GP success under its present format, made a super start in that final. And Chrzanowski found himself on the better line leaving the second turn. Andersen stalked him for half a lap before driving inside, seemingly making slight contact as he passed. Chrzanowski recovered well but had lost valuable ground although less than half a lap later a tiring Andersen's machine allowed the Pole to make up the deficit. As Andersen's machine got slower Chrzanowski moved into second place and the Dane pulled up onto the inner field visibly frustrated with the consequences. The two non-home nation riders pulled further clear of Bjerre and secured the prize of a GP contract for 2005. Although no-one can deny the fact that Andersen was cruelly unlucky in that final, perhaps the unluckiest riders on the night were Bo Brhel and Povazhny. Czech rider Brhel three times felt the discomfort of the Vojens circuit, a faller in heat three when Australian Craig Watson squeezed him out, then the innocent victim in two near-identical crashes in heat 14 when a power failure had left the track in half-darkness. First of all GB rider David Norris picked up unwanted drive and brought Brhel down. Then in the re-run, which did not feature the excluded Norris, Russian Povazhny made a similar mistake. Brhel went on to win the `match race' over Balinski, but he still missed out on a semi-final placing by virtue of Bjerre's two race wins. Povazhny had begun the meeting with two impressive race wins, his first at Lindback's expense. GRAND Prix Final qualification round winner Antonio Lindback today admitted that August was proving to be "an unbelievable month for me", writes Steve Allen in Vojens. Just seven days after appearing on the rostrum at Poole as a World Cup winner with Sweden, he was standing proudly on the top podium again, this time in Vojens on Saturday having booked his GP ticket for next year. Talking about the meeting he won in Denmark, the teenage Pirates star said: "I can't really believe all this is happening, but it is great that it is. "Everything went really well for me tonight. "I made the gates really good, the bike was set up good and that made it much easier for me but still the bikes were fast. "I can't begin to understand what has happened to me this year because it has been so brilliant and now I have even more to look forward to. "I'm going to Gothenburg as a wild card for the Scandinavian GP next weekend when I will be out to do my best and see what happens. "And I'm very much looking forward to it." Second-placed Tomasz Chrzanowski, like Lindback also a Poole RIAS asset, admitted the rained-off practice session in Vojens on Friday nearly proved costly for him. He said: "I had the bikes set-up wrong to start off with and that is why I didn't begin the meeting too well. "Those sort of things would normally be identified during practice but with rain we had that day meant we couldn't get out there and try things out. "But once I changed a few things round it seemed to work out and I am very happy about being in the GPs next year. "I know it will be a long winter as I look forward to being a GP rider next season. "But I have a good sponsor in Poland and I am hoping they will be able to help me make sure I am competitive enough for it. "Every rider who has ambition wants to be a GP rider. "Because of the problems I had a couple of years ago off-track with an auto accident I have lost a lot time, but I haven't lost any ambition. "I am looking forward to being with top riders next season and just now I am so pleased to have qualified." The rider who came so close but so far in Vojens was Hans Andersen who admitted that he wasn't going to get "too down over what happened tonight." Andersen - also a Pirates asset - finished top of the qualifying score chart with 14 points, but he suffered a mechanical fault in the final to rob him of a top-two place and automatic entry into next year's GP series. The Dane said: "I know that it wasn't me that let things down, it was a bike problem and that can happen any time. "It would have been hard to take if it had been down to my ability. "I know that I am still good enough to be in the GPs and this result won't really put any extra pressure on me for the remaining GPs this year. "I hope that they (the authorities) will look on this meeting as a whole. "I was the top scorer, I got all the way to the final and it was a problem that cost me in the end. "No other Dane qualified tonight so hopefully they will take all of that into account when they come to nominate the wild cards for next year. "I was the top Dane in the World Cup so hopefully that will count for something too."

I just don't see any problem with Lindback. A young lad who wants to ride to win and is showing his potential. Yes he bucks and rears at the gate, but he is not a danger and is superb at passing as well as gating. As for having a shower then coming into the bar, what on earth is wrong with that? I am sure he will be at Poole next year. Not only is he a brilliant talent, but has bags of charisma as well. A very likeable and approachable guy who has time for the fans, as well as all the girlies!

Your kidding right? Prague is a beautiful cosmopolitan city of culture, where there is so much to see and do. Bydgoszsz is an industrial city, though it still has plenty to see whilst there for a weekend. Language problems? I have never had them at either place. A big mac is a big mac in any language! Torun is the place to go after the GP. Only an hours drive away but watch out for the police. They are keen to hand out speeding fines on those dodgy roads.

We will see. I think in two years time Lindback will be a top 5 rider and a real threat for the title.

Interesting to see we had 3 Poole assets in the final. But as far as I am concerned Lindback is a better bet for GP honors than Andersen. True enough Andersen has improved this season, but Lindback is a class act and years younger. His average is also higher than Andersens, and this is Lindbacks first season, whilst Andersen has already ridden over here 4 years. Can't beleive I am reading remarks that Lindback is not going to add anything to the GP series. Perhaps the posts were made by young girls who don't have a clue about the guy. As for Chzranowski, he may find it hard, and I classed him in a similar vein to KK, but perhaps after tonight I think he is a tad better. Certainly when he rode for Poole his performances were badly affected by the court case looming over his head. Now that is all in the past, he seems to be coming on in leaps and bounds, as tonights result shows. Will he return to Poole as our reserve next season? Have wait and see!

My sig was updated 5 mns after the final!

The format tonight for the GP playoff final is likely to be the one used next year in the GPs themselves, so a couple of races less for yoour money. I heard that the program is included in the price of the ticket, though this as yet is to be confirmed. Either way i got my tickets for next years GP. Hopefully the crowd will continue to grow and we will have as good a GP as this years.

I said earlier this season that Lindback would take the GP series by storm, and I stick to that. There are many people on here not rating the lad but he proved tonight he can take the pressure and win when it matters. I said two years from now he will be challenging for the title, and I stick to that. The lad has pure class written all over him, and he is a very nice guy to boot. WELL DONE TONINIO!

Two more Pirates in the GP series! Well done to Tom Chrzanowski for qualifying to the GP series!!! Another fantastic night for Poole fans. Shame about Floppy though. Looks like we can all cheer Andersens demise, though he certainly deserved to go through, whether or not we like the guy or his antics.

Well something happened to Andersen in the final, not sure if it was EF.

YYYEEEESSSSSS!!!!!!! Way to go Toninio!!!!!!!

From what I gather Povazhny was hashly excluded after making a good pass on Bjerre on the third lap. Bjerre fell, Race awarded.

What a facial end to the meeting. Andersen and Lindback should be the two that go through, end of story. It should be about what the riders do over the meeting, not a last ditch effort from riders that have been well beaten during the 20 heats. A rider on 8 points can qualify over a rider on 12 or 14. Where's the justice in that? Lindback has been brilliant and would be a fantastic rider to grace the GP stage. The GP needs the Lindbacks more than they need more PKs back again, and that's not meant as disrespect to a very good rider. Just hope lady luck shines on the Brazilian wonder boy.

Wish I had gone over for this one, should be a very exciting and cut-throat meeting. With only two qualifying, how is the format? Is is a straight 20 heat formula, or is there semis and a final?

Todays echo has this interview with Middlo. HANS ANDERSEN? More like Hans Christian Andersen. He's turned my World Cup fairy tale into a nightmare in which I will never forgive him. To get so close to glory and then be denied by a rider who shouldn't have been involved is something I am still finding difficult to deal with even 24 hours after a fantastic World Cup Final. The last heat should have been a straight match race between Scott Nicholls and Peter Karlsson, of Sweden. The fact Andersen and Poland's Tomasz Gollob were in the race was incidental. For Hans to then hold Scott on the line round the first corner, look over his shoulder, shut off the throttle to allow Karlsson to go past is an incident that will live with me forever. I have watched replays of the race several times and I find Andersen's after meeting interview that "his bike was spinning" very hard to accept. It certainly didn't seem to be "spinning" so much after Karlsson went past. Hans is a good young rider who has built himself a bit of a reputation of being fairly ruthless on track. And as a result his reputation normally would have seen him show Karlsson no mercy on the outside. If he had concentrated on winning the race, chances are Karlsson would have had to shut off on the outside of Hans, allowing Scott to manoeuvre an inside line on the Swede going into the third and fourth bend. The irony is that when Hans first came over to this country in 2001 as a teenage rookie rider he came and stayed with us in Sturminster Marshall for two years. I have taken his actions very personally. I couldn't even look at him afterwards. I can't ever imagine forgiving him for doing this to me, the rest of the British team and the fans. In the politest sense, you could say he is definitely off my Christmas card list! It's a shame I have to talk about a rider's negative attitude in a meeting and presentation that had so many positives. After leading the meeting for so long it's hard to believe that we missed out by one point. I would agree that every British rider was a hero this week. But it's so frustrating that we are the unlucky British heroes who just missed out again. The team deserve so much credit for getting so close. Mark Loram had a fantastic World Cup. Now that we are back to the four-rider race World Cup formula it's good to have him back on board. His presence was immense. Scott Nicholls has proved a great captain and was involved in the two big talking points which has left him feeling "what might have been". The fact he stopped in third place when he saw a red light was something any sensible speedway rider would do. He could not be faulted with his attitude throughout. I was delighted that Lee Richardson picked up his performance after a slow start. I was desperate for GB to get gold for Lee because he had been with me for all the previous World Cups when we had missed out and had never shirked responsibility. And what can I say about David `Floppy' Norris? He was the only one of Saturday night's squad without any previous experience of being a Poole rider and yet who would have thought it on his showing? Reputations mean nothing to Floppy. He's been a joy to have as part of the team. Handing the final place to Gary Havelock was a calculated risk. And in retrospect I feel I really put Gary on the spot in having to perform. Sadly I heard one or two jibes aimed at Gary from the terraces beforehand along the lines that he shouldn't have been part of the British side. Well, the boo boys silence was deafening by the end. Havvy rolled the clock back 10 years and pulled out a display of such courage and determination. We should not forget the part Joe Screen and Dean Barker - both squad members - played in the final. With me running around all over the place, I asked them to watch the gates, see who was doing what and they didn't let me down. My old mate John Davis was a knowledgeable asset to have in the pits too, even though he was wearing a dodgy t-shirt! I would also like to thank Benfield Sports International for promoting a wonderful competition, Poole Speedway for presenting a perfect showcase final after Eastbourne had laid the foundation. And, once again, to Robert Hawkins at North Haven Motor Cruising for letting us use his £1.5million boat on Friday to relax the boys before the final. And how could I ever thank the fans enough for the support shown throughout. Oh, and the Daily Echo for allowing me the platform to write my notes throughout a week in which we came so close to landing gold. Three weeks ago my cancer-stricken and speedway mad friend Nick Whiffen told me to go out and win the World Cup for Britain. That was the last conversation I had with him. He died a week later. I would have loved to have done it for Nick. But, alas, there's only one winner. This morning Sweden are still the World Champions because they scored more points than us.

I think the presentation of the SWC was top notch. The direction was sharper, camerawork better, interviews and guest excellent. Time to email Sky and tell them. http://www.sky.com/skycom/article/0,,90000...00.html#general There's a feedback button which you can leave a message to the sports editor, oe feedback@skysports.com Thanks Steve

What email address did you use? I would like to do the same. I thought all the broadcasts were superb, with excellent direction, interviews and camera work.

I can only repeat what has already been written already. I came away last night totally gutted, but also with a feeling of elation that I had witnessed a great week of speedway at the highest calibre, and that Team GB were the reason for it. The boys all done well and were led well by Middlo, who got the riders in the right frame of mind to outride themselves nearly all the way. Second may be the fiirst loser, but on this occassion the Team GB deserve all the praise that is being heaped upon them.

I have just watched in incident and Hans could have got himself out of jail so easily when being interviewed. All he had to say was, "I moved out of the way to allow both through to battle for the title". Of course we could argue that he should have just fluffed the gate if he wanted to do that, but Scott had gate one and didn't have much chance off that gate anyway. I was sitting next to Davey Watt in the grandstand and he said he would noty want to be in that race for love nor money. He said before the race that Scott had next to no chance off gate one, plus not only the stadium but the whole Sky TV viewers and the UK speedway community would be weighing very heavy on his shoulders and the pressure would be too much for most to handle.

Well first of all what a great atmosphere! A capacity crowd, decked out in Union Jacks and thousands of airhorns. A wall of sound. The track. Again excellent with more brilliant racing. By the way I hear that the stands on third and forth bends are remaining for the end of the season. So great viewing on the bends now as well. Team GB. Proud to be a Brit. Neil and the boys did themselves proud man for man. I am sure Middlo will pop in here tomorrow to see what the fans thought and man for man we are proud of the effort Team GB put out. (except Vincent Vega) I havent seen a TV replay of heat 25 but from the grandstand it looked like Hans Just let both Sweden and GB through to battle it out, staying out of the way. He didn't want to know. Totally gutted after heat 25. But after a few mins I was just proud our guys did so well. Now the future, and it's time to worry. British Speedway Promoters Association must act NOW. There are no youngsters coming throuogh so where will we be in 5 years time? Trying to qualify alongside Hungary and Italy? A plan needs to be put in place now. A youth policy like Sweden and Denmark have, otherwise we will never be in a position to get close for the foreseeable future.

Sorry VV but you are completely wrong, and I am not saying that as a Poole fan but as a Brit. Middlo is the best manager in the country. He has bought the best out of the side. He talks to the riders, brings experience, and has earned the respect of all the riders he works with. Tonight we were one point away from glory. If Nicholls hadn't stopped it would have been a runoff, and if Pedersen hadn't clipped Havvy we would have won. There was not a single person at Wimborne Road tonight calling for the managers head. We were all proud of him and the team.

What a load of crap. There were hardly any Swedish flags in the place. If you saw any they were from Sweden. I was in my union jack shirt and had a big Union Jack. Man for man Poole fans were supporting the Brits bar a handful at most.

Well the day has arrived and there is not a cloud in the sky! It's going to be a beautiful day, the weather is up to 26 degress this afternoon, so if you are having thoughts about coming down, waff down some food, drink that coffee, jump in the car and head for Poole. Bring those flags, horns, whistles, anything to make noise. It will be the day that Team GB show the speedway world what we are made of! BRING IT ON!

Pretty sure Block E is the end of the grandstand towards the first bend.

Mad Viktor becomes a legend!! Poole fan Viktor has gate crashed the Speedway World Cup! The Polish Poole Pirate fan is used by the Poole promotion as a translator, but has somehow managed to infiltrate the Polish SWC squad and has taken center stage! I watched the replay on Sky today and he had me in stiches! What a guy! As someone said, Walasek said three words and Viktor made a few sentances out of it. Hope we see more of him on Saturday.