Saturday night will be the second division of the year in the fight for the European Championship. It takes place at the Marian Rose Stadium in Torun, with five Danish drivers on the course. With this, there is only 14 days for the sports historical event, where Vojens Speedway Center resurfaces with the SEC Ovethi 3rd European Championship round.
By Ib Søby
If Russian country coach Andrey Savin is having a hard time getting his arms down, it's quite understandable. On Sunday, he experienced the ultimate triumph when Emil Saytfudinov, Artem Laguta and Cleb Chuganov, regained the World Cup - Speedway Of Nations - at the Togliatti home ground. The week before, Artem Laguta's big brother, Grigory Laguta, took the first plug in this year's European Championship series, with a victory in German Güstrow.
The defending European champion, Danish Leon Madsen, had a sensible evening in Northern Germany, coming to Saturday's showdown in Torun, with only four points up to Laguta. With one point less, Michael Jepsen Jensen could also leave Güstrow with good feeling. In contrast, Nicki Pedersen, Mikkel Michelsen and Anders Thomsen had a difficult evening, on the small and narrow track.
Certainly we will have a different race on Saturday night in Torun. Here, the 318 meter long track, at the large modern stadium, is located on the street named after Swedish Per Jonsson, and named after the Polish legend Marian Rose. It is a stadium that everyone knows from everyday life in the Polish league, despite the strange fact that none of the drivers of the European Championships are on contract in Torun.
But of course it is not only the Danes who want to advance in the rankings before the European Championships hit Vojens. Polish Jaroslaw Hampel, who a few years ago was considered the heir to Tomasz Gollob, has more to prove. For drivers like Dudek, Zmarzlik and Janowski, the spotlight has suddenly taken over in the speedway-happy country.
Swedish Antonio Lindbäck also has a bit more stability to prove, and British hope Robert Lambert may be hampered by pain in the neck, after his crash at the Par World Cup, which cost the British dearly.
It will also be interesting to follow French David Bellego. While all of France holds its breath in anticipation of Julian Alaphilippe becoming the nation's first Tour De France winner in 34 years, Bellego can emphasize that he is France's biggest speedway talent of all time.
David Bellego is 26 years old and born in Mermande near Bordeaux, but resides in British Swindon. He runs for Ipswich, but is also known as an outstanding long distance specialist.
British Craig Ackroyd is a judge in Torun
SEC EM Position
1. Grigory Laguta, RUS, 15
2. Bartosz Zmektala, POL, 12
3. Leon Madsen, DAN, 11
4. Antonio Lindbäck, SVE, 11
5. Michael Jepsen Jensen, DAN, 10
6. Kai Huckenbeck, TYS, 9
7. Vaclav Milik, TJK, 8
8. David Bellego, FRA, 8
9. Kaspr Woryna, POL, 8
10. Nicki Pedersen, DAN, 8
11. Jaroslaw Hampel, POL, 7
12. Mikkel Michelsen, DAN, 7
13. Robert Lambert, ENG, 4
14. Pawel Przedpelski, POL, 3
15. Anders Thomsen, DAN, 3