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EURO CLUB 2008
OVER 100 THREE-RIDER RACEs AT EURO 2008 - posted 12 May 2008
Officials responsible for the organisation of Euro Club 2008 will have to carefully re-assess future events after over one hundred scheduled races started with three or less riders.
An incomplete entry, one club pulling out shortly before the event, another leaving early for home, depleted teams and so on, meant that 110 of the 240 scheduled races up to the semi-final stage had three or two riders, a staggering statistic which resulted in 45% of races starting with depleted numbers - even before exclusions!
Not having full race fields certainly detracted from the quality and presentation of event as well as changing the style of racing itself. Some riders and spectators also felt the 30 heat qualifying rounds were too drawn out and unfair. Several riders didn't race each other at all while others faced the same opponents two or three times. To compound matters, on the start grid, teams found themselves drawn inside or outside their opponents on a disproprtionate number of times.
Who was responsible for the tournament formuala is not clear but in any event the powers that be must really give further thought to adopting the standard four-team formula in all international and national club and team events. Not only is it the fairest formuala but it's sixteen heat programme maintains interest throughout the match.
WINNERS - posted 8 May 2008
Every major tournament has its winners - and we don't mean just those few who climb the podium to receive medals. Others by their actions, commitment or fun approach leave indelible memories long after the matches have finished. Euro Club 2008 was no exception.
Who will forget the swash-buckling tenacy of Carmichael as he battled with riders twice his size - or gallant Ryan Hoyland from Sheffield as he mixed it with the best in Europe. In these two young men, the sport seems to have uncovered two golden nuggets for the future.
Good too to see, well let's call them more seasoned competitors entering the spirit of the occasion. Hethersett's Mel Perkins and Edinburgh's Dave Baxter proved they still have what it takes. Despite their advancing years they did not disgrace themselves and were not that far off the pace.
But unquestionably the biggest winner was the rider who has been battling with cancer and never thought he would get on a cycle speedway bike again - let alone compete at this level.
Three years ago, Norwich's Craig Norton was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in his left lung. After a debilitating course of treatment including chemotheraphy, the former Irish international gradually regained his health and thankfully the cancer is now in remission.
He last raced competitively in 2002 and only decided to get back on a bike two weeks ago after watching a Premier League match at Eaton Park. When Norwich's number one rider Ian Grange had to leave Euro 2008 early to attend a friend's wedding, courageous Norton, looking fit and well, stepped in at reserve berth.
Surprisingly, especially against such strong oppositiion, he was drafted in as tactical replacement in heat nine and in a story book finish, sensationally went on to win the race. It was emotional, heart-wrenching stuff.
Not content with that, Craig took two more races, finishing second in both, scoring 10 points from three outings in one of the most remarkable comebacks of all time.
Beaming from ear-to-ear, he told spokesman-online "This was so exhilerating. It's great to be back. Battling cancer was the hardest thing ever. It really makes you appreciate life - and memorable moments like today. Live strong!".
LEICESTER DESERVE EVERY PRAISE - posted 7 May 2008
Hats off to everyone at Leicester CSC. What a superb job they did staging the Euro Clubs finals, not just during the three days of the tournament but in the months leading up to the championship.
With the new safety fence, lighting, covered pits and more in the offing, the City Council's £30,000 investment in the Glover Park facility has been well spent. The raceway itself surely ranks as one of the best, if not the best, in the sport, providing unbelievably fast and competitive racing. Messrs Burns, Warwick and Jarvis must have worked wonders behind the scenes to achieve this outstanding result - not just for Leicester but for the sport as a whole.
Save for an unfortunate hiccup with the starting gates which delayed the proceedings on Friday, the organisation was smooth and seamless from the race officials through to the track staff, from the friendly ladies working tirelessly in the shop to the bands who provided the interval entertainment. And let's not forget our fabulous announcers Rob Sensical and Nicky Whitehead who did such a tremendous job, not only keeping us all informed but by whipping up the excitement - at times to fever pitch. Great stuff guys!
It was truly memorable weekend, topped by the best racing you will ever see. Well done to all those who took part and congratulations Leicester on a promotional masterpiece.
TOP NOTCH REFS - posted 7 May 2008
No summary of Euro 2008 would be complete without recognising what a tremendous job the tournament referees did. It's fair to say that collectively, this was probably the best, most consistent refereeing seen by a group of officials in years.
Of course, there will always be disagreements with some of the decisions. That's natural. But all in all Messrs Prince, Aris, Doughty, Hack and Darek did a grand job.
COMPUTER MODEL - posted 7 May 2008
Euro Club 2008 saw a welcome new initiative - officials and team managers issued with up to the minute race sheets complete with riders names before every match - a simple but very effective addition which certainly speeded up proceedings - not to mention the impossible spelling of all those Polish names!
ODD MEN OUT - posted 7 May 2008
What a pity some British teams couldn't cobble together five identical jerseys for the most important event staged in this country this year.
After their tremendous efforts in promoting the event, it was a great shame that one Leicester rider had to turn out in a 'retro' shirt that quite frankly looked jaded and tired compared to the bright modern look of his colleagues.
Sadly mine hosts were not alone. Birmingham also raced in odd shirts for most of the tournament. For a time on Sunday they really looked like a team, all five riders wearing identical shirts duly numbered one to five - and very smart they looked too. Then for some unexplained reason, one rider switched to an un-numbered shirt of different design albeit still red.
Ok - technically this was not against the rules which require teams to uniformly dressed in identical colours but you would expect our top teams at least to be kitted out in the same design.
MISSING NUMBERS - posted 7 May 2008
Even when teams looked the part, some still let the sport down by not wearing numbers. Having been complimentary to our officials, quite how this slips the attention of the game's best referees remains a mystery. Horspath may not be the best managed team in the world but at least they could have borrowed some numbers from better organised clubs and sent someone down to the corner shop for a set of safety pins.
SMART MONEY - posted 7 May 2008
On the other side of the coin, Sheffield and Edinburgh win our award for the best turned out British teams.
Ok - both clubs have tremendous sponsors that do their club proud but in turn both teams really looked the business.
Sheffield's distinctive star-studded orange and black design really stood out as did Edinburgh's pillar-box red jerseys emblazoned with the cross of St Andrew. The Scottish side even had an equally impressive "away" kit in yellow - which even looked slimming!
Its reputed that the two sets cost blue-chip sponsors Velux over £1,000. That works out at something like £50 a jersey. No wonder they looked smart!
SMASH AND GRAB - posted 7 May 2008
Sadly the weekend was ruined for two riders had their cars broken into on the overflow car-park in Slater Street. Opportunist thieves, believed to be local youngsters, smashed windows and made off with satnav and hi-fi equipment as well as several CDs.
This seems to be a growing trend when cars are left unattended at cycle speedway events. British champion Lee Aris had a bag stolen from his car at the finals weekend at Horspath a couple of years ago and our own editor's car was broken into at the indoor championships at Salford.
Perhaps clubs should consider installing security on dedicated cycle speedway car parks, especially for the big prestige matches. Many drivers would be more than happy to pay a couple of quid knowing that their cars and belongings were secured while they raced or watched cycle speedway.
VIDEO REPLAY - posted 7 May 2008
Paul Hunt is taking orders for his DVD of the European Club Championship held at Leicester last weekend. Those of you
familiar with Paul's other productions will know that a professional product is ssured. Price is just £5.00 including post and package.
To order a copy visit the club's web site at www.leicestermonarchs.co.uk
TORUN SNATCH VICTORY IN CLASSIC FINAL - posted 4 May 2008
Torun are the new European Club champions. The Poles took the title in thrilling style beating defending champions Leszo in a run-off for the title after both team had finished level on points after 16 of the most exciting, exhilarating races you could ever wish to see. Bydgoszsz were just a point adrift, making it a Polish one, two, three, while Britain's sole representative in the final, Wednesfield, finished adrift in fourth place.
The Leicester track was in immaculate condition as the riders were presented to the Lord Mayor of Leicester, Councillor Gary Hunt. Club stalwart Wil Burns explained the rapid development that had taken place at Glover Park in preparation for the championship, including a £30,000 improvement scheme which provided a new fence, floodlights and will ultimately see a roof built on the spectator stand, a welcome addition as the weather threatened to close in. Fittingly there was a short silence in memory of the late, great Harry Glover whose foresight still inspires today, three years after his untimely death.
The somewhat sombre atmosphere quickly turned to keen anticipation as cycle speedway's top announcer Rob Sensical whipped up the crowd to fever pitch as he introduced the riders one by one. After two long days of qualifying and too many three-rider races - this was game on. And what a game it turned out to be.
Bydgoszcz immediately grabbed the initiative, setting their stall out in style by winning the first three races, all from the inside grid as riders, eager not to give anything away in the early exchanges, settled for places to protect their grid positions. Nerves were tight. A gate exclusion to Torun's Marcin Paradzinski in heat three could have been more expensive than he ever dreamed.
Other than Paradzinski's exclusion, the first significiant movement, if you'll excuse the pun, came in heat four when World champion Marcin Szymanski (pictured right) blasted from the start to give Leszno their first race win. So after the first quarter the scores stood Leszno 13 Bydgoszsz 13 Torun 7 and Wednesfield 6.
Torun then moved onto the inside grid for the next series of races and used them to good effect taking three wins and a third. Again Marcin Szymanski took centre stage winning heat eight in style from grid three as the rest could only wonder in his wake. Wednesfield's Chris Jewkes momentarily held second place in this race but lost concentration and was quickly devoured by the chasing pack.
Inspired by Szymanski and the remarkable Marciej Ganczarek, who many considered the best rider in the tournament, defending champions Leszno led at half-time and a hat-trick of Euro Club victories looked distinctly on the cards. The scores were Leszno 23 Torun 21 Bydgoszcz 21 and Wednesfield 14.
Then the match erupted.
As the riders lined up for an all-star heat nine which brought together Ganczarek, Paradzinski, Aris and Nowacki, the Bydgoszcz rider clearly moved at the start. "Gate three" echoed the crowd with one accord. Referee Prince agreed and ushered Nowacki back to the pits. Uncharacteristically but appreciating the importance of the moment, Nowacki stood his ground, pointing to Aris on grid one. After what seemed an eternity, Bob Prince changed his mind and reinstated Nowacki. The crowd groaned with amazement. Duly briefed by the referee, announcer Sensical explained that before the match, the referee and race director Ivan Pike had had a discussion about Lee Aris's bike which apparently creaks when under pressure. They agreed that if this happened at the gate and distracted other riders they would not be penalised by a gate exclusion.
But the controversy had only just begun. As the mumblings subsided and the riders restarted the race, Nowacki and Paradinski clashed on the car park turn second time round. It appeared that Nowacki had over cooked it, bringing down the Torun rider in the process but referee Prince called a restart with all four riders - much to the digust of the Torun team in the pits. Eventually the race did get underway and Nowacki went on to gain four of the most fortunate points of his career.
Wednesfield brought in Terry Norman for Tom Haddock off grid one in the tenth but even the former British champion couldn't match this company and finished third. Torun on grid two took full advantage of Wednesfield's poor starts winning three of the four races from grid two to set up a grandstand finish. As the teams moved into the fourth and final quarter, the scores stood Torun 34 Bydgoszcz 33 Leszno 30 (with their insides still to come) and Wednesfield 22.
This was now full on cycle speedway of the highest order. Every point was crucial. Every point was fiercely contested.
Ganczarek and Radek Handke duly won heats 13 and 14 from the line to bring Leszno a point within Torun but two last places by Remy Buchardt and Michal Kastrau all but ended Bydgoszcz's hopes of victory. In a desparate bid to retain their title, Leszno drafted in reserve Marke Zmunda for his first outing in the final. Even from the inside and with World champion Syzmanski waiting in the wings for a banker four points in heat 16, it was a big ask - especially against the powerhouse combination of Binkowski, Aris and Skowronek. Zmunda couldn't do it, was trapped on the line as Skowronek raced away for his second win of the day as Torun's Binkowski slotted in for an all-important third place to retain their narrow lead.
So with one race to go the scores stood as Torun 41 Leszno 39 Bydgoszcz 39 and Wednesfield 30.
And what a great final race it proved to be as three of the best riders in the World, Marcin Szymanski, Darek Kurkowski and Lucasz Nowacki came to the tapes for the last time alongside a 16 year-old kid from Wednesfield. Well, the new kid on the block really set the cat among the pigeons. As he plunged into the second bend first time round at break-neck speed, he couldn't control his bike, crashed to the ground bringing down Darek Kurkowski in the process. A return to the pits as the "cause of the stoppage" was the inevitable result but what a reception young Tom Haddock got.
Back to the action and the best race you will ever see. With Szymanski almost guaranteed four points from the inside gid, a second for Darek Kurkowski would give Torun victory. But he would have to contend with Nowacki first. Mathematically if Nowacki could win and the coins fell right behind him, Bydgoszcz were still in with a shout. The noise as the three riders went to the gate was deafening. Sensing the moment, Nowacki attacked from the start. For a second it looked as if the popular Pole would ride right round the World champion. It a was do-or-die stuff, so much so that he momentarily let Kurkowski in for a match-winning second place before grabbing it back but leaving Bydgoszcz a point short of victory. It was a great, great race.
So after three hectic days and literally hundreds of races, two teams, Leszno and Torun could not be separated. Now a toss of a coin and four solid laps would be the difference between victory or defeat. Not surprisingly Leszno nominated World number one Szymanski while Torun plumped for Przemek Binkowski. You sensed that if Leszno won the toss, a third successive Euro Club title would be in the bag. It wasn't. Torun called correctly as Binkowslki moved into grid two.
With excitement at fever pitch Binkowski (pictured left) held his gate. Preferring to hold Szymanski on the outside of his back wheel in preference to making a long home-run to the flag, it developed into a technical cat-and-mouse which at one time looked as if it might all go wrong as Binkowski took Szymanski dangerously wide on one of the turns. As the pace quickened Szymanski tried to out manoeuvre Binkowski on the back straight third time round, slipped in the process and Binkowski was away. As he crossed the victory line, he was mobbed by Torun riders and supporters who ceremoniously tossed him into the air in celebration to bring to an end one of the greatest and unbelievably competitive matches you will ever see.
In the final analysis, the programme draw and the toss of a coin separated three evenly matched teams. The real turning point came in the third quarter when Torun were on grid two with Wednesfield inside them. With no disrespect to the West Midlanders who battled for every point, they were no match for Poles from the starts and round the first corner. For Torun it was as good as another four insides.
Whether Leszno were right to bring on Zmunda cold from the sub's bench in that all important heat 15 from the inside grid will be a point of conjecture and debate for years. Should they have stuck with Darius Pilas instead? No one will ever know. Bydgoszcz, inspired by Skowronek and Nowacki, came so close but two points from grid two in races 13 and 14 proved to be their downfall.
And what of Britain's sole representatives Wednesfield? In honesty they did their best and battled for every point, none more so than young Haddock who took a real battering in heat 16. But the Poles are simply in a different league. We've known this for years but the chasm is widening to frightening proportions. When you have a team including double British champion Lee Aris, former number one Terry Norman and one of the country's brightest up-and-coming riders Chris Jewkes and they can't win a race between them simply goes to prove the point - we are second best my the proverbial mile.
Before the presentation, Polish Federation president Janus Darek took to the microphone and with the help of an attractive translator thanked their British hosts, not only for their hospitality, but for introducing the sport to the Polish nation.
A salutory thought indeed!
GRAND FINAL
Torun 43 (Rafal Dulinski 13 Darek Kurkowski 12 Premek Binkowski 12 Marcin Paradzinski 6 Pawel Cegielski dnr)
Leszno 43 (Marcin Syzymnanski 14 Maciej Ganczarek 13 Radek Handke 10 Darius Pilas 5 Marek Zmuda 1)
Bydgoszcz 42 (Marcin Skowronek 14 Lacasz Nowacki 13 Remy Buchardt 9 Michal Kastrau 6 Denis Augustinski dnr)
Wednesfield 30 (Lee Aris 10 Terry Norman 9 Chris Jewkes 5 Garry Pearce 4 Tom Haddock 2)
Referee: Bob Prince (England)
PATH TO THE FINAL
FRIDAY QUALIFYING ROUNDS
LEICESTER EDGE OUT BYDGOSZCZ
The first match in Euro Club 2008 produced an epic battle between two of the big hitters, Leicester and Bydgoszcz. No more than than two points separated the two evenly matched sides throughout the 30 races.
Highlights of the round were the two clashes between home star Dave Hemsley and Leicester's adopted son Lucasz Nowacki, required by the rules to ride for his native club. With the advantage on the inside gate on both occasions, Hemsley saw off a spirited challenge from Nowacki, as the two riders hurled round the track in tandem, never more than a wheel separating the pair.
But if Hemsley and Nowacki stole the limelight, it was Marcin Skowronek who topped the score charts with an impressive 20 point maximum. Unfortunately the keenly anticipated clash between Skowronek and Hemsley never materialised as Leicester brought in tactical substitute Kev Burns for Hemsley in heat 15 - so two maximums were maintained.
Birmingham's twin spearhead of Marcus Wadhams and Chris Timms ensured the Midland team finished a comfortable third ahead of a young but spirited Hethersett and East Newport. The Norfolk side, fielding three under-16s, provided plenty of excitement but several times the slick and slightly greasey Glover Park caught them out. Making their first ever visit to Glover Park, East Newport battled hard with little reward. Several of their riders were also in the wars, including Rob Absolom who needed first aid treatment for a badly grazed knee.
So all in all, a good opening match with Leicester just getting home first but Bydgoscsz appeared to be racing well within themselves which suggests that better is to come later in the tournament.
Match A
Leicester 72 (David Hemsley 16 Craig Marchant 15 Daniel Pike 15 Mark Newey 14 Kevin Burns 12)
Bydgoszcz 71 (Marcin Skowronek 20 Lucasz Nowacki 18 Remy Burchardt 16 Michal Kastrau 14 Denis Augustinski 3)
Birmingham 56 (Marcus Wadhams 17 Chris Timms 14 Nathan Groves 1comebacks Mark Winwood 9 Paul Timms 5)
Hethersett 41 (Dave Martin 1comebacks David Adams 10, Ben Collins 10, Daniel Chambers 8 Philip Adams 2)
East Newport 37 (Nigel Clarke 9 Matt Davis 9 Ryan Hughes 7 Rob Absalom 7 Aaron Hughes 5)
Referee: Mike Hack (England)
IMPRESSIVE LESZNO
The second match gave supporters the first chance to see the pre-tournament favourites Leszno. The defending champions did not disappoint. With the World's number one, two and three riders (Szymanski, Ganczarek and Handke) in their octet, it's not surprising they are odds-favouries to take the title for the third successive time.
World champion Marcin Szymanski was simply magnificent. Combining superb balance with lightning acceleration and fast brain, he is a joy to watch. But the Leszno super-star didn't get things all his own way. He was headed home by Britain's number one Lee Aris in his last race. One rider who did get things all his own way though was Maceij Ganczarek. A really class act, he went through the card unbeaten and largely untroubled.
Second placed Torun turned in a workmanlike if unspectacular performance. They tracked Prezemek Binkowski at reserve and brought him in four times to good effect for 15 points. Wednesfield never really mounted a challenge on the top two and finished third ahead of a young Sheffield side. Although regularly outgated, British number one Lee Aris again demonstrated what a great competitor he is, comimg through time and time again from the back to score an impressive 18 points. Chris Jewkes and Garry Pearce provided good support but the West Midlanders will have to up sharpen up their game if they aspire to a top-four finish.
Sheffield's youngsters will learn from their experiences this weekend, none more so than Ryan Hoyland who was always in the thick of the action and deserved more for his efforts. Meanwhile Edinburgh, looking resplendent in their red kit emblazoned with the flag of St Andrew, will be disappointed with their performance. Only Alan Smith, Lee Lawrence and Gavin Kennedy managed to beat an opponent as the Scots trailed in a distant last.
An already over long meeting, which took close on three hours to complete, was further delayed as the newly installed start gates malfunctioned so many times that a replacement set were hurriedly installed by the Leicester track team.
Match B
Leszno 68 (Maceij Ganczarek 20 Marcin Szymanski 19 Radek Hanke 14 Darius Pilas 10 Marek Zmuda 5)
Torun 60 (Prezemek Binkowski 15 Rafal Dullinski 12 Darek Kurkowski 1comebacks Pawel Cegielski 1comebacks Marcin Paradzinski 11)
Wednesfield 52 (Lee Aris 18 Chris Jewkes 14 Garry Pearce 1comebacks Sam Smith 7 Mick Aris 2)
Gneizno 47 (Pawel Koztowski 15 Radoseaw Sieradzki 14 Lukasz Kokott 8 Frzegorz Gouchowski 7 Marcin Puk 3)
Sheffield 45 (Jono Birks 14 Ashley Birks 1comebacks Ryan Hoyland 9 Jamie Brown 7 Mick Knowles 4)
Edinburgh 2Craig (Lee Lawrence 6 Ewan Tulloch 6 Gavin Kennedy 5 Alan Smith 5)
CZESTOCHOWA IN THE DRIVING SEAT
The third and final match of a long opening day brought together five less high profile teams, three of whom provided a grandstand finish to Friday's programme. As heavy drizzle set in in the last six races, Czestochowa made light of the conditions to take the round ahead of Premier Leaguers Great Blakenham and Norwich, just seven points dividing the teams.
Czestochowa's spear-head of Domonic Rycharski and Tomasz Wlodardczyk were in spendid form dropping just one point apiece - to Josh Brooke and Lewis Osborne respectively. Konrad Pietak chipped in with a useful 15, all the more remarkable as he was sporting the most unusual stub-end handlebars you will ever see. How he manages to get any leverage from the gate is a mystery but it seems to suit his compact style.
Great Blakenham produced another typical Great Blakenham performance - unspectacular but solid thoughout. Chris Osborne, Josh Brooke, Adam Peck and Leon Mower all won races. Scoring four wins from five starts, Brooke looked comfortable in this company while Peck suffered what is becoming an increasingly predictable gate exclusion in his opening race before going on to notch 15 from his remaining four starts.
If Great Blakenham were unspectacular, Norwich's Ian Grange was a beacon of brilliance. The journeyman clubman has suddenly developed into one of the most improved riders in the game, thanks to training, new found confidence and a never give up style that endears him to the casual spectator.
On paper Ostrow were expected to be the weakest of the six strong Polish contigent and so it proved. Marcin Kolata and Piotr Jamroszczyk turned in solid performances but team mates Jaroslaw and Prezemyslaw failed to make any significant impression. Still they were too good for troubled Horspath who arrived with only three riders. They put in a dispirited and meadiocre performance. Mark Boaler was due to make up the squad but has been suspended by a British Cycling discipinary hearing.
Lewis Osborne and Steve Harris did their best, winning two races apiece but the Oxford outfit will have to look to the repercharge and the anticipated appearance of the Messiah, Mike Morgans, if they are to progress to the semi final stage.
Match C
Czestochowa 64 (Domonic Rycharski 19 Tomasz Wlodardczyk 19 Kondrad Pietak 15 Piotr Benasiak 1comebacks Kamil Balik 0)
Great Blakenham 61 (Josh Brooke 18 Adam Peck 15 Chris Osborne 14 Leon Mower 14)
Norwich 57 (Ian Grange 18 Richard Williamson 14 Leigh Cossey 12 Gary Colby 7 Lee Grange 6)
Ostrow 46 (Marcin Kolata 15 Piotr Jamrosczyk 13 Prezemyslaw Mrvgalski 9 Jaroslaw Marek 9)
Horspath 37 (Lewis Osborne 15 Dave Carmichael 1comebacks Steve Harris 11)
Referee: Ralph Doughty (England)
SATURDAY QUALIFYING ROUNDS
The second day saw the teams regroup for another series of qualifying rounds to earn points in the overall league table in a complicated formula which sees the top four clubs progress to the semi finals by right while the next eight go into to repercharges to determine the semi final line up.
EASY FOR LEICESTER
The second day opened in style as Leicester cruised to a convincing victory to book their place in the semi final. The Monarchs made a perfect start by winning their first four races and going on to fill first or second place in 19 of the 20 races they contested. Mark Newey, David Hemsley and Daniel Pike all returned untroubled four race maximums.
Meanwhile Torun and Norwich were involved in a lively scrap for second place. At one stage Torun held an eight point advantage over the Premier League side but two gate exclusions towards the end of the match let in Norwich who managed to match Torun's 56 point tally. A tie-break was called to separate the sides. Prezemek Binkowski proved too fast for Ian Grange in the run-off for second place.
Darek Kurkowski scored four race wins from four starts but through the vagaries of the imperfect programme never came up against Leicester's three maxi-men which was disappointing for spectators.
Norwich switched their team around, relegating Gary Colby to reserve berth and moving Lee Grange up the order. Richard Williamson, Leigh Cossey and the Grange boys all recorded race wins while Colby delivered a typical gutsy performance from reserve berth.
Sheffield strengthened their squad by drafting in the experienced Chris Turner but the Stars' young squad were no match for literally much stronger opposion and trailed in last.
Match D
Leicester 74 (Mark Newey 16 David Hemsley 16 Daniel Pike 16 Craig Marchant 14 Kevin Burns 12)
Torun 56 (Marcin Paradzinski 16 Darak Kurkowski 16 Prezemek Binkowski 1comebacks Rafal Dulinski 8 Pawel Cegielski 5)
Norwich 56 (Richard Williamson 16 Leigh Cossey 15 Ian Grange 13 Lee Grange 7 Gary Colby 5)
Ostrow 46 (Marcin Kolata 13 Piotr Jamroszczyk 13 Jaroslaw Marek 10 Prezemyslaw Mrvgalski 10)
Sheffield 40 (Chris Turner 15 Ryan Hoyland 10 Jamie Brown 8 Mick Knowles 7)
Referee: Bob Prince (England)
LESZNO SO CONVINCING
Unlike Leicester in the previous match, tournament favourites Leszno made a far from perfect start to qualifying match E. Marek Zmunda finished last in his opening outing leaving Horspath and Gt Blakenham sharing the lead after four races. But normal service was swiftly returned as cycle speedway's super-team went on to steam-roller the Brits into submission.
Horspath brought in Mark Carmichael for his first taste of European racing and what a great crowd pleaser the youngster proved to be. Despite he small stature, he really got stuck in and was rewarded when he took the chequered flag in heat ten ahead of Leszno's previously unbeaten Darius Pilas. Carmichael's gritty performance seemed to inspire even veteran racer Steve Harris who was back to his very best, winning four of his five races to top the individual scorechart with a polished 19 points out of 20.
Great Blakenham took time to find their feet. It took until heat 12 for them to record a race win before they really got in gear. Once again this was a typical Blakenham performance - solid scoring throughout - they riders returning a consistent 15, 13, 13 and 13 respectively. Promising Josh Brooke celebrated his 18th birthday by winning his final race.
Birmingham made life difficult for everyone although Marcus Wadham, with just one race win to his name, looked jaded and out of sorts while Chris Timms suffered two exclusions. Birmingham are something of an enigma. Individually they look a match for most teams but collectively it just doesn't come togeher somehow as a unit. Good individual performances at one end are too often counter-balanced by indifference at the other.
The night before this match, Hethersett team manager Mel Perkins promised to buy a round for his entire squad (metophorically speaking of course as they are all under 18) and entourage if any Hethersett rider beat a Leszno rider. Perkins, a former bank manager, was last seen studiously counting how much money he had in his wallet after Dan Chambers beat Radek Hanke into second place in heat 21 to set up Perkins's own credit crunch.
Match E
Leszno 70 (Marcin Szymanski 16 Mariej Ganczarek 16 Marek Zmunda 16 Darius Pilas 13 Radek Handke 9)
Horspath 57 (Steve Harris 19 Lewis Osborne 15 David Carmichael 13 Mark Carmichael 10)
Great Blakenham 54 (Adam Peck 15 Chris Osborne 13 Josh Brooke 13 Leon Mower 13)
Birmingham 51 (Marcus wadham 15 Nathan Groves 13 Mark Winwood 13 Carl Winwood 7 Chris Timms 5)
Hethersett 35 (David Adams 9 Dan Chambers 9 Philip Adams 8 Ben Collins 6 Dave Chambers 3)
Edinburgh 25 (Ewan Tulloch 9 Dave Baxter 6 Lee Lawrence 6 Alan Smith 4)
Refereee: Janus Danek (Poland)
NOWACKI MASTERCLASS
Polish teams Bydgoszcz and Chestochowa dominated the final qualifying round eclipsing Wednesfield into third place in what turned out to be a Lukasz Nowacki masterclass. What an exciting rider the Leicester-based Pole is - what class. Not the fastest gater, well not today at least, he conjured up several moments of magic, sweeping round riders at breakneck speed. It was thrilling to watch. Ok - he lost out to Tomasz Wlodardczykin heat 19 but that didn't matter. He was simply superb.
With Marcin Skowronek returning a faultless 20 point maximum, Nowacki pitching in with 19 and Burchardt and Kastrau adding value, Bydgoszcz could still be the darkhorses of this competition.
Wednesfield were not at their best. It took British champion Lee Aris four outings before he could record a race win. Having said that, Garry Pearce enjoyed his best match to date, taking three race wins, a second and a gate exclusion to take his tally to 15. In fact exclusions cost Wednesfield dearly. Sam Smith received his marching orders after taking Rob Absalom on the scenic route around Glover Park and Chris Jewkes was ushered back to the pits after moving "under orders".
Again East Newport battled hard with little reward. Ryan Hughes and Nigel Clarke consistently picked up seconds and thirds but Newport just couldn't conjure up a race winner. There was a remarkable incident in heat 15 when Matt Davis fell and was slow to remount. He received, well let's call it verbal encouragement, from his collegaues in the pits - which reached apaplectic proportions after Dominic Rychardski fell in a clash with Garry Pearce. Poor Davis, his head held low, returned to the pits amid howls of derision from his team mates who were not slow in giving him a piece of their mind.
Match F
Bydgoszcz 68 (Marcin Skowronek 20 Lucasz Nowacki 19 Remy Buchardt 16 Michal Kastrau 13 Denis Augustinski 0)
Czestochowa 58 (Dominic Rycharski 17 Thomasz Wlodardczyk 16 Konrad Pietak 14 Piotr Banasiak 11)
Wednesfield 56 (Lee Aris 16 Garry Pearce 15 Chris Jewkes 12 Tom Haddock 10 Sam Smith 3)
East Newport 44 (Ryan Hughes 13 Nigel Clarke 12 Matt Davies 10 Rob Absalom 9)
Gniezno 37 (Marcin Puk 15 Lukasz Kokott 1comebacks Radoslaw Sieradski 11)
Referee: Mike Hack (England)
REPERCHARGES
IMPROVED WEDNESFIELD BOOK SEMI FINAL PLACE
Wednesfield and Torun eased into the last eight with ease. The two pulled clear of the rest of the field as early as heat six and from then on the result was academic. If anything the remaining 2Craig heats were verging on the boring.
With Terry Norman waiting in the wings (well watching Man United take a step closer to the Premier League title) and likely to start tomorrow, suddenly the West Midlanders are very much back in the frame. Lee Aris was back to his very best scoring 19 out of a possible 20, his only defeat coming at the hands of Preemek Binkowski who went through the card unbeaten. Chris Jewkes and Garry Pearce only lost one apiece before Aris saw off the challenge of Binkowski in a tie-break after both teams finished level on 72 points.
Horspath finished third ahead of East Newport and a three-rider Sheffield. Steve Harris and Lewis Osborne spearheaded Horspath's attack.
Match G
Wednesfield 72 (Lee Aris 19 Chris Jewkes 19 Garry Pearce 19 Tom Haddock 15)
Torun 72 (Premek Bonkowski 20 Darek Kurkowski 19 Marcin Paradzinski 17 Pawel Ciegelski 12 Rafal Dalunski 4)
Horspath 52 (Steve Harris 17 Lewis Osborne 15 Dave Carmichael 12 Mark Carmichael 8)
Ostrow 37 Marcin Kolata 14 Piotr Jamrosszczyk 9 Prezemyslaw Mrugalski 9 Jarosalw Marek 5)
East Newport 33 (Ryan Hughes 1comebacks Rob Absalom 8 Matt Davies 6 Nigel Clarke 4 Aaron Hughes 4)
Sheffield 26 (Ryan Hoyland 1comebacks Jamie Brown 9 Mick Knowles 6)
Referee Bob Prince (England)
BLAKENHAM IN LAST EIGHT AS GNIEZNO TAKE A DIVE
There was a shock even before a wheel was turned in the second repercharge when it was announced that the majority of Edinburgh riders had packed their bags and headed back to Scotland leaving Ewan Tulloch as their sole representative. Not surprisingly Tulloch got, and throughly deserved, if not a standing ovation, certainly the loudest applause of the day as he came out alone for the pre-match parade.
Sadly Edinburgh's unexpected absence cast a shadow (and 20 more three-man races) on what proved to be the best match of the tournament as four evenly matched sides went head to head for a place in the last eight.
It was nip and tuck as Birmingham, Gniezno and Great Blakenham batted for the final two places in the last eight with Norwich not too adrift. In the final analysis, Birmingham were robbed of a surprise place in the semi final by a crucial machine failure, Mark Winwood shedding his chain in an unlucky heat 13. This was compounded by a moment of madness as Chris Timms wheel hooked Leon Mower in the 19th and then Winwood ended a wretched day by chopping across in heat 24, earning a deserved exclusion.
On the subject of exclusions, what a splendid job Wayne Aris did in refereeing this match. It's such a pity that work commitments, travel limiations and the obvious relationships between Wednesfield and the Aris dynasty restricts his appearance at top national and international events.
This exciting match was punctuated with a spectacular crash in heat heat 14 involving Adam Peck and Lee Grange which ended witht he Norwich rider receiving treatment from the St John Ambulance Brigade for a suspected broken finger.
By heat 24 Gniezno had all but sealed their semi final slot. Studying the pre-drawn semi final draw, they quickly realised that it would be better if they found themselves in the weaker semi final. Suddenly and very obviously they suffered a dramatic drop in form scoring three seconds and a last in their last four races to let in jubilant Great Blakenham. But their ploy may backfire, especially if rumours that Wednesfield will call on Terry Norman tomorrow. Serves them right!!!
Match H
Great Blakenham 61 (Adam Peck 19 Josh Brooke 16 Leon Mower 15 Chris Osborne 11)
Gniezno 59 (Radoslaw Sireradzki 18 Pawel Kozlowski 16 Gregorz Gluchowski 12 Marcin Puk 7 Lukasz Kokott 6)
Birmingham 55 (Marcus Wadhams 19 Chris Timms 13 Nathan Groves 12 Mark Winwood 11)
Norwich 53 (Gary Colby 17 Leigh Cossey 1comebacks Richard Williamson 1comebacks Craig Norton 10 Lee Grange 4)
Hethersett 35 (David Adams 10 Daniel Chambers 10 Philip Adam 9 Dave Chambers 5 Mel Perkins 1)
Edinburgh 10 (Ewan Tulloch 10)
Referee: Wayne Aris (England)
SEMI FINALS
SEMI FINAL A
Leszno 47 (Marcin Ganczarek 16 Marcin Syzmanski 15 Radek Handke 8 Darius Pilas 5 Marek Zmunda 3)
Wednesfield 42 (Lee Aris 13 Terry Norman 1comebacks Chris Jewkes 1comebacks Garry Pearce 4 Tom Haddock 3)
Gniezno 35 (Pawel Kozlowski 9 Radoslaw Sieradzki 9 Gregorz Glugorski 8 Lukasz Kokott 6 Marcin Puk 3)
Czestochowa 33 (Konrad Pietak 1comebacks Thomasz Wlodarczyk 9 Piotr Bansiak 8 Dominik Rykardski 5)
Referee: Mike Hack
SEMI FINAL B
Torun 47 (Rafal Dulinski 14 Przemek Binkowski 1comebacks Daerk Kurkowski 10 Marcin Paradzinski 10 Pawel Cegielski 2)
Bydgoszcz 45 (Marcin Skowronek 14 Lucasz Nowacki 1comebacks Remy Burchardt 10 Michal Kastrau 10 Denis Augustinski 0)
Leicester 37 (David Hesmley 12 Daniel Pike 1comebacks Mark Newey 6 Craig Marchant 5 Kevin Burns 3)
Gt Blakenham 27 (Adam Peck 1comebacks Josh Brooke 8 Chris Osborne 5 Leon Mower 3)
Referee: Janus Danek (Poland)
CONSOLATION FINAL
Leicester 56 (Daniel Pike 16 Mark Newey 12 Dave Hemsley 12 Craig Marchant 10 Kev Burns 6)
Gniezno 34 (Radoslaw Sieradski 12 Pawel Kozlowski 9 Lukasz Kokott 5 Marcin Puk 4 Gregorz Gluchowski 4)
Czestochowa 33 (Konrad Pietak 10 Dominik Rycharski 7 Piotr Banasiak 7 Tomasz Wlodardczyk 7 Kamil Balik 2)
Great Blakenham 32 (Adam Peck 14 Josh Brooke 8 Leon Mower 5 Chris Osborne 5)
Referee: Janus Darek (Poland)
EURO CLUB HIT BY SHOCK WITHDRAWAL - posted comebacks May 2008
International officials have been forced to hurriedly rearrange the programme for this weekend's European Club Championship after Southampton have withdrawn on the eve of the event.
The reasons why cycle speedway's most unreliable team have pulled out of the championship is unclear - although it is widely thought that two of their key riders didn't want to give up a day's pay to race of Friday. Southampton were due to compete in tomorrow's (Friday) qualifiying 12 noon round against Hethersett, Bydgoszcz, East Newport, Birmingham and Leicester.
SHEFFIELD REFUSED - posted comebacks May 2008
Sheffield have been refused permission to use Australian Mitchell Spear in tomorrow's Euro Club Championship in Leicester. British Cycling have rejected the South Yorkshire club's request to include Spear, who it is believed has dual Australian/British nationality, in their team.
WHAT A WEEKEND IN PROSPECT - posted 27 April 2008
The European club championship in Leicester over the Bank Holiday weekend should be a real showcase for the sport - and presents British clubs with their biggest ever challenge. With 17 clubs including six from Poland conesting the three-day festival, it wil be the best barometer to gauge the status of British clubs against the best of the East Europeans.
The International Cycle Speedway Federation (ICSF) has ruled that riders can only compete for the 'national' clubs - a ruling that wil rob Leicester of the services of Lucasz Novacki, Sheffield will be without Marcin Szymanski and so on.
So how will British clubs fare against the might of the East Europeans? That's a tricky questioin to answer. Much will depend on the commitment clubs give to the championship. Already there is speculation that some home clubs will not be at their strongest as key riders are not proposed to sacrifice a day's pay or take a day's holiday so they can compete in Friday's opening rounds. Conversely it is difficult to speculate on the strength of the Polish opposition. We know they are super-committed to their sport but whether this transfers to the Euro Club championship remains to be seen.
Followers of the sport in this country face the mouth-watering prospect of seeing the three best riders in the World competing in one power-house team, Leszno. Marcin Syymanski, Maciej Ganczarek and Radek Handke are all expected to turn out for the pre-tournament favourites and defending champions.
Predicting who will come out top from the British contingent is a difficult call. Many Premier League teams like Sheffield and Leicester will be without their Polish stars and will rely entirely on domestic talent. With home track advantage and the likes of Dave Hemsley, Daniel Pike and Co in their ranks, Leicester must start out as our best hope for success.
So who will do well at Euro Club 2008? Whoe are the teams and riders to watch out for? Who'll win the title? spokesman-online has asked the opinions of some of the biggest names in the sport. In the run-in to next weekend, we'll bring you more news and views - and of course we'll be reporting on the championships direct from Leicester. In the meantime here's what people in the know had to say.
"RULES ARE NOT FAIR" SAYS TOP INTERNATIONAL STAR - posted 27 April 2008
One of cycle speedway's best and most popular international riders take time out from his Euro Club 2008 preparation to give us a revealing insight on how he sees the championships going.
Lukasz Nowacki knows in the international scene inside out. He is one of cycle spedway most internationally respected racers so his words and thoughts on the sport are always authoritive. We started by asking Lukasz if it was correct that riders could only represent their national clubs in Euro Club 2008
"Yes - you understand it correctly. All foreign nationals (Poles) must represent their native clubs. Only one thing is not clear though. What if a Polish national comes to the UK to work, has never heard of cycle speedway before, comes to lets say Leicester track, wants to join and is good enough to represent them in the Euros.
Is he allowed to race for Leicester or must he go to Poland and join a Polish club? Those rules aren't fair. I'm racing for Leicester for fourth consecutive season and only rode for Bydgoszcz in three matches over four years but I am forced to race for Bydgoszcz in the Euro!!!
As for the Polish teams and my predictions, it's difficult for me to say anything as I've got two of my clubs competing. I'd say Leszno have to be a definite favorite having won the event twice in a row. They have World's number one, two, and three in their ranks (Szymanski, Ganczarek, Handke) plus Pilas and Bartoszuk to come (all those riders come from my home town Wroclaw this is a good example for folks over here arguing about home grown talents - they ride for Leszno only because the Wroclaw team no longer operate).
The strongest challenge should come from Torun's side. Torun have Paradzinski (Worlds number four), Dulinski (former European under-18 champ), Binkowski (Euro Cup winner with Poland in 2006) and Cegielski (World finalist 2008). The advantage that they might have over Leszno is that they're very united and have much more team spirit. They share their passion for the city of Torun and their love for Torun's speedway team which they all fanatically support.
Finally there are my two clubs Bydgoszcz and Leicester. Funnilly enough Bydgoszc doesn't have a full team even though I'm riding for them, and Leicester don't have a full strenght due to losing my services to Bydgoszcz!!! Michal Kastrau is BTS's skipper and team manager. He's been with the club from the start at 1996 and always was their leader, one of them. He's shown good form this season scoring 28 points from seven rides in Bydgoszcz first match which they've lost.
Remi Burchardt making a come back to the highest level of racing after few quiet years at Bury and A and T. After all he's still former under-18 Euro champ. We also have Horspath best rider Marcin Skowronek and Denis Augustynski (both former European under-18 runners up) and last not least it's me - the only rider that managed to finish in top four in all Euro and world individual finals since 2002 (but to be honest I'd rather have one win instead:) and current World number four and Euro number three.
Leicester will have to be the strongest British side of them all. They have an incredible five World titles between their riders (but it's actually only two riders who won them). They lucky enough to have Dave Hemsley and Mark Newey leading the way along with Dan Pike, arguably the best new talent in Uk right now, and if you add to this fast gating Craig Marchant and Kev Burns, it is a squad which won't be shy to have a go at any Polish team.
A real dark horse of this tournament could be either Southampton, or Gniezno. Depending what teams they will bring in. Southampton could include the best British rider Shaun Woodhouse and entertaining Gav Wheeler (racing at BPL for Poole), and Tom Colling under-18 European runner up, plus the veteran Lee Galley or Toby Millen. Soton have won the event second time running at Gt Blakenham.
Gniezno will have Pawel Kozlowski and Radek Sieradzki as leaders. Both enjoying their careers at the top level at Sheffield, could include Lukasz Kokott former double Polish individual champ who beat Damien Wozny at his very best to the title (it didn't happened that often those days). So my finalists would be - Leszno, Torun, Bydgoszcz, Leicester but can't say who's going to win. That's about it. Sorry for my writing but I'm really busy training, doing programme. for Euros, learning driving and working. Really busy time. Cheers. Lukasz.
Editors Note:
Lukasz - thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to bring us this wonderful insight into international cycle speedway. I am sure all our readers will enjoy your contribution - and be cheering you on at Leicester - whatever team you ride for!
TOUGH FOR BRITISH CLUBS PREDICTS NATIONAL CHAMPION - posted 27 April 2008
British champion Lee Aris thinks British clubs will face a tough weekend. Wednesfield, for example, will not go into the three-days over-brimming with confidence following their poor start to the season.
"We at Wednesfield have been rocked with the poor start to our Premier campaign but do feel we can go into the European Team to challenege and be a difficult opposition" Aris told spokesman-online.
"My guess is that Leszno must be one of the favourites, closely followed by the home side Leicester but it definitely has the making for a good day's entertainment for the neutral and a good shop window for cycle speedway."
"I CAN'T WAIT SAYS FORMER WORLD NUMBER ONE" - posted 27 April 2008
Few riders know the international scene better that Steve Harris who has ridden in both British and Polish Premier Leagues. The former World champion, who loves the big stage, can't wait for Euro Club 2008 to begin. Here's what he had to say to spokesman-online.
The Euro Club championships, Im looking forward to it. It should be great! Most of the best riders in the world will be there and the Leicester track always provides close fast racing. Also its about time a major event was held at Glover Park with all the improvements and spectator seating thats been added. There should be a big crowd in attendance, and lets just hope the weathers good.
As for the competition Leszno will be the team to beat again (having won the last two championships). They also boast the world numbers one, two and three in their squad. But before everyone else doesnt bother turning up and gives Leszno the trophy, Ill just mention that the two and three in the World have limited experience of racing on English tracks, so Meciej Ganczarek and Radek Handke might not be so invincible as they are in Poland.
Looking through the draw I think there is nine teams who will be aiming for a final spot - so theres bound to be more than a few disappointed spectators come the final on Sunday afternoon. Heres my nine teams - Bydgoszcz, Southampton, Leicester, Gniezno, Wednesfield, Torun, Leszno, Czestochowa and Horspath.
Im not making a prediction, but Ill say one of these nine teams will win it (Im not really taking too many risks by stating that)! But its also great to see the likes East Newport, Edinburgh and Hethersett lining up in the competition. One thing for sure well see plenty of great racing and lets just hope that we see at least one English team in the final this time round.
FRIDAY OPENER WILL HIT BRITISH CLUBS - posted 27 April 2008
Ireland team manager Gary Colby says work-commitments could decide Euro Club 2008.
"Its a shame that the Euro team is not being held Saturday to Monday. I wouldnt be surprised if many riders are missing from the Friday qualifying rounds because of work commitments. However, I feel the championships will still provide some great racing as Leicesters track always caters for some good riding" Colby told spokesman-online.
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