GRAND PRIX OF GREAT BRITAIN

21 SHARE £1,000 PRIZE-FUND - posted 29 September 2009 

21 riders shared the £1,000 Grand Prix prize fund as follows

Lukasz Nowacki £275, Lee Aris £195, Lewis Bates £125, Thomas Reed £100, Pawel Koslowski £75, Daniel Pike £35, Gavin Wheeler £30, Paul Heard £25, Lewis Osborne £25, Dariusz Pilas £25, Andy Angell £20, Ben Mould £20, Marcus Wadhams £10, Matt Beharrell £5, Gary Brown £5, Mark Griffiths £5, Chris Jewkes £5, Terry Norman £5, Adam Stephenson £5, Chris Timms £5, Mark Winwood £5

NOWACKI CASHES IN

Polish super-star Lukasz Nowacki beat British champion Lee Aris in a tie-break race to become the first winner of the Grand Prix of Great Britain held in the splendid surroundings of East Park, Wolverhamption this afternoon, earning the Leicester-based Pole cash prizes of £270.

The pundits predicted that cycle speedway's newest showpiece would be dominated by the sport's top two riders - and so it proved.  But the script went horribly wrong as early as heat four when British champion Lee Aris was outpaced by teenage sensation Thomas Reed.  The national number one recovered well, beating Nowacki from the inside grid in heat nine to set up a tie-break race for the title, after both riders finished on 19 points, well clear of the chasing pack.

Nowacki won the toss for grid positions, comfortably made the gate and quickly opened up a three length lead which, try as he might, Aris never looked like pulling back, conceeding defeat in the last half lap.  It was a great finish to a great day, dominated by two giants of international cycle speedway.

Lewis Bates reinforced his standing as one of the sport's biggest stars, finishing third on 16 points, two ahead of Thomas Reed and Pawel Koslowski. While not denying Bates's determined performance, he was a shade fortunate when, on both his grid twos, riders inside him were excluded for starting infringements, in effect giving the Stoke rider three inside gates.

One of those riders was Thomas Reed.  For the second time in a major event, he saw his chances wrecked by a starting disqualification.  Still that's all part of the learning process.  It's easy to forget that the Exeter lad is just 16-years-old.  What a prospect he is for the future.  Showing a maturity far beyond his years, he went on to win two races and take two seconds, before seeing off Pawel Koslowski in a fourth-place run-off.

Rightly so, Reed's parents and particular his canny dad Mark, a quality rider in his heyday, have 'protected' Thomas from the rigours of senior competiition but on this showing, it's now time to stand up to the oche.  Not only did he beat Aris but he gave eventual champion Nowacki the fright of his life in the heat 20, buzzing round his back wheel like a demented bee.  It was great stuff.

One lasting impression that many took away from this match was the wonderful quality of our younger riders.  Free from the shackles of age-category competition, this was the day when they were pitching with the big boys.  While Reed stole the headlines, his peers turned in impressive performances against some of the biggest names in the game.  National under-16 champion Ben Mould picked up a £15 race-winner's prize, beating Pawel Koslowski, Marcus Wadhams and Dariusz Pilas in heat five while under-19 number one Paul Heard easily accounted for former British champion Terry Norman in heat ten.  Gutsy Matt Beharrell also caught the eye, recovering from a horrific crash in heat eleven which required medical treatment before going on to return twelve impressive points.

In contrast some of cycle speedway's biggest names struggled today.  Former national champions Gavin Wheeler and Terry Norman managed only one race win between them; Marcus Wadhams looked out of sorts, particularly off the gate, finishing penniless; Daniel Pike never recovered after being passed by Adam Stephenson in his opening race, falling in the process while a gate exclusion in last outing restricted Lewis Osborne's tally to single figures.

With a £1,000 prizefund on offer, the racing was always fast and furious under the tolerant eye of referee Ralph Doughty.  With its £1,000 prize fund, glittering array of trophies and prizes, fireworks and glitter, the inaugural Grand Prix was an undoubted success.  It was a day dominated by two amazing riders of contrasting style and technique - and a quiet 16-year-old who, in years to come,  could eclipse them both.

Grand Prix of Great Britain Final
1st Lukasz Nowacki 19, 2nd Lee Aris 19, 3rd Lewis Bates 16, 4th Thomas Reed 14, 5th Pawel Koslowski 14, 
Ben Mould 12, Adam Stephenson 12, Matt Beharrell 12, Marcus Wadhams 12, Daniel Pike 12, Terry Norman 11, Dariusz Pilas 11, Lewis Osborne 9, Gavin Wheeler 9, Paul Heard 9, Andy Angel 6
Referee: Ralph Doughty (Nottinghamshire)

LONG WAIT WORTHWHILE





New Grand Prix champion Lukasz Nowacki, was thrilled with his victory.  The beaming Pole couldn't hid his excitement as he told spokesman-online

"What a great event to win. Not only quality field to beat, but also great prizes.  I'm delighted with the result.  I have been waiting long time for it to come. East Park track staff have done one hell of a job to prepare super fast surface that suited me just perfect, and the presentation was as good as ever. Grand Prix of Britain definitely is the event to be in.







SEMI FINAL SURPRISES

The keenly contested semi-finals produced a couple of surprises.  Sixth-ranked Nathan Groves failed to make the cut after being excluded for a tapes infringement in his opening race, won by Chris Jewkes.  Unfortunately things went rapidly downhill from there for multi national finalist Jewkes who could do no better than third in his remaining four races.

And biggest casualty in the second semi was promising Mark Carmichael.  The talented Horspath youngster couldn't repeat his match-winning form for Horspath in last weekend's British team final, finishing well short of the qualification mark.

Semi Final A
Qualifers
Lukasz Nowacki 18,Gavin Wheeler 18, Daniel Pike 17, Tom Reed 17, Paul Heard 15, Ben Mould 14, Matt Beharrell 14, Terry Norman 13
Non Qualifiers
Mark Griffiths 13, Chris Jewkes 12, Mark Winwood 10, Nathan Groves 9, Craig Nethercott 8, Paul Timms 7, Matt Turley 6, Richard Harrison 6
Referee: Ralph Doughty (Nottinghamshire)

Semi Final B
Qualifiers
Andy Angel 18, Lee Aris 18, Lewis Osborne 17, Pawel Koslowski 16, Lewis Bates 16, Dariusz Pilas 15, Adam Stephenson 15, Marcus Wadhams 15,
Non Qualifiers
Gary Brown 11, Mark Carmichael 10, Mick Aris 9, Ben Higham 9, Matt Smith 9, Chris Timms 8, Luke Draisley 8, Steve Copping 5
Referee: Wayne Aris (West Midlands)

EAST PARK PRAISE

East Park Wolves have won deserved praise for hosting the Grand Prix in style.  Formed only three years ago as a sister club to Wednesfield, club members have done a wonderful job returning the track and its surrounds to its former glory.  The setting, complete with bunting, manicured centre green and pristine white lines and edges, capped of course by a superb racing surface, really set the scene, enabling the riders to show off their skill and speed to the full. And the prize presentations, complete with fireworks and glitter, brought a colourful end to an excellent day.

LONG LIST OF ABSENTEES

The only downside on an otherwise excellent day was the long list of absentees.  Unbelievably 25% of the 32 riders listed in the match-day programme were unavailable or simply didn't turn up.  Among the eight who were missing, five were from the South-East,  The list of abstentees who were either working or injured were Josh Brooke, Les Stevens, Tom Colling, Ben Donahue, Leon Mower, Denis Hubble, Mike Morgans and Daniel Osborne.

The late call-offs gave national competitons manager Pete Ward a real head-ache but thankfully he managed to draft in last minute replacements to save the day, including Matt Turley (who won our award as the best-turned out rider on the day complete with colour coordinated bike and clothing, even down to his yellow socks) and Luke Draisley who has only been racing six weeks but already looks a good prospect.

"Please pass on my thanks to all those riders who stood in at short notice" said organiser Pete Ward. 

MISSING STARS

Unfortunately the inaugural Grand Prix of Great Britain failed to capture the imagination of many of the sport's top stars.  The regional qualifyinging rounds clashed with Polish domestic competitions, so there were only a handful if Poles taking part.  To compound matters, several top British riders including silver and bronze medallists, Steve Harris and Mark Boaler were missing along with national finalists Adam Peck, Chris Osborne, Mark Newey, Jamie Brown, and Leon Yelland.

Despite the luke warn support from many of the sport's biggest names, organisers will take much from this first showing and may consider changes, including making the event truly international and inviting riders to take part instead of qualifying.  A return to East Park next year shouldn't be ruled out either.
 
NEW GRAND PRIX AT THE LAUNCH PAD - posted 16 September 2009

This Saturday, 19 September, sees the cycle speedway road show roll in to East Park Wolverhampton for the first staging of the Grand Prix of
Great Britain where 32 of the top riders in Europe will go head to head in two semi finals with the top eight from each progressing to the grand final.

The leading contenders are British champion Lee Aris, the Poles headed by Lukasz Nowaki,Darius Pilas and Pawel Koslowski, and
former British champions Gavin Wheeler,Terry Norman and Denis Hubble.

The action start at 11am with the first semi final, tapes up at 1pm for the second semi with the grand final starting at 3pm. The East Park track is the largest in the country and should test the riders to the limit.  The surface is fast and there is plenty of room for the riders to pass so it promises to be yet another great final in a year of wonderful spectacles that have reignited the public's interest in cycle speedway.

Timetable of Events
11am Semi Final One
1pm  Semi Final Two
3.30pm  Grand Final

Entertainment
During the afternoon a piper will provide stirring tunes for your enjoyment.

Facilities
Free parking adjacent to the track on the disused Astroturf area.  Changing rooms, showers and toilet facilities are only two minutes from the track.  Hot and cold food will also be available on site. Match programmes will be on sale from 11am.

Directions
From all directions leave M6 at Junction 10 Walsall, follow signs for Willenhall and Wolverhampton going along the Black Country Route A454.  Take the third exit signposted Wolverhampton onto the Keyway.  About a mile on you come to a roundabout.  You now join the old A454 into Wolverhampton.  Through two major traffic light junctions after the last junction you take the fifth on the left into Hickman Avenue.  You will shortly arrive at the main entrance to the park but do not enter here.  Keep on Hickman Avenue and look for a left entrance into the park.  This entrance is opposite Sutherland Avenue and is at the back of Monmore Green Stadium, home of Wolverhampton Speedway.  Once in the park go immediatly right, follow the path onto the large parking area.  The post code for the East Park is WV1 2DN and once you enter the Park you must put you hazard warning lights on and strictly adhere to the 5mph speed limit.

The Riders
The draw has been made for the semi-finals of the Grand Prix of Great Britain, to take place on Saturday 19 September at East Park track, Wolverhampton. The first eight riders in each semi-final will progress to the final at 3:30 pm. The draw is:

Semi-Final 1: 11:00 am
1 Thomas Reed (Exeter), 2 Lukasz Nowacki (Leicester), 3 Mark Winwood (Birmingham), 4 Daniel Pike (Ipswich), 5 Josh Brooke (Great Blakenham), 6 Ben Mould (Poole), 7 Chris Jewkes (Wednesfield), 8 Gavin Wheeler (Poole), 9 Mark Griffiths (Wednesfield), 10 Les Stevens (East London), 11 Matt Beharrell (Hull), 12 Tom Colling (Poole), 13 Paul Heard (Birmingham), 14 Terry Norman (Stockport), 15 Richard Harrison (Stoke), 16 Craig Nethercott (Exeter)

Semi-Final 2: 1:00 pm
1 Ben Donohue (Poole), 2 Dariusz Pilas (Sheffield), 3 Chris Timms (Birmingham), 4 Leon Mower (Great Blakenham), 5 Ben Higham (Stockport), 6 Lee Aris (Wednesfield), 7 Denis Hubble (East London), 8 Adam Stephenson (Hull), 9 Marcus Wadhams (Birmingham), 10 Mike Morgans (Horspath), 11 Gary Brown (Somersham), 12 Mark Carmichael (Horspath), 13 Lewis Osborne (Great Blakenham), 14 Pawel Koslowski (Sheffield), 15 Daniel Osborne (Great Blakenham), 16 Lewis Bates (Stoke)