Category: Speedway

Mikkel Michelsen has provided an update on his condition after dramatically crashing out of the final of the Speedway Grand Prix of Poland.

Michelsen was involved in a clash with fellow Danish rider Leon Madsen on the first lap as the two battled for second place behind Max Fricke in first.

The collision sent the 27-year-old flying from his bike across the track and into the safety barriers.

Michelsen was excluded for the re-race but may not have been in condition to resume regardless after lengthy treatment for an apparent arm injury and having to be helped off the track by medics.

Writing on Instagram later, the Dane assured fans of his health but said he wouldn’t be racing for his country in the European team Speedway championship the following day.

“Not feeling well at the moment but hopefully nothing too serious.

“I have decided to pull out of tomorrow’s European Team Final in Poznan so good luck to the rest of Team DK.”

Ironically, Michelsen was due to race alongside Madsen at the event in Poznan on Sunday in a bumper weekend of action for Polish fans who sold out the 50,000 national stadium for the SGP.

“I prefer to make good starts and don’t have to fight so much on the track,” he said. “But if we have to do that, I will do that to win. Those finals are always very tough, everybody gives that 110%.

“I tried to avoid Mikkel, I was leaning, I was going left.

“As you can see, when we went into the corner, I didn’t go straight, I was going left and he kept going left on me.

“We going down the straight side by side, I’m not like behind him or anything. I feel like he kept leaning left on me and I tried to avoid him.

“He kind of like, kept provoking it. I think he knew that if I passed him that was it.”

Asked if there was a chance he might have been excluded from the race, he added: “I’m not the referee. I’m just a rider and I’m just doing my best to win every race and I tried to be fair.

“I also know if you fall off, there’s a there’s a chance that I get excluded and I don’t want that.

“So yeah, it’s tough. It’s the GP, the best riders in the world. Everybody is racing tough and hard and everyone is good here and can win the meeting. That’s why it’s so exciting for the for everyone to watch.”

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Australian champion Max Fricke was delighted with “one of those memories I will never forget” as he won the Orlen FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Warsaw.

Fricke took the win in front of more than 50,000 spectators at the PGE Narodowy on Saturday night.

A great start from Fricke had him beating Leon Madsen with the Dane pushed back into second, and Swedish rider Fredrik Lindgren took third.

With the Ukrainian invasion by Russia still fresh in the minds of the Polish crowd, there were tifos displaying the flags of both countries ahead of the race, with 100 Ukrainians special guests at the event.

The win was Fricke’s second Speedway GP victory, with his last coming in 2020 at round seven in Torun.

He said: “It’s unreal. It’s unreal to be able to say I have won a GP here in this amazing stadium in front of so many people. I really had to take a few moments, especially after the meeting, to really take in the atmosphere and the crowd. It’s definitely one of those memories I will never forget.

“I haven’t done a lot of time racing in indoor stadiums. I have ridden in them once or twice, but a long time ago. I knew it was going to be a little trickier tonight. I was just able to feel really comfortable with my bikes. My team did a really amazing job tonight and on Friday at Qualifying Practice to get me into this position and get me feeling good on the bike. Once I got out of the starts, I had plenty of speed.”

Fricke became the first competitor to win from outside the Polish top division in recent years.

He acknowledged: “I don’t know if it has been done, so it’s definitely something I can say I have done.

“The most important thing was that I felt really good tonight, regardless of what league I race in. I have been pretty busy and I have been riding a lot, so it was good to bounce back after that first round in Croatia and have a good result.”

Madsen is now on 30 points, two behind current leader Bartosz Zmarzlik, who left at the semi-final stage.

He said: “It’s nice to finally start to feel a little bit better. It hard been hard for the last month with flu and stuff like that, but I am slowly getting my fitness back.

“Tonight it was crazy and it is always crazy in these indoor meetings. The races go just like that – in such a short amount of time.

“You don’t always have time in the pits to affect your races, so it is really stressful and so crazy. I am happy to come second tonight and be up there at the top in the classification – second place and only two points short of the leader. It’s good to be back and I am happy about that.”

Lindgren was pleased with his own return to form, explaining: “I really needed a decent result in Warsaw to bounce back and climb the ladder in the championship table. I am really happy with third tonight. It was a really tough night for me.

“I had some really bad luck – I snapped a chain and crashed in one heat. I was fighting in every heat for every point and I got a bit lucky in the semi-final, to be honest. I was in the final to get on the podium, and that’s the way it is sometimes.”

The next event is the Prague FIM Speedway GP of Czech Republic – Prague on Saturday, May 28.

SPEEDWAY GP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:

1 – Bartosz Zmarzlik 32

2 – Leon Madsen 30

3 Mikkel Michelsen 30

4 Maciej Janowski 29

5 Fredrik Lindgren 24

6 Max Fricke 22

7 Robert Lambert 18

8 Anders Thomsen 15

9 Jason Doyle 15

10 Tai Woffinden 14

11 Matej Zagar 11

12 Pawel Przedpelski 10

13 Jack Holder 10

14 Patryk Dudek 10

15 Martin Vaculik 9

16 Dan Bewley 9

17 Maksym Drabik 4.

WARSAW CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS:

1 Max Fricke 20

2 Leon Madsen 18

3 Fredrik Lindgren 16

4 Mikkel Michelsen 14

5 Bartosz Zmarzlik 12

6 Maciej Janowski 11

7 Tai Woffinden 10

8 Pawel Przedpelski 9

9 Robert Lambert 8

10 Jack Holder 7

11 Jason Doyle 6

12 Patryk Dudek 5

13 Maksym Drabik 4

14 Dan Bewley 3

15 Martin Vaculik 2

16 Anders Thomsen 1

17 Jakub Miskowiak 0

18 Vitalii Lysak DNR.

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Australian champion Max Fricke was delighted with “one of those memories I will never forget” as he won the Orlen FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Warsaw.

Fricke took the win in front of more than 50,000 spectators at the PGE Narodowy on Saturday night.

A great start from Fricke had him beating Leon Madsen with the Dane pushed back into second, and Swedish rider Fredrik Lindgren took third.

With the Ukrainian invasion by Russia still fresh in the minds of the Polish crowd, there were tifos displaying the flags of both countries ahead of the race, with 100 Ukrainians special guests at the event.

The win was Fricke’s second Speedway GP victory, with his last coming in 2020 at round seven in Torun.

He said: “It’s unreal. It’s unreal to be able to say I have won a GP here in this amazing stadium in front of so many people. I really had to take a few moments, especially after the meeting, to really take in the atmosphere and the crowd. It’s definitely one of those memories I will never forget.

“I haven’t done a lot of time racing in indoor stadiums. I have ridden in them once or twice, but a long time ago. I knew it was going to be a little trickier tonight. I was just able to feel really comfortable with my bikes. My team did a really amazing job tonight and on Friday at Qualifying Practice to get me into this position and get me feeling good on the bike. Once I got out of the starts, I had plenty of speed.”

Fricke became the first competitor to win from outside the Polish top division in recent years.

He acknowledged: “I don’t know if it has been done, so it’s definitely something I can say I have done.

“The most important thing was that I felt really good tonight, regardless of what league I race in. I have been pretty busy and I have been riding a lot, so it was good to bounce back after that first round in Croatia and have a good result.”

Madsen is now on 30 points, two behind current leader Bartosz Zmarzlik, who left at the semi-final stage.

He said: “It’s nice to finally start to feel a little bit better. It hard been hard for the last month with flu and stuff like that, but I am slowly getting my fitness back.

“Tonight it was crazy and it is always crazy in these indoor meetings. The races go just like that – in such a short amount of time.

“You don’t always have time in the pits to affect your races, so it is really stressful and so crazy. I am happy to come second tonight and be up there at the top in the classification – second place and only two points short of the leader. It’s good to be back and I am happy about that.”

Lindgren was pleased with his own return to form, explaining: “I really needed a decent result in Warsaw to bounce back and climb the ladder in the championship table. I am really happy with third tonight. It was a really tough night for me.

“I had some really bad luck – I snapped a chain and crashed in one heat. I was fighting in every heat for every point and I got a bit lucky in the semi-final, to be honest. I was in the final to get on the podium, and that’s the way it is sometimes.”

The next event is the Prague FIM Speedway GP of Czech Republic – Prague on Saturday, May 28.

SPEEDWAY GP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:

1 – Bartosz Zmarzlik 32

2 – Leon Madsen 30

3 Mikkel Michelsen 30

4 Maciej Janowski 29

5 Fredrik Lindgren 24

6 Max Fricke 22

7 Robert Lambert 18

8 Anders Thomsen 15

9 Jason Doyle 15

10 Tai Woffinden 14

11 Matej Zagar 11

12 Pawel Przedpelski 10

13 Jack Holder 10

14 Patryk Dudek 10

15 Martin Vaculik 9

16 Dan Bewley 9

17 Maksym Drabik 4.

WARSAW CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS:

1 Max Fricke 20

2 Leon Madsen 18

3 Fredrik Lindgren 16

4 Mikkel Michelsen 14

5 Bartosz Zmarzlik 12

6 Maciej Janowski 11

7 Tai Woffinden 10

8 Pawel Przedpelski 9

9 Robert Lambert 8

10 Jack Holder 7

11 Jason Doyle 6

12 Patryk Dudek 5

13 Maksym Drabik 4

14 Dan Bewley 3

15 Martin Vaculik 2

16 Anders Thomsen 1

17 Jakub Miskowiak 0

18 Vitalii Lysak DNR.

—

Australian champion Max Fricke was delighted with “one of those memories I will never forget” as he won the Orlen FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Warsaw.

Fricke took the win in front of more than 50,000 spectators at the PGE Narodowy on Saturday night.

A great start from Fricke had him beating Leon Madsen with the Dane pushed back into second, and Swedish rider Fredrik Lindgren took third.

With the Ukrainian invasion by Russia still fresh in the minds of the Polish crowd, there were tifos displaying the flags of both countries ahead of the race, with 100 Ukrainians special guests at the event.

The win was Fricke’s second Speedway GP victory, with his last coming in 2020 at round seven in Torun.

He said: “It’s unreal. It’s unreal to be able to say I have won a GP here in this amazing stadium in front of so many people. I really had to take a few moments, especially after the meeting, to really take in the atmosphere and the crowd. It’s definitely one of those memories I will never forget.

“I haven’t done a lot of time racing in indoor stadiums. I have ridden in them once or twice, but a long time ago. I knew it was going to be a little trickier tonight. I was just able to feel really comfortable with my bikes. My team did a really amazing job tonight and on Friday at Qualifying Practice to get me into this position and get me feeling good on the bike. Once I got out of the starts, I had plenty of speed.”

Fricke became the first competitor to win from outside the Polish top division in recent years.

He acknowledged: “I don’t know if it has been done, so it’s definitely something I can say I have done.

“The most important thing was that I felt really good tonight, regardless of what league I race in. I have been pretty busy and I have been riding a lot, so it was good to bounce back after that first round in Croatia and have a good result.”

Madsen is now on 30 points, two behind current leader Bartosz Zmarzlik, who left at the semi-final stage.

He said: “It’s nice to finally start to feel a little bit better. It hard been hard for the last month with flu and stuff like that, but I am slowly getting my fitness back.

“Tonight it was crazy and it is always crazy in these indoor meetings. The races go just like that – in such a short amount of time.

“You don’t always have time in the pits to affect your races, so it is really stressful and so crazy. I am happy to come second tonight and be up there at the top in the classification – second place and only two points short of the leader. It’s good to be back and I am happy about that.”

Lindgren was pleased with his own return to form, explaining: “I really needed a decent result in Warsaw to bounce back and climb the ladder in the championship table. I am really happy with third tonight. It was a really tough night for me.

“I had some really bad luck – I snapped a chain and crashed in one heat. I was fighting in every heat for every point and I got a bit lucky in the semi-final, to be honest. I was in the final to get on the podium, and that’s the way it is sometimes.”

The next event is the Prague FIM Speedway GP of Czech Republic – Prague on Saturday, May 28.

SPEEDWAY GP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:

1 – Bartosz Zmarzlik 32

2 – Leon Madsen 30

3 Mikkel Michelsen 30

4 Maciej Janowski 29

5 Fredrik Lindgren 24

6 Max Fricke 22

7 Robert Lambert 18

8 Anders Thomsen 15

9 Jason Doyle 15

10 Tai Woffinden 14

11 Matej Zagar 11

12 Pawel Przedpelski 10

13 Jack Holder 10

14 Patryk Dudek 10

15 Martin Vaculik 9

16 Dan Bewley 9

17 Maksym Drabik 4.

WARSAW CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS:

1 Max Fricke 20

2 Leon Madsen 18

3 Fredrik Lindgren 16

4 Mikkel Michelsen 14

5 Bartosz Zmarzlik 12

6 Maciej Janowski 11

7 Tai Woffinden 10

8 Pawel Przedpelski 9

9 Robert Lambert 8

10 Jack Holder 7

11 Jason Doyle 6

12 Patryk Dudek 5

13 Maksym Drabik 4

14 Dan Bewley 3

15 Martin Vaculik 2

16 Anders Thomsen 1

17 Jakub Miskowiak 0

18 Vitalii Lysak DNR.

—

Max Fricke took a shock win at the FIM Speedway Grand Prix in Poland in front of a massive crowd of 50,000 fans. It looked as if it would be Bartosz Zmarzlik’s to lose after a stellar performance during Friday night’s qualifying.

Going into race day, Zmarzlik stormed to the top of the standings after 20 heats but hadn’t done it easily. Maciej Janowski and Leon Madsen had given the Polish rider a tough time all evening, but as the evening went on, the pair dropped off, leaving Zmarzlik on top.

Fricke had snuck himself into the top eight after a disappointing start to his evening and took to the track to compete in the first semi-final of the night against Zmarzlik, Pawel Przedpelski and Fredrik Lindgren.

Zmarzlik stormed ahead but a costly mistake allowed Fricke to get by. It looked as if Zmarzlik would get second, but another mistake left Zmarzlik heartbroken and out of the finals. Fricke was a shock entry to the decider, along with Lindgren.

The second semi-final saw both Tai Woffinden and crucially for the 50,000-strong home support, Janowski miss out of the final, meaning no Polish rider could compete for the win. Mikkel Michelsen and Madsen flew the Danish flag in the final four.

The final showdown between Fricke, Michelsen, Madsen and Lindgren didn’t go down smoothly. Fricke went flying out of the gates, but the race was red-flagged due to contact between Michelsen and Madsen.

Michelsen went flying off his bike, but was ultimately found at fault for the collision and was excluded from the final.

Just like the first attempt, Fricke flew out of the gate and never looked back, sailing away to his first win of the year. Madsen was able to claim second, and Lindgren was third-placed on the night.

Championship Standings After Two Races

1 – Bartosz Zmarzlik (Poland) 32pts

2 – Leon Madsen (Denmark) 30pts

3 – Mikkel Michelsen (Denmark) 30pts

4 – Maciej Janowski (Poland) 29pts

5 – Fredrik Lindgren (Sweden) 24pts

6 – Max Fricke (Australia) 22pts

7 – Robert Lambert (United Kingdom) 18pts

8 – Jason Doyle (Australia) 15pts

9 – Anders Thomsen (Denmark) 15pts

10 – Tai Woffinden (United Kingdom) 10pts

11 – Matej Zagar (Slovakia) 11pts

12 – Pawel Przedpelski (Poland) 10pts

13 – Jack Holder (Australia) 10pts

14 – Patryk Dudek (Poland) 10pts

15 – Martin Vaculik (Slovakia) 9pts

16 – Dan Bewley (United Kingdom)9pts

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