We are at the halfway point of the European top riders’ rivalry. For some of them, third round of TAURON SEC 2018 in Daugavpils will be the last call for a breakthrough and getting back in the game to reach for medals. Others will try to defend what has already been gained.
On 29th of June, we had junior riders fighting for points in the FIM Speedway U21 World Championship and the last heat of this meeting proved that we can expect some spectacular emotions. Back then, Maksym Drabik grabbed the win at the very last meters. Which of his older colleagues will follow his steps?
Polish fans have been looking at the overall classification with joy, having Jarosław Hampel on the table’s top. Hampel won in Gniezno and brought valuable 8 points from Guestrow. His advantage over second in this classification – Leon Madsen is three points. Even though dane was the runner-up in german round, behind Robert Lambert, his solid points made this second position a bit sweetier. One of the main favourites of the series proved that he’s the one to reckon with till the very end.
Local fans will take a closer look at current european champion – Andzejs Lebedevs. So far, he’s still been trying to get back into a good disposition and starts the rivalry in Daugavpils with 10 points gathered. If Latvian is willing to join the rivalry to reach for top positions, then he has to bring some top-notch racing in front of his home crowd.
Second Latvian in this line u is the wild card – 19 y.o. Oleg Mihailovs, representing local Lokomotiv club. He’s been proving numerous times that in Daugavpils, he’s capable of competing with some big names. This rider could also be admired during the u21 round in Latvia, when he scored 11 points. We are really curious how will he race among the senior riders.
Who will be chased by Lebedevs and others from the further positions? Most definitely, there’s a powerful trio of Robert Lambert, Mikkel Michelsen and Kai Huckenbeck. Representatives of Denmark and Germany got the same amount of points. First of them started with 9 points in Gniezno, but improved his score in Guestrow with 2 points more.
Second of them got it exactly opposite. Lambert, however, proved with his big win in Guestrow that he really enjoys racing at this short track. Will he be able to reach for podium in Daugavpils as well? Brit is definitely all about to continue his great season.
This year’s series, just like qualification rounds proved that all expectations and predictions can be quickly verified.
Equal line up and incredible motivation of all riders are the best invitation to watch this round of august 18th. Round in Daugavpils is the third round of the series. After that, we’re waiting for the grand final at Śląski Stadium in Chorzów on 15th of September. Who will get the medals hung on their necks? Step towards this goal has to be done in Latvia!
