It's time for the fourth and final round of TAURON SEC 2023. Just like a year before, the medals of the Individual European Championship will be handed out in Pardubice.
Mikkel Michelsen is one step away from winning the championship title. With a favorable - for him - arrangement and possible slip-ups of his rivals, the matter of gold may be unraveled before the last series of racing. The Dane faces a great chance to become the first rider in the history of the TAURON Speedway Euro Championship to reach for the title three times. A year ago, he proved his familiarity with the local track, where he reached for victory.
Michelsen's main rival in the fight for gold will be his compatriot Leon Madsen. The older Dane won two of this year's three rounds, standing on the top step of the podium in Częstochowa and Bydgoszcz. A weaker performance in Güstrow has put him in second place in the interim classification, with an eight-point loss to Michelsen. The two-time Individual European Champion from 2018 and 2022 still counts in the fight for gold, but in addition to "scoring" a perfect meeting, he must count on the slip-ups of his main rival. Even one weaker race can deprive him of chances for the title.
One of the favorites to win in Pardubice is Janusz Kołodziej. After an injury suffered in the PGE Ekstraliga match, the Pole is in a top form through the whole season. Kołodziej won during the second round in Güstrow, and two weeks ago he took fourth place in Bydgoszcz. Pole still faces a chance to defend his TAURON SEC vice-championship from a year ago. He is only four points short of Madsen, who is second.
Local fans will keep their fingers crossed for their representatives - Jan Kvech, Vaclav Milik and Petr Chlupac. The regular participants in this year's competition will do what's possible to perform at their best in front of their 'home' audience, while Chlupac will make his debut in the TAURON Speedway Euro Championship.
The title sponsor of the cycle is TAURON Polska Energia
Tickets for the final round in Pardubice are available for sale at speedwayeuro.com
Starting list:
1. Dominik Kubera #415 (Poland)
2. Janusz Kołodziej #333 (Poland)
3. Vaclav Milik #225 (Czech Republic)
4. Antonio Lindbäck #85 (Sweden)
5. Andzejs Lebedevs #129 (Latvia)
6. Leon Madsen #30 (Denmark)
7. Kacper Woryna #223 (Poland)
8. Grzegorz Zengota #29 (Poland)
9. Mikkel Michelsen #155 (Denmark)
10. Jan Kvech #201 (Czech Republic)
11. Dimitri Berge #98 (France)
12. Kai Huckenbeck #744 (Germany)
13. Andreas Lyager #114 (Denmark)
14. Adam Ellis #299 (Great Britain)
15. Patryk Dudek #692 (Poland)
16. Petr Chlupáč #16 (Czech Republic)
17. Hynek Štichauer (Czech Republic)
18. Matouš Kameník (Czech Republic)
