This year's TAURON SEC line-up include four debiutants. One of them is Dimitri Berge, who took eighth place in Rybnik with nine points scored. Can the 2016 Individual Junior European Champion count his debut as a success?
Berge surprised the fans already in his first appearance. Starting from the fourth position, he crossed the finish line ahead of Kai Huckenbeck and one of the current best speedway riders in the world, Leon Madsen. This was certainly a dream debut.
In his second heat, he got off to a fantastic start, but was overtaken in the final phase by another newcomer, Rasmus Jensen. The former Junior IEC did not give up, but eventually finished second.
He did not add any point in the third series. Starting from the gate A, the Frenchman had to accept the superiority of much more experienced riders. These are Mikkel Michelsen, Janusz Kołodziej and Bartosz Smektala. After three rounds, the Frenchman had five points. In order to get closer to possibly advancing to the decisive races, Berge could not make any mistakes.
Improvements in the setup had the desired effect. In his fourth start, after a very successful first lap, he was on the lead, which he did not give up until the finish line. The Frenchman left Dominik Kubera and the Rybnik crowd's favourite Kacper Woryna behind his back.
To be in the top six after the regular phase, Berge had to score no less than two points in his last start. However, this task was very difficult. The Frenchman started alongside Patryk Dudek, who was phenomenal on the day, and Piotr Pawlicki. As expected, Dudek started well and took the win with confidence. Berge fought a fierce battle with Pawlicki, but in the end, it was the Leszno's rider who triumphed.
Dimitri Berge had a really solid debut performance in the Tauron SEC series. If he shows similar form in the next rounds, the fans will certainly see him at the top of the series even this year.
The second round of the TAURON Speedway Euro Championship 2022 will take place in Güstrow on August 6. Tickets are available at bit.ly/Gustrow_Tickets and www.speedwayeuro.com.
