Australia second in SWC Event 1
Will now have to win the last chance qualifier to make it through to the finalAustralia finished second behind Great Britain in event one of the 2017 Speedway World Cup at King’s Lynn, England, on Saturday, July 1.
Australia finished on 44pts, nine behind Great Britain (53) and in front of America (15) and the Czech Republic (13).
With Jason Doyle out of action, Chris Holder was the star for Australia with 19pts, while Troy Batchelor (12) was also in strong form. Max Fricke (8pts) and Nick Morris (5pts) were the other Australians in action.
Great Britain now progresses straight through to the July 8 final in Poland alongside host Poland, plus the Event 2 and Race Off winners.
Australia and America will compete in the Race Off on July 7, also in Poland, against the second and third place placegetters from Event 2, which will feature Sweden, Denmark, Russia and a qualifier.
Aussie boss Mark Lemon believes his side has a tough task to lift the Ove Fundin Trophy.
“I know it has been done, but now there are back-to-back nights; it’s tough. People take for granted how much effort goes into these meetings," Lemon said.
"Whether you win or you lose, it takes it out of the boys," Lemon said. The Brits will go in there fresh. The Race Off isn’t a double-edged sword – it’s hideous.”
Reflecting on Event 1, Lemon paid tribute to the Brits, as well as skipper Chris Holder, who led the Roos’ challenge on 19 points. He said: “The Brits rode great; you can’t deny them that. Chris had plenty of resilience, but one man can’t do it alone.
"The boys just didn’t fire on the track. The slick conditions kind of caught them out a little bit. Collectively, we struggled at the starts. But you have to adapt. They’re pro riders.”
EVENT 1 SCORES
GREAT BRITAIN 53: 1 Steve Worrall 13, 2 Craig Cook 14, 3 Chris Harris 13, 4 Robert Lambert 13, 5 Adam Ellis DNR.
AUSTRALIA 44: 1 Jason Doyle DNR, 2 Chris Holder 19, 3 Nick Morris 5, 4 Troy Batchelor 12, 5 Max Fricke 8.
USA 15: 1 Ricky Wells 3, 2 Gino Manzares 7, 3 Luke Becker 2, 4 Dillon Ruml 2, 5 Broc Nicol 1.
CZECH REPUBLIC 13: 1 Matej Kus 0, 2 Vaclav Milik 6, 3 Josef Franc 4, 4 Hynek Stichauer 3, 5 Eduard Krcmar 0.
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