Doyle on the boil in Prague

Elated Australian ace Jason Doyle stormed to his first ever FIM Speedway Grand Prix victory in Prague on Saturday, June 25.

Doyle topped the Marketa Stadium rostrum after surging past new world championship leader Greg Hancock in the Czech capital’s 20th SGP event.

Great Britain star Chris Harris stormed to third place ahead of Niels-Kristian Iversen on his first SGP final appearance since he finished fourth at the Danish SGP in Copenhagen on June 9, 2012.

But this was the night Doyle joined the SGP winners’ circle and the Newcastle-born racer was elated to have finally tasted victory after so many close brushes with glory.

He said: “I can’t believe what has happened. On the last lap when I was out in front, I was just thinking ‘come on! Keep going!’ Everyone tells you that when you’re going to win something, you can hear the engine ticking over nicely. In the final, the bike rode perfectly. It’s one of those moments I’ll never forget.

“I knew I wouldn’t be able to out-trap Greg off one. He’s just one of those class acts. I went wide and tried to pick up the dirt. I had enough speed to cut back and when the bike hooked up and I had the speed to pull past Greg, I couldn’t believe it.

“Once I got some fresh air, I knew I’d be able to do something with it. I was happy with second, but to finally win it is a moment I really can’t comprehend.

“It’s a feeling I never thought I was going to have, but it has happened and it’s a monkey off my back to say I’ve won a Grand Prix.”

Doyle is now fourth in the World Championship on 42pts going into the blockbuster British FIM Speedway Grand Prix at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on July 9.

Eight of the last 12 Prague winners have gone on to be crowned world champion in the same season. Doyle, who trails third-placed compatriot Chris Holder by 2pts, admits he’d just be glad to reach the world’s top three.

He said: “I hope I can just get on the rostrum. If it feels like this, I hope I can win a lot more.”
Doyle’s victory was even sweeter after his family made the marathon trip from New South Wales to cheer him on in Prague.

“My sister and her husband came to Horsens last time as well and that didn’t go the way I wanted it to,” he admitted. “I had my Dad here in Prague too. I wish my fiancée had been here, but hopefully it can happen again and she’ll be there.

“My family haven’t been over here for 10 years. It’s really difficult for them when they’re working; they work quite hard.

“When we’re away from home and you don’t see your family, it’s very difficult. But this is the life we chose and to have this feeling, it’s all worth it.”

Doyle made his SGP debut at the age of 29, and while he had to wait for his big break at the sport’s highest level, he’s delighted a decade of hard work since he moved to Europe in 2005 is paying off.

He said: “When I first made it into the Grand Prix, I didn’t know what was going to happen.
“But I have invested a lot and I’ve got some really great guys working for me. I know sometimes I give them a really hard time, but tonight they wanted it as much as I did. When I won, they were at the pit gate first and that just shows what a team I have got.

“It’s a long road. For the young kids who start off thinking they’re going to make it straight away, it’s a big wake-up call.

"I did it the hard way and you really appreciate the best things when they happen.”

Hancock now leads the world championship on 56pts — putting him eight ahead of nearest rival Tai Woffinden, who has 48.

Holder had a lean night in Prague, adding just 5pts to his world championship total.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Greg Hancock 56, 2 Tai Woffinden 48, 3 Chris Holder 44, 4 Jason Doyle 42, 5 Maciej Janowski 41, 6 Bartosz Zmarzlik 38, 7 Antonio Lindback 35, 8 Peter Kildemand 34, 9 Nicki Pedersen 32, 10 Fredrik Lindgren 32, 11 Matej Zagar 31, 12 Niels-Kristian Iversen 30, 13 Andreas Jonsson 28, 14 Piotr Pawlicki 23, 15 Chris Harris 20, 16 Patryk Dudek 8, 17 Anders Thomsen 5, 18 Vaclav Milik 3, 19 Denis Stojs 1, 20 Nick Skorja 1.

MITAS CZECH SGP SCORES: 1 Jason Doyle 17, 2 Greg Hancock 18, 3 Chris Harris 10, 4 Niels-Kristian Iversen 11, 5 Bartosz Zmarzlik 13, 6 Fredrik Lindgren 11, 7 Tai Woffinden 9, 8 Nicki Pedersen 8, 9 Andreas Jonsson 6, 10 Peter Kildemand 6, 11 Piotr Pawlicki 6, 12 Antonio Lindback 5, 13 Maciej Janowski 5, 14 Matej Zagar 5, 15 Chris Holder 5, 16 Vaclav Milik 3, 17 Josef Franc DNR, 18 Eduard Krcmar DNR.