Pedersen wins back-to-back world titles

Dane Nicki Pedersen has joined a select band of riders to have won three world speedway titles after he was crowned for the second year running last Saturday.

After Australian arch-rival Jason Crump failed to score any points in the fifth heat at Bydgoszcz in Poland, Pedersen seized his first opportunity to become world champion by winning the following four-lapper from Rune Holta, Bjarne Pedersen and Chris Harris.

"I've been working flat-out just to come here today and do my performance, and I'm so pleased it's finished," said Pedersen. "I've had some bad crashes, especially the one in the Polish League at Zielona Gora, and I have to thank my physio because she has worked so hard for me.

"All the emotion comes out now because it's been the toughest championship so far for me. This is the third one which puts me up there in history with the good boys, I've been fighting for that and I'm absolutely delighted inside."

Pedersen won his first title in 2003, and he's now the eighth rider since 1936 to have won three world championships. The others are Tony Rickardsson, Hans Nielsen, Erik Gundersen, Ole Olsen, Ove Fundin and New Zealanders Barry Briggs and Ivan Mauger.

Pedersen finished the year on 174pts, from Crump (152) and Tomasz Gollob (148), Greg Hancock (144), Hans Andersen (140) and the second Australian in the field, Leigh Adams, (125).

The top eight riders in this year's world championship automatically qualify for next year, with Andreas Jonsson and Holta taking the final two spots.

Crump has now finished in the top three of the world title for the last eight years, and was world champion in 2004 and 2006.

"It's all finished for this year now and it's a bit disappointing, because you always hope, but Nicki deserves congratulations as he's ridden really well," said Crump. "He's had injuries on and off during the season, some nasty crashes which could have slowed him down in the GP but they didn't, and the best man won."

Gollob won the final at Bydgoszcz from Andersen, Hancock and Adams. Gollob also backed up to win the mega bucks end-of-year Super Prix race from Crump, Holta and Nicki Pedersen, who was disqualified after touching the tapes at the start.

FIM FINAL GRAND PRIX RESULT: Tomasz Gollob (Pol) 21, Hans Andersen (Den) 17, Greg Hancock (USA) 15, Leigh Adams (Aus) 15, Nicki Pedersen (Den) 13, Andreas Jonsson (Swe) 12, Fredrik Lindgren (Swe) 9, Lukas Dryml (Cze) 8, Rune Holta (Pol) 7, Scott Nicholls (GB) 7, Jason Crump (Aus) 7, Krzysztof Kasprzak (Pol) 5, Chris Harris (GB) 4, Bjarne Pedersen (Den) 3, Maciej Janowski (Pol) 1, Martin Smolinski (Ger) 0, Grzegorz Zengota (Pol, res) 0.

FINAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: Nicki Pedersen 174, Crump 152, Gollob 148, Hancock 144, Andersen 140, Adams 125, Jonsson 100, Holta 80, Nicholls 77, Lindgren 73, Bjarne Pedersen 69, Niels-Kristian Iversen 59, Harris 58, Kasprzak 57, Lukas Dryml 47.