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NEWS
Ward to join Holder in world title
Jason Crump may have retired from the world speedway title, but another Aussie will join the elite field in 2013 – Darcy WardAustralia’s Darcy Ward has been handed one of four permanent spots in the 2013 Speedway World Championship, joining countryman and recently crowned world champion Chris Holder.
Ward’s CV is impressive, and includes two world under 21 speedway titles as well as a number of years as a leading figure in British and European domestic leagues.
As a wildcard, Ward finished third in the Torun (Poland) round of the world speedway title in 2011, and he was subsequently offered – which he rejected – a permanent spot in the 2012 championship.
The other three riders nominated to join Ward in 2013 are Martin Vaculik, former world No. 2 Jaroslaw Hampel, and Perth-based Englishman Tai Woffinden.
The quartet will be joined in the competition by automatic qualifiers Holder, Nicki Pedersen, Greg Hancock, Tomasz Gollob, Emil Sayfutdinov, Antonio Lindback, Fredrik Lindgren and Andreas Jonsson. Krzysztof Kasprzak, Matej Zagar and Niels-Kristian Iversen complete the field after clinching the top three places in the Grand Prix Challenge qualifying tournament. Australia’s Troy Batchelor is also listed as a qualified substitute.
“This season’s title race has been one of the best in the competition’s history. We had 12 rounds and nine different winners. With an even stronger field for 2013, the battle for SGP wins and the world title will be fiercer than ever,” said BSI Speedway managing director Paul Bellamy.
“We’re delighted to give Jarek (Hampel) another shot at the title and I’m sure he will bounce back after a 2012 season blighted by the broken ankle he suffered in Copenhagen. He won silver in 2010, bronze in 2011 and I believe he will be targeting gold in 2013.
“It is also great to see three of the sport’s most promising young talents, Martin, Darcy and Tai, take their places in the line-up. They will be hungry to make an impact and upset the more established guys at the top.”
Click here to read all about Holder winning the 2012 world speedway title in Poland on October 6 – the same night three-time world champion Jason Crump retired from top-level competition.
The calendar for the 2013 SGP series will be announced shortly.
2013 FIM SPEEDWAY GRAND PRIX LINE-UP:
1. Chris Holder (Australia)
2. Nicki Pedersen (Denmark)
3. Greg Hancock (USA)
4. Tomasz Gollob (Poland)
5. Emil Sayfutdinov (Russia)
6. Antonio Lindback (Sweden)
7. Fredrik Lindgren (Sweden)
8. Andreas Jonsson (Sweden)
9. Martin Vaculik (Slovakia)
10. Jaroslaw Hampel (Poland)
11. Krzysztof Kasprzak (Poland)
12. Matej Zagar (Slovenia)
13. Niels Kristian Iversen (Denmark)
14. Tai Woffinden (Great Britain)
15. Darcy Ward (Australia)
16. Wild Card
17. Track Reserve 1
18. Track Reserve 2
QUALIFIED SUBSTITUTES
19. Ales Dryml (Czech Republic)
20. Leon Madsen (Denmark)
21. Troy Batchelor (Australia)
22. Hans Andersen (Denmark)
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Written byBikesales Staff
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