Ward wins Danish Speedway GP

Australia’s Darcy Ward, 21, has won his first word speedway grand prix, topping the rostrum at last Saturday’s Danish Grand Prix ahead of Slovenia Matej Zagar and fellow Aussie and world champion Chris Holder. Tomasz Gollob was fourth.

Ward only made a racing comeback with his Swedish team Dackarna on June 25 after spending seven weeks out nursing the broken shoulder blade he suffered in the Swedish SGP in Gothenburg on May 4.

That injury was the culmination of a serious of crashes which plagued a tough start to the year for the Queenslander.

But Ward says he is back a wiser rider after leaving the Danish capital with 19pts out of a possible 21 and his first Grand Prix win in only his sixth SGP appearance. He said: “I’ve learned a lot of things since I’ve been injured. I’ve been watching the guys and trying to learn as much as I can. The time off helped me a bit and I feel better than ever – I probably wouldn’t change that crash.

“When I came back at the start of the year, I was enjoying it, but I didn’t feel comfortable in a way. I was still going really well, which I was happy with. I was second in the World Championship standings after Bydgoszcz – I was stoked with that. But I think the time off really helped me and I thought about a lot of things.

“I wouldn’t change it after returning like that. I have a long career ahead. I’ve got to move on, keep doing what I’m doing and just enjoy it. It’s such a good life that we have and you’ve got to appreciate it sometimes.

“It has been hard work, but I’ll never forget a moment like this. I’m very proud to be here and very grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given. It’s a dream come true and I felt good all night. It was a perfect night. I’m happy with that.

“There has been a lot of hype about my name and it’s good to finally have the chance to step up here and take a Grand Prix win.”
Asked what he had changed during his injury absence, Ward replied: “It’s just my style – a bit of mental stuff and a bit of fitness too. I’ve stepped it up and it was a great night.

“I need to keep doing what I’m doing and I need to stay fit. I need to stay on the bike, which is what I didn’t do at the start of the season. It cost me and I need to learn from that.”

After realising a boyhood dream to become a Grand Prix winner, Ward paid tribute to his parents watching at home near Brisbane for their love and support in getting him on to the sport’s biggest stage.

He said: “It’s what you always dream of and it has been a lot of hard work from when I was a kid. My Mum and Dad put their heart and soul into me to get me here. All the credit to them – I love them and I’m very thankful for what they have given me.”

Holder, who is third in the world championship on 82 points, admits he felt short of speed in Copenhagen, but he was pleased to move a point closer to Emil Sayfutdinov, who still leads the table on 97 after exiting in the semi-finals with 13pts.

The Sydneysider said: “It would be nice to be a little bit faster, but if I can still get a few points and get on the podium, that’s a good job for me.

“I swapped bikes and that was better. I just need that little bit more speed and that comes down to a few things – me, the bike. It’s getting there and I’m happy to be in this position.”

The meeting saw Swedish duo Andreas Jonsson and Fredrik Lindgren crash out. Jonsson sustained a broken shoulder and ribs, while Lindgren suffered a broken arm.

Both are major doubts for the 2013 Speedway World Cup, which gets underway with Event 1 at Czestochowa on July 13 and Event 2 at King’s Lynn on July 15. Ward and Holder will spearhead Australia's World Cup campaign.

MOLDOW DANISH SGP POINTS: 1 Darcy Ward 19, 2 Matej Zagar 13, 3 Chris Holder 14, 4 Tomasz Gollob 10, 5 Emil Sayfutdinov 13, 6 Tai Woffinden 11, 7 Greg Hancock 9, 8 Fredrik Lindgren 8, 9 Nicki Pedersen 7, 10 Jaroslaw Hampel 6, 11 Michael Jepsen Jensen 6, 12 Krzysztof Kasprzak 6, 13 Martin Vaculik 6, 14 Niels-Kristian Iversen 4, 15 Peter Kildemand 2, 17 Kenni Larsen 2, 18 Andreas Jonsson 0.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Emil Sayfutdinov 97, 2 Tai Woffinden 84, 3 Chris Holder 82, 4 Jaroslaw Hampel 72, 5 Nicki Pedersen 71, 6 Greg Hancock 66, 7 Niels-Kristian Iversen 64, 8 Tomasz Gollob 62, 9 Matej Zagar 61, 10 Fredrik Lindgren 55, 11 Krzysztof Kasprzak 54, 12 Darcy Ward 44, 13 Andreas Jonsson 39, 14 Martin Vaculik 39, 15 Antonio Lindback 28, 16 Ales Dryml 7, 17 Chris Harris 7, 18 Krzysztof Buczkowski 6, 19 Linus Sundstrom 6, 20 Bartosz Zmarzlik 6, 21 Michael Jepsen Jensen 6, 22 Josef Franc 2, 23 Peter Kildemand 2, 24 Kenni Larsen 2, 25 Jason Bunyan 1, 26 Craig Cook 1, 27 Josh Auty 1.