World Championship Speedway action comes to Leicester on Saturday at the Jordan Road Surfacing Stadium when some of the best young international riders will be competing for a place in the finals of the FIM World Under-21 Individual Championship competition later this season.
“Last season we hosted the British round of the FIM Flat-Track Cup and the delegates who were present that day recommended that Leicester Speedway be awarded a four year licence to run FIM international events. I am pleased to say that we received accreditation and during the winter we were awarded our first ever Speedway World Championship meeting. Clearly, this is another major milestone in the club’s recent history and we hope that it is just the first step along a path that leads to Leicester being considered for FIM World Championship meetings in the future” said the Lions Promoter David Hemsley.
The line-up includes the former Lions rider Lasse Bjerre who is likely to receive a great reception from Leicester fans as he was a firm favourite in the two years he rode for the club. The Dane is determined to make track knowledge count as he targets a place in the World Under-21 Final this weekend and takes his place in Saturday’s qualifier with his confidence high from a strong run of results for Peterborough and also with two years as a Lions rider in the Premier League behind him. Bjerre said: “I had some good times at Leicester and I know the track well. Hopefully that can work in my favour. I have the experience of riding it regularly plus I’ve also been to Leicester to watch a meeting this season so I should know what to expect. I will be so unhappy if I don’t get through because I know I am good enough to do it. I rode as a wild card in a couple of rounds last year, but I’ve never done the whole final. This is my last chance and it is really important to do it.”
Competition for a place in the final is likely to be hotly contested as in addition to Bjerre there are several known racers in the field. Namely the American Gino Manzares who is in his first season over here and already piling up the points for Ipswich; the Australian teenager Max Fricke who was a match winner as a guest for Coventry at Leicester last month; the high scoring Swede from Wolverhampton, Jacob Thorssell; the new British Under-21 Champion Josh Bates; Belle Vue’s Stefan Nielsen and Mikkel Bech the teenage star at Lakeside.
Admission prices for the event are as follows: Adults £15.00, Concessions £10.00 and Juniors £5.00 (children 11 and under free).
Full Line-up in draw order: 1. Stefan Nielsen (Great Britain), 2. Roman Cejka (Czech Republic), 3. Adrian Cyfer (Poland), 4. Nike Luna (Finland), 5. Adrian Gala (Poland), 6. Mikkel Bech (Denmark), 7. Victor Palovaara (Sweden), 8. Gino Manzares (USA), 9. Dimitri Berge (France), 10. Lasse Bjerre (Denmark), 11. Max Fricke (Australia). 12. Eduard Krcmar (Czech Republic), 13. Jacob Thorssell (Sweden), 14. Sean Mason (New Zealand), 15. Josh Bates (Great Britain) and 16. Jiri Nieminen (Finland).
