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Jason Doyle wins Polish Speedway Grand Prix

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Australian Jason Doyle has won his second Grand Prix of the series after he came first in Poland, ahead of Tai Woffinden and fellow Aussie Chris Holder.

In what was one of the most entertaining finals of the series, current World Champion Woffinden and Doyle battled foe four incredible laps, before the latter overtook the Brit on the final bend to claim the win.

It was as entertaining at the back, with Holder managing to fend off home favourite Bartosz Zmarzlik to claim third place.

The win for Doyle sees him move above Woffinden into second in the championship, with American and current leader Greg Hancock having his advantage cut to seven points at the top.

Doyle, who finished the evening with 16 points, admitted it was a tough night in Gorzow.

“I knew Tai was getting around the kerb very fast. He passed me in the semis and I was thinking ‘oh no, not again!’

“I had to go three laps on the fence. I picked up some speed and went wide again on the last corner. To get it on the finish was an amazing feeling. I couldn’t believe it.”

Doyle has certainly put himself in contention of winning his first Grand Prix trophy when the series ends in Melbourne on October 22, and he said that he has already exceeded his expectations in what is only his second season in the Grand Prix.

He said: “I’m chasing a world title, but I want to be in the GPs next year. We never expected to be second in the World Championship. We’re pushing hard and now a bit of confidence is coming; that’s a massive part.

“I have a really good team too. The mechanics are really working hard. We haven’t been away from a speedway track for nearly two weeks now. They’re working tirelessly with all the bikes.”

Doyle, who could become the sixth Australian World Champion, could also be the first Aussie to win the series on home shale.

“It would be a dream come true to come to Melbourne and win the title,” he said. “But it’s going to be very hard to keep up these points. I know it’s a long way, so we’re just enjoying it.”

Woffinden, who drops to third in the riders championship despite coming second with 15 points, saluted the performance from Doyle.

“I know when I go bar-to-bar with Jason, we’re going to give each other room. It’s going to be a hard race, but it’ll be fair, and I said to him after that it was a great race.”

Woffy is certainly still in contention to become only the third rider to successfully defend his World Championship, despite being eight points behind Hancock.

It was also a good night for Holder, who racked up 15 points on his way to a third placed finish in Gorzow, taking him to fourth in the riders championship.

He said: “It was a good night. I had some solid results and, halfway through, I had a lot of speed. I was winning a lot of races, which felt nice.

“I really wanted to win my semi to give myself one of the better gates for the final. I couldn’t get there, but I managed to get through. Overall I’m pretty happy to be sitting there with a lot of points in the bag. That’s the main thing.”

Despite leading the championship, it was a relatively consistent performance from Hancock, despite not reaching the final, with 11 points. The American still leads the way but his lead has been cut to seven points.

Home favourite Zmarzlik has jumped to fifth in the riders championship after another impressive 14 point haul, whilst Nicki Pedersen also added 12 points to his disappointing season in the series.

The next round sees the FIM Speedway Grand Prix series celebrate its 200th event as Teterow stages its first German SGP on September 10.

 

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Greg Hancock 94

2 Jason Doyle 87

3 Tai Woffinden 86

4 Chris Holder 77

5 Bartosz Zmarzlik 75

6 Maciej Janowski 70

 

Polish Grand Prix Speedway Grand Prix

About Dale Ventham

Dale Ventham is an editor at The Sports Lowdown. He writes on the lower leagues of English football and Speedway in particular.
@lwosdale89

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