Line up for final grand prix qualifier

[Philip Addison]

I just can't believe the comments on this thread,unbelievable.

[SammyR]

Never mind the "I love/hate Lindback/Andersen/Norris" twaddle.

If the organisers insist on semi-finals and finals, which I completely understand, to build up to a big climax, then points scored in the heats must be added to points scored in the semis to decide the finalists.

Then the points scored thus far must be added to the points scored in the final to determine the final outcome (as it was in the long-track), even if you double the points in the final to create greater incentive to win that one race.

It's a nonsense to have an 8/9 point guy qualify in front of a 14 point guy.

Sam.

[Splatty]

We can say what we like about Hans but he is without a doubt one of the best riders in the world(top 10)

 

really????!

I can think of at least 10 above him - how about

Tony Rickardssen

Jason Crump

Leigh Adams

Greg Hancock

Tomasz Gollob

Mark Loram

Scott Nicholls

Ryan Sullivan

Nicki Pedersen

Bo Brhel

 

It takes a little more than a fast bike and some dangerous chops to make the world's cream

 

all that said he has made strides this season and is looking odds on to be one of those at the forefront in years to come - lets hope he's learnt the odd lesson this season.

[Peter S.]

Oh btw does anyone know who the ref was ?

 

The ref was Mick Bates.

 

He actually excluded David Norris from one heat, must have been the sun in his eyes not seeing tha Floppy was in his team GB kevlars.

 

Peter

[FlyinRyan]

Oh btw does anyone know who the ref was ?

 

The ref was Mick Bates.

 

He actually excluded David Norris from one heat, must have been the sun in his eyes not seeing tha Floppy was in his team GB kevlars.

 

Peter

Very funny.

[Robbo]

just going out now with my mates hope they have all had a shower like me otherwise i will be the odd 1 out.

[Steve Shovlar]

Bournemouth Echo

 

BUT for an untimely ignition problem for present day Grand Prix rider Hans Andersen, Poole would have had three of their assets on the Vojens rostrum on Saturday (August 14).

 

Antonio Lindback and Tomasz Chrzanowski finished first and second, respectively, in a cut-throat final to officially add their names to the 2005 Grand Prix starting list.

 

For Andersen, though, it seems as if it will be necessary for him to win favour with the selectors as one of the permanent wild-cards if he is going to extend his GP career beyond this season.

 

Currently languishing in 19th place in this year's World Championship GP series and some 28 points outside of the top eight cut-off zone, this qualifying round looked set to be a safety net for the Dane as he romped to four impressive heat wins in the qualifying heats.

 

Andersen was headed home just once and that was by Lindback in a re-started heat eight after Polish rider Wielsaw Jagus fell on the first turn as Andersen took up the pace.

 

The Dane, who courted so much controversy in the World Cup Final, received a slice of good luck in the semi-final as Damien Balinski, scorer of 10 points in the heats, just one of four riders to claim a double figure return, suffered an engine failure as he and Chrzanowski led for most of the opening lap.

 

Things certainly looked to be going the way of the Danes, for in the second semi-final Russian sensation Roman Povazhny drove hard up the inside of Kenneth Bjerre on the last lap to move into second place behind runaway leader Lindback.

 

The speed of Povazhny appeared to alarm Bjerre and he fell. The race appeared to continue, although the flag marshalls did display the red flags to alert the finishers to the fact that Bjerre was still on the track.

 

And then on came Povazhny's exclusion light with World Cup referee Mick Bates awarding second place to Bjerre.

 

That left the final sporting two Danes (Andersen and Bjerre), one Pole (Chrzanowski) and a Swede (Lindback) with just two GP places on offer.

 

Lindback, who like Andersen had not finished outside the top two in any of his rides, a recipe for GP success under its present format, made a super start in that final.

 

And Chrzanowski found himself on the better line leaving the second turn.

 

Andersen stalked him for half a lap before driving inside, seemingly making slight contact as he passed.

 

Chrzanowski recovered well but had lost valuable ground although less than half a lap later a tiring Andersen's machine allowed the Pole to make up the deficit.

 

As Andersen's machine got slower Chrzanowski moved into second place and the Dane pulled up onto the inner field visibly frustrated with the consequences.

 

The two non-home nation riders pulled further clear of Bjerre and secured the prize of a GP contract for 2005.

 

Although no-one can deny the fact that Andersen was cruelly unlucky in that final, perhaps the unluckiest riders on the night were Bo Brhel and Povazhny.

 

Czech rider Brhel three times felt the discomfort of the Vojens circuit, a faller in heat three when Australian Craig Watson squeezed him out, then the innocent victim in two near-identical crashes in heat 14 when a power failure had left the track in half-darkness.

 

First of all GB rider David Norris picked up unwanted drive and brought Brhel down.

 

Then in the re-run, which did not feature the excluded Norris, Russian Povazhny made a similar mistake.

 

Brhel went on to win the `match race' over Balinski, but he still missed out on a semi-final placing by virtue of Bjerre's two race wins.

 

Povazhny had begun the meeting with two impressive race wins, his first at Lindback's expense.

 

GRAND Prix Final qualification round winner Antonio Lindback today admitted that August was proving to be "an unbelievable month for me", writes Steve Allen in Vojens.

 

Just seven days after appearing on the rostrum at Poole as a World Cup winner with Sweden, he was standing proudly on the top podium again, this time in Vojens on Saturday having booked his GP ticket for next year.

 

Talking about the meeting he won in Denmark, the teenage Pirates star said: "I can't really believe all this is happening, but it is great that it is.

 

"Everything went really well for me tonight.

 

"I made the gates really good, the bike was set up good and that made it much easier for me but still the bikes were fast.

 

"I can't begin to understand what has happened to me this year because it has been so brilliant and now I have even more to look forward to.

 

"I'm going to Gothenburg as a wild card for the Scandinavian GP next weekend when I will be out to do my best and see what happens.

 

"And I'm very much looking forward to it."

 

Second-placed Tomasz Chrzanowski, like Lindback also a Poole RIAS asset, admitted the rained-off practice session in Vojens on Friday nearly proved costly for him.

 

He said: "I had the bikes set-up wrong to start off with and that is why I didn't begin the meeting too well.

 

"Those sort of things would normally be identified during practice but with rain we had that day meant we couldn't get out there and try things out.

 

"But once I changed a few things round it seemed to work out and I am very happy about being in the GPs next year.

 

"I know it will be a long winter as I look forward to being a GP rider next season.

 

"But I have a good sponsor in Poland and I am hoping they will be able to help me make sure I am competitive enough for it.

 

"Every rider who has ambition wants to be a GP rider.

 

"Because of the problems I had a couple of years ago off-track with an auto accident I have lost a lot time, but I haven't lost any ambition.

 

"I am looking forward to being with top riders next season and just now I am so pleased to have qualified."

 

The rider who came so close but so far in Vojens was Hans Andersen who admitted that he wasn't going to get "too down over what happened tonight."

 

Andersen - also a Pirates asset - finished top of the qualifying score chart with 14 points, but he suffered a mechanical fault in the final to rob him of a top-two place and automatic entry into next year's GP series.

 

The Dane said: "I know that it wasn't me that let things down, it was a bike problem and that can happen any time.

 

"It would have been hard to take if it had been down to my ability.

 

"I know that I am still good enough to be in the GPs and this result won't really put any extra pressure on me for the remaining GPs this year.

 

"I hope that they (the authorities) will look on this meeting as a whole.

 

"I was the top scorer, I got all the way to the final and it was a problem that cost me in the end.

 

"No other Dane qualified tonight so hopefully they will take all of that into account when they come to nominate the wild cards for next year.

 

"I was the top Dane in the World Cup so hopefully that will count for something too."