BJERRE IN THE FORM OF HIS LIFE

By Leandra Graves

Championship leader, Kenneth Bjerre, goes into this weekend’s GP in Prague, riding in the form of his life. After winning his debut GP in Sweden just two weeks ago, he has continued to set the world on fire (literally in one case!) with some outstanding performances on the continent and at his home track Peterborough.

He broke the track record at the Showground last week against Wolverhampton and equalled his best time of 58.9 against Belle Vue on Thursday evening.

With time to reflect after his maiden win, what were the Peterborough rider’s thoughts about his race in the final at the Ullevi stadium, with Tomasz Gollob to clinch the winning trophy?

“When I made the start, I was in the lead but then I went so wide. Gollob was pushing me, it was a bit hard, but he could have been harder on me. That’s speedway racing though, it was fair, so it was good racing.”

“I don’t think I was on a high after the GP win, I had to go straight to Poland for another meeting and slept in the van. It was just another day at work on Sunday. I just enjoyed it that night. I just hope to keep getting big points in my league meetings and the GPs.”

There was also the surprise of his bike catching fire at Kirkmanshulme Lane two days after his historic victory in Gothenburg. It certainly has been an eventful time for the Huntingdon resident.

“I don’t know what caused the problem but my bike caught fire when I came out of the start. I actually made the start, then the bike stopped and then it all just caught fire. It came from the engine.”

Looking untouchable, can anybody stop the man from Esbjerg from winning again and increasing his lead in the championship?

The diminutive Dane was keen to play down any championship talk, “Everything is working at the moment for me, I just have to keep enjoying it. I just keep tying to make good starts, my bike is quick. I always believe I can win and even if I don’t make the start, I know I can still achieve victory in the race.”

There was certainly evidence of this on a warm, sunny evening at Peterborough. There may have been doubts from some supporters in the past of him not giving his full commitment to the Panthers, but this season, Bjerre has rode with passion and determination and has been mesmerising to watch.

With regards to Prague, the 25 year old is keen to treat it as another GP and reluctant to admit he is the rider that everyone should be watching and chasing for the crown.
“I am doing everything the same, I just want to win every race I’m in. Hopefully I will score enough points at the end of it, to be world champion.”

However, 1980 World Champion Michael Lee, a regular at Peterborough and GPs, is full of praise for the Wroclaw rider.

“I believe Kenneth can go all the way and win it. He’s flying right now, everyone can see that. He’s got great equipment and he’s fit for the first time in two seasons. I know from experience of riding like that, when you are in that form, you feel unbeatable and he’s in the form of his life right now.”

Can the Peterborough rider deliver the goods and go all the way? He is due to celebrate his 26th birthday on Monday, perhaps an extended lead in the standings will be the perfect present.