The talk before the GP series was whether Jason Crump could retain his world championship crown despite his injury, or would we see the old Nicki Pedersen re-emerge back to his dominant self.
Or would the man who made all the headlines in his sensational debut GP season, Emil Sayfutdinov, be able to consistently fight for the top spot.
After Crump stormed to victory in Poland in the opening round of the series, it appeared a repeat of 2009 could be on the cards, but two Poles (and a Dane!) have proved to be this year’s surprise contenders. However, should we be surprised, especially by the power of the Polish riders? Jarek Hampel and Tomasz Gollob are both world class riders. Everyone knows the natural talent of Gollob and how dearly his hardcore fans would love to see him become World Champion. Arguably the best rider over recent years, currently in the GP series, that has yet to take the title. Could 2010 be the year he finally makes it? One win to his name after four rounds of the series, along with two second places, has been a fairly consistent one for the Gorzow rider.
Jarek Hampel, has always looked to be the natural successor to his fellow countryman, but perhaps he can achieve the ultimate goal that Poland has been demanding for many years. Under looked at the start of the season, Hampel finally got his first victory under his belt, along with two finals. A gutsy ride in the Copenhagen final saw him keep the feisty Gollob behind and gave him the lead of the championship. In superb form for his Polish club Leszno, he’s always been lightning away from the gate. This year he has excellent backing from a new sponsor – Exide, who used to sponsor Billy Hamill and Greg Hancock, back in their all conquering era of the 90s.
Hampel and Gollob have two Polish rounds of the GP series ahead of them, where you wouldn’t bet against a strong result for them both. Gollob is almost unbeatable around Bydgoszcz and for that to be the finale of the series, Gollob must be a serious threat come October.
The money would be on the veteran to finally make his dream come true for 2010, but will the pressure be too much for him? All eyes and expectations are on the more experienced Gollob, whilst perhaps Hampel can relax more, knowing he has more years ahead of him, to try and achieve his goal compared to the elder statesmen. The duel was clean and fair in Demark, but will the Vastervik racer be able to watch the young Pole take the glory ahead of him? Or will it turn nasty? A nation’s hopes rest on the two speedway stars and after an emotional year in Poland, will they have something to celebrate in October? We will soon find out…
Article by and courtesy of Leandra Graves.
http://www.worldspeedway.com/artman/publish/article_12758.shtml
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