2023 Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup Finals
Semi-Final Two
Denmark topped the podium in Semi-Final 2 on Wednesday to book their spot in Saturday’s Final after holding their nerve under huge pressure to win the meeting on 42 points – pipping Australia by a single point.
France made history on their Monster Energy FIM SWC debut, finishing third to reach their first-ever Race Off on 21 points – leaving rivals Finland out of the competition on 16.
Australia and France face Semi-Final 1 runners-up Sweden and Czech Republic in Friday’s Race Off, where there is one more Final spot up for grabs.
The winner joins hosts Poland, Semi-Final 1 winner Great Britain and Denmark in the first Monster Energy FIM SWC Final since 2017.
Nicki Pedersen became the first rider-manager in FIM SWC history, combining his racing duties with leading the side in the pits as Speedway GP stars Leon Madsen and Anders Thomsen both bagged 13 points to inspire the team to a hard-fought victory.
The triple Speedway GP world champion admits it has been a busy time in the build-up to the tournament, so he was delighted the team could reap the rewards.
Nicki Pedersen
“I probably haven’t had that much sleep, but I have been very excited about this for the last couple of months. I have worked hard for the boys, especially on the team spirit. Back when me and Hans Andersen were riding together in the Danish team, we were not the best friends. But we worked very well when we raced together. That’s the thing I drummed into these boys. We don’t need to be friends, but we need to achieve things together and have fun together. We are here for a week anyway. I am very proud of them. We have really had lots of good fun. There has been some pressure on us, but I really enjoyed it.”
The Danes’ hopes had suffered a late setback when No.5 Rasmus Jensen was disqualified from heat 17, opening the door for Australia to stage a late comeback, closing a gap of six points to just one.
Nicki Pedersen
“Things could have easily slipped away. We know how good Australia is. We said that it was a 50/50 before the meeting. If they got things going, they would have been in the Final already. They are a good team. Anything can happen. I am pretty sure they are going to make it through the Race Off anyway and we are probably going to meet them in the Final. But I would rather be in the Final than the Race Off – they are nightmares. In the Final, we all know you can win one race and lose the next one, but you can still be battling for the championship. You cannot afford to have third or fourth places in the Race Off.”
Heroic Monster Energy FIM SWC debuts from Jaimon Lidsey and Speedway GP star Jack Holder saw them notch 16 and 14 points respectively for Australia.
While the team fell just short of Final qualification, Aussie boss Mark Lemon insists his side is still very much in the hunt for Monster Energy FIM SWC gold, despite being forced to fight their way through Friday’s Race Off.
Mark Lemon
“It’s quite disappointing to get so close but not progress. Congratulations to Denmark – they were the better team on the day. Some boys performed very well. Jaimon stepped up to the plate at this level and Jack obviously. Jason (Doyle) and Max (Fricke) had tough nights at the office. But nothing has been won as far as the World Cup is concerned tonight. We go into the Race Off, and we all know it as ‘the dreaded Race Off.’ Nobody wants to be there. But this gives us a chance to roll again and get things right on Friday. The aim is still to make it to the Final and we have given ourselves a little extra work to do. We just have to focus on that.”
French ace Dimitri Berge starred on 14 points as his country marked its first FIM SWC appearance by earning themselves a Race Off spot by beating Finland to third place.
The colour draw for the Race Off and Final has been completed, with France racing in red, Australia in blue, Sweden in white and Czech Republic in yellow on Friday. The Final draw sees Denmark line up in red, with Poland in blue, Great Britain in white and the Race Off winners handed the yellow helmets. The starting line-ups for the Race Off are yet to be announced.
Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup Semi-Final Two Scores
- DENMARK 42: 1. Mikkel Michelsen 8, 2. Nicki Pedersen 6, 3. Anders Thomsen 13, 4. Leon Madsen 13, 5. Rasmus Jensen 2.
- AUSTRALIA 41: 1. Max Fricke 4, 2. Jack Holder 14, 3. Jason Doyle 7, 4. Jaimon Lidsey 16, 5. Chris Holder DNR.
- FRANCE 22: 1. David Bellego 5, 2. Dimitri Berge 14, 3. Steven Goret 1, 4. Mathieu Tresarrieu 1, 5. Mathias Tresarrieu 0.
- FINLAND 16: 1. Timo Lahti 7, 2. Jesse Mustonen 3, 3. Antti Vuolas 6, 4. Tero Aarnio 0, 5. Niklas Sayrio 0.
