Szymon Wozniak won the qualifier for the Debrecen European Championship of dirt bikes.
In addition to him, the Latvian Andzejs Lebedevs and the Swedish Jacob Thorssell advanced to the SEC Challenge in Nagyhalás, and the Danish Niels Kristian Iversen will be a reserve.
16 competitors from 12 countries came to the Sunday competition organized at the Perényi Pál Salakmotor Stadium. In the series of qualifying races – after the Italian, Austrian and Latvian rounds – the most prestigious field was assembled here, with a chance of up to seven or eight riders competing for the final passage. Thus, the five-time Grand Prix winner Kristian Iversen, the two-time Swedish champion Thorssell, the crowd favorite in Debrecen, former individual European champion Lebedevs, the Extraliga hotshot Wozniak, and the two-time individual world championship silver medalist Jaroslaw Hampel from Poland. The start list also included the French David Bellego, the Finnish Timi Salonen, and the Czech Vaclav Milik. Hungary was represented by two drivers of Speedwolf, Roland Kovács and Norbert Magosi.
The race went on without any problems until the seventh race, but the Italian Andrea Battaglia slipped, and in the eighth, Magosi’s engine stopped right after the start. The only more dangerous accident occurred in the ninth race, when Milik, who was considered a contender, fell from second place in the first lap and was forced to retire. Later, Márk Bárány and Richárd Füzesi, who were named as reserves, started instead.
The 11th and 15th stood out among several exciting races of the race. In the first, Wozniak moved at the start, and received a warning, but in the end, he was able to finish in second place behind Lebedevs, and Thorssell finished third. In the latter, Hampel, Kristian Iversen and Wozniak started with equal points, eight points each, while the Ukrainian Marko Levisin was one behind them. Wozniak won the four-lap race, followed by Levisin and Iversen in the points-scoring position. The Ukrainian, who for a long time had a chance even to advance, slipped out in the third lap of the 17th race, thereby falling short of obtaining the necessary points.
At the end of the competition, the 19th race brought another surprise, in which Wozniak was overtaken by the Czech Eduard Krcmár, but this did not affect the Pole’s victory. The advancing places behind him were finally decided by a separate race, in which the Lebedevs, Thorssell and Kristian Iversen, who were 12 points each, collided. The battle of the three was won by Lebedevs ahead of Thorssell, who also advanced, while Iversen can continue as a reserve.
Among the Hungarians, Roland Kovács finished with four points, while Magosi with three. The latter delighted the audience with a good start and a great overtaking in his last race.
The SEC Challenge in Nagyhalász will be held on May 14, from where you can fight for the finals.
MTI
Photo: speedwaylive.org
