Former world champion, Australian Jason Doyle, won the jubilee 50th speedway race, the Debrecen Grand Prix, held on Wednesday at the Perényi Pál Speedway Stadium.
The invitational international competition featured 16 riders, who competed in twenty heats. The winner was decided after two semifinals in the five-rider final.
Doyle was unbeaten already in the heats, confidently winning all of his races with a commanding performance. Alongside the world star, the second step of the podium was taken by one of the local crowd’s great favorites, five-time GP winner Danish rider Niels Kristian Iversen, who had already claimed the Debrecen Grand Prix trophy twice in the past three years. Third place went to Latvian rider Jevgenijs Kostigovs.
The only female participant in the event was Hannah Grunwald, who this year became the (unofficial) women’s world champion of the discipline by winning the FIM Woman Gold Trophy. Although the 18-year-old rider had a particularly unlucky day, she still showcased her talent: in two of her heats she was in the lead, but due to engine failure or crashes she could not finish them.
Hungarian fans could also cheer for two local riders. Multiple Grand Prix winner Norbert Magosi competed alongside young talent Zoltán Lovas, with the latter finishing 13th and the former 15th.
