Saturdays Grand Prix from Torun in Poland reminded us all just how good World Championship speedway can be, when all of the correct ingredients are in place.
The principal requirement is for a decent racing circuit and the Torun track certainly fits the bill, with plenty of room for passing on the inside and outside as well as enough banking and dirt to enable those outside sweeps. During the Sky Sports commentary, Nigel Pearson mentioned that the legendary Swedish rider Per Jonnson, had played a leading role in the design of the track.
As far as the stadium goes, Torun is every speedway fans dream arena, with each seat offering a perfect view of the track. Saturday was a complete sellout, and the capacity crowd generated a great atmosphere, as the Polish riders raced into the distance to fill every spot on the podium.
With Tomasz Gollob & Jaroslaw Hampel setting the pace so far in this years championship, it could finally be the year that a Polish rider lifts the World Crown for the first time since 1973. Their chances have been boosted by the fact that regular contenders Jason Crump and Nicki Pedersen have lacked their usual consistency, and Emil Sayfutdinov is currently sidelined with a broken arm.
Gollob would certainly be a popular winner and he undoubtedly deserves his place in the record books as a World Champion, considering his efforts over the past decade and a half, since the formation of the Grand Prix series. At 39 years old, many had written off his chances, but on present form he seems to have lost none of his speed and courage on the track.
More great photos from Michal Szmyd.
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