Danish champion Niels-Kristian Iversen insists the big races still bring the best out of him after he bounced back from his Monster Energy SWC heartbreak with Adrian Flux British FIM Speedway Grand Prix glory in Cardiff.
Iversen topped the rostrum in front of over 40,000 fans at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on Saturday night after scorching around Chris Holder on lap one to win the final in spectacular style. His compatriot Peter Kildemand was third, while Britain’s World Championship leader Tai Woffinden must wait for his first home win after finishing fourth.
NKI’s triumph at world speedway’s biggest event underlines the incredible highs and lows of the sport. Just three weeks ago, the Danish national team skipper suffered the agony of being excluded from heat 20 of the Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup Final at Vojens on June 15, when he had a rush of blood and clattered Poland’s Przemyslaw Pawlicki in a last-heat decider for gold with Sweden.
Tonight his sublime swoop around Holder paid off big time. Even though he knows the Danish disappointment will take some getting over, Iversen was glad he delivered again when it mattered.
He said: “I haven’t done that many Grand Prix finals, but I’ve got four wins from eight. It just gives me that little bit extra when I get to one. It brings out the best in me. A big race brought a little bit too much out of me in the World Cup. I think that one will haunt me until the end of time!
“That’s the way it goes. You win some, you lose some. You have to do your best. This one worked for me and it’s a great feeling.
“I knew I had the speed after the semi-final when I came from last to second, and I put myself in a good position in the first corner. Then I had a chance. It was all or nothing. I would have been pleased to get to the podium after how the night went, so to win it was even better".
Wild card Craig Cook blew the roof off the Millennium Stadium with a magnificent win in heat three, but fell just a point short of the semis on seven. Former Cardiff winner Chris Harris endured a tough night, exiting the event on five points.
The next FIM Speedway Grand Prix action is the Rietumu Bank Latvian FIM Speedway Grand Prix in Daugavpils on July 18.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Tai Woffinden 55, 2 Nicki Pedersen 43, 3 Greg Hancock 39, 4 Niels-Kristian Iversen 35, 5 Matej Zagar 34, 6 Chris Holder 31, 7 Jaroslaw Hampel 31, 8 Jason Doyle 29, 9 Michael Jepsen Jensen 27, 10 Andreas Jonsson 26, 11 Maciej Janowski 26, 12 Chris Harris 23, 13 Krzysztof Kasprzak 21, 14 Troy Batchelor 17, 15 Tomas H Jonasson 16, 16 Peter Kildemand 12, 17 Craig Cook 7, 18 Tomasz Gollob 4, 19 Bartosz Zmarzlik 3, 20 Timo Lahti 3, 21 Vaclav Milik 2, 22 Piotr Pawlicki 1, 23 Robert Lambert 1.
ADRIAN FLUX BRITISH SGP SCORES: 1 Niels-Kristian Iversen 14, 2 Chris Holder 18, 3 Peter Kildemand 12, 4 Tai Woffinden 15, 5 Greg Hancock 12, 6 Matej Zagar 10, 7 Nicki Pedersen 9, 8 Michael Jepsen Jensen 8, 9 Craig Cook 7, 10 Jason Doyle 7, 11 Tomas H Jonasson 7, 12 Chris Harris 5, 13 Krzysztof Kasprzak 4, 14 Troy Batchelor 4, 15 Maciej Janowski 3, 16 Andreas Jonsson 2, 17 Robert Lambert 1, 18 Jason Garrity 0.