Danish hotshot Peter Kildemand admits it’s “a special feeling” to lead the FIM Speedway World Championship for the first time as he targets a top-three finish following his Slovenian FIM Speedway Grand Prix win on Saturday.
The Esbjerg-born racer defied rib damage sustained in a heavy crash in his home town on April 19 to charge to victory in Krsko ahead of Jason Doyle, Chris Holder and world champion Tai Woffinden.
Kildemand stormed through the pain barrier to pile up 15 points; putting him one clear of nearest rival Holder at the SGP summit going into round two – the LOTTO Warsaw FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland on May 14.
With 10 rounds still to race, PK knows he still has plenty of work ahead in his quest for a World Championship rostrum finish.
But he’s elated to start his first full season as an SGP star with a victory.
He said: “This is the best start to the season you can get. It’s early days and I have to have my eye on the target and keep moving in the right direction.
“But I’m really happy right now. This is my first full season as an SGP rider. I won the first round and now I have the chance to lead the World Championship. It’s a very special feeling.
“Before the season, my target was chasing the medals and I would be happy just to be in third place when the season is over.
“For now, I’m top and I just need to try to enjoy it really. It’s early days and the season is long. We’ll do what we can do and it seems like what we are doing now is the right thing.”
Kildemand admits the ribs he bent in Denmark’s SGP qualifying round still gave him pain in Krsko. But he insists victory was the perfect tonic.
He said: “Right now I feel really good! I had pain all night. With rib injuries, the doctor says you should take a month to one and a half months. The good thing was that on the track I didn’t feel it. Right now, I’m just happy.”
Kildemand can’t wait to make his LOTTO Warsaw SGP debut on May 14 and is keen to build on his fantastic run of form on temporary tracks.
He has made three final appearances in five meetings on one-day circuits, reaching the semi-final every time. And Kildemand is keen to continue that at the packed PGE Narodowy.
He said: “I feel quite comfortable on those ones. I think Warsaw will be nearly the same as the other one-off tracks. I look forward to going there and the atmosphere is going to be great with so many fans there.”
Aussie ace Jason Doyle was delighted to end his night with second spot after some sluggish starts early in the meeting.
He said: “In my first two heats, I didn’t think I was even going to make the semis. I was struggling. I just tried to get some points. I thought I was going to go back to the van and have a good cry! But that’s speedway. One minute you’re down; the next minute you’re in the final.
“Speedway switches like that. You get on another bike and think you can beat the world. We just started building the points up, made the semi and I got second. I’m happy.”
Third-placed Holder went into the meeting determined to fight his way back into final contention after a tough few seasons with injury. So he’s delighted to leave Krsko second in the world and one of the SGP frontrunners.
He said: “I’m really happy to get a lot of points. You’d rather be on top than behind and chasing the boys. To leave here with some good points and in the top five feels good. I’m looking forward to the next one already and hopefully I can build on that.
“To walk away on the podium and with a few points in the bag, I’m pretty relieved and that gives me more motivation to keep going.”
FIM SPEEDWAY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Peter Kildemand 15, 2 Chris Holder 14, 3 Jason Doyle 13, 4 Tai Woffinden 10, 5 Greg Hancock 10, 6 Nicki Pedersen 10, 7 Maciej Janowski 10, 8 Antonio Lindback 10, 9 Niels-Kristian Iversen 8, 10 Bartosz Zmarzlik 8, 11 Piotr Pawlicki 8, 12 Fredrik Lindgren 7, 13 Andreas Jonsson 6, 14 Matej Zagar 4, 15 Chris Harris 3, 16 Denis Stojs 1, 17 Nick Skorja 1.
KRSKO SCORES: 1 Peter Kildemand 15, 2 Jason Doyle 13, 3 Chris Holder 14, 4 Tai Woffinden 10, 5 Maciej Janowski 10, 6 Antonio Lindback 10, 7 Greg Hancock 10, 8 Nicki Pedersen 10, 9 Bartosz Zmarzlik 8, 10 Niels-Kristian Iversen 8, 11 Piotr Pawlicki 8, 12 Fredrik Lindgren 7, 13 Andreas Jonsson 6, 14 Matej Zagar 4, 15 Chris Harris 3, 16 Denis Stojs 1, 17 Nick Skorja 1, 18 Matic Ivacic 0.
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