MICHELSEN CROWNED DANISH CHAMPION IN SLANGERUP

Speedway GP star Mikkel Michelsen blazed to his first Danish Championship at home track Slangerup on Wednesday night – lifting the title with a race to spare.

Michelsen raced to 14 points after his five heats, topping the score chart, with nearest rivals Kenneth Bjerre and Patrick Hansen on 10 apiece. 

The trio advanced to the final, with former 2021 Speedway Under-21 World Championship runner-up Mads Hansen claiming the last final berth on countback with nine points and two heat wins, pipping Niels-Kristian Iversen, Jonas Seifert and Jonas Jeppesen, who only had one each.

But with only three more points up for grabs in the final, Michelsen went into the race with the luxury of knowing he had already done enough to seal a famous win in front of his home fans.

Despite that, Michelsen still won the final ahead of runner-up Mads Hansen, third-placed Patrick Hansen and Kenneth Bjerre, who was fourth, to end the night on a sensational 17 points.

He now heads into Saturday’s KGHM FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Gorzow on a huge high, hoping to reach his first SGP final of 2023.

Last year’s champion Rasmus Jensen fell short of the semis on eight points in a fiercely competitive meeting. Speedway GP star Anders Thomsen missed out on seven, along with Nicolai Klindt, Frederik Jakobsen and Benjamin Basso.

It was a difficult day for world No.2 Leon Madsen, who withdrew from the meeting after three rides with two points. It is unclear why he pulled out.

DANISH FINAL POINTS (INCLUDING THE FINAL): 1 Mikkel Michelsen 17, 2 Mads Hansen 11, 3 Patrick Hansen 11, 4 Kenneth Bjerre 10, 5 Niels-Kristian Iversen 9, 6 Jonas Seifert 9, 7 Jonas Jeppesen 9, 8 Rasmus Jensen 8, 9 Nicolai Klindt 7, 10 Anders Thomsen 7, 11 Frederik Jakobsen 7, 12 Benjamin Basso 7, 13 Michael Jepsen Jensen 4, 14 Rene Bach 4, 15 Leon Madsen 2, 16 Peter Kildemand 1, 17 Kevin Juhl Pedersen 1, 18 Kenneth Hansen 1.