Speedway: Bjarne calls it a day in the GP (From Bournemouth Echo)

Speedway: Bjarne calls it a day in the GP

7:00am Monday 6th July 2009

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BJARNE Pedersen has called time on his Grand Prix career so he can concentrate on his league racing.

Pirates’ captain admitted before lining up in the GP qualifier semi-final in Latvia on Saturday that he might not want to contest the series next year even if he won through.

Now the decision has been made for him after the Dane suffered mechanical problems as he only got six points at Daugavpils and failed to progress to the final at Coventry on September 18.

But his Poole Castle Cover team-mate Chris Holder is only five rides away from a regular GP place.

He finished fifth in Latvia with 10 points, which included two race wins, and is safely through to Brandon where he must secure a top-three place to qualify for the 2010 series.

Pedersen, a GP regular from 2003 to 2008 after making his wild card debut in 2002, said: “The decision is out of my hands now.

“It’s easy for me. I won’t be in the GP next year.

“For now, I just want to do what I really like doing, my league matches and have a few more days in with the family.”

Asked if he would try and qualify for the 2011 GP series through next year’s qualifiers, Pedersen added: “I really don’t think so.

“It’s a long way ahead, but at the moment I just want to do the best I can for my clubs and be sharp as possible for league meetings.

“Fair play to all the riders in the GP, it’s very hard work to be in there. Even Jason Crump, he nearly quit the GP last year.

“Of course the GP is a big show, but right now for me to go into the GP there are just too many extra things I would have to have and I just don’t have the energy now.”

Talking about his unexpected Daugavpils exit, Pedersen said: “I gave it a go but it has just not worked out.

“I felt quite fast in my first race which I won and I was leading my second one when there was a re-run, which I finished third in.

“In my third race, my first bike broke down at the start so I had to get on the second one. From there it was really starting to be hard work.”

Results, GP semi-final one at Daugavpils, Latvia: J Hampel 12, J Pavlic 12 (after run-off), F Lindgren 11, M Bogdanov 11 (after run-off), C Holder 10 (3-1-2-3-1), A Miedzinski 10, P Protasiewicz 9, M Smolinski 8 (all qualify for final), T Kroner 7, A Dryml 6, B Pedersen 6 (3-1-1-1-0), R Schlein 5, M Vaculik 5, A Karpov 4, J Wright 4, M Ferjan 0, K Puodzhuks 0, V Gerutskyi 0.

Semi-final two at Motala, Sweden: K Bjerre 14, G Walasek 13, J Davidsson 10, K Nieminen 10 (after run-off), C Harris 9, L Dryml 9, M Zetterstrom 8, D Watt 8 (all qualify for final), A Lindback 7, R Gafurov 6, M Risager 6, T Woffinden 5, M Zagar 5, P Swiderski 4, J B Monberg 3, C Hefenbrock 3.

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