HANS Andersen scraped through by the skin of his teeth to join Poole Pirates colleague Krzysztof Buczkowski in this year's Grand Prix Challenge.

The Dane was among those fancied to go through in Gorican, Croatia tonight but was sweating on his spot until the very last heat.

Five points from four rides had put Andersen in a perilous position but victory in his final heat and an engine failure for ex-Pirate Vaclav Milik in the last race saw Poole’s number one sneak into the final qualification berth.

Speaking after qualifying for the European Championship this week, Andersen told the Daily Echo: “Personally, everything is going well at the moment.

"It is easy to be a speedway rider when your equipment is good and you trust your mechanics and bikes. 

“All I have to do is turn up and ride and I am enjoying my racing a lot more than I have for the past three years.”

Buczkowski’s place was booked with a win and two second places in his final three heats, sealing a nine-point haul and fifth spot.

The pair will be among those competing for the three guaranteed places on the 2017 Speedway Grand Prix circuit in Vetlanda, Sweden, on September 3.

Poole rookie Brady Kurtz competes in the other semi-final in Lonigo, Italy, on July 2. 

Coventry's Krzysztof Kasprzak and Wolverhampton's Sam Masters were among the other qualifiers. Martin Vaculik beat Milik to the only reserve place in a run-off.