HANS Andersen recovered from a nightmare start to grab hold of the coattails of his European Championship rivals on Saturday.

The Poole Pirates charger suffered a last place and an exclusion as the rain came down during the early exchanges in Gustrow, Germany.

However, the Dane won a thrilling battle for second with Peter Ljung to take two points behind Pirates asset Vaclav Milik on a night where gate four was a big advantage to the riders.

With his confidence bolstered, Andersen roared to victory against heavyweights Emil Sayfutdinov and British Grand Prix winner Antonio Lindback from the gate in heat 16.

He then embarked on an epic tussle for supremacy with compatriot Leon Madsen in heat 19, making the start before surrendering then regaining around the final turn of the first lap.

Madsen reclaimed first on the second turn of lap two and held his position to the end, denying Andersen a victory that would have seen him scrape into the semi-finals.

But while the semi-final, which does not carry points, was contested, rain prevented the final taking place and the result stood after the 20 qualifying heats.

The second round of four takes place in Daugavpils, Latvia, on Saturday, August 6.