Courtesy of Speedway Grand Prix
TAI: BUSINESS AS USUAL IN CARDIFF
Great Britain’s Tai Woffinden insists it will be business as usual as he bids to cement his spot at the FIM Speedway World Championship summit in the Adrian Flux British FIM Speedway Grand Prix at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on Saturday (5pm BST). The Scunthorpe-born star lines up alongside compatriots Chris Harris and wild card Craig Cook in the biggest event on the speedway calendar, where over 40,000 fans are expected to roar him on. Woffy leads the World Championship standings on 40 points, with Danish icon Nicki Pedersen six behind on 34 in second. The 24-year-old goes into the meeting in red-hot form after starring for his country in the Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup and retaining his British Championship at Wolverhampton last month. He has also racked up a sensational run of scores for Polish club Wroclaw and Swedish side Vetlanda. Despite the bookmakers making him odds-on favourite to win his home event for the first time, Woffinden says he is treating the meeting just the same as any other. He said: “It’s another Grand Prix and another opportunity to score some points as far as I’m concerned. I’m just treating it the same as any other GP, although of course it will be different because it’s the British round, my home round. “I’m not putting any pressure on myself going into the meeting, I’m just looking forward to it and I will give it my all.” Woffinden admits he’s glad to have the busiest month of his year behind him as he heads to Cardiff. He added: “June was always going to be busy because of the Monster Energy SWC and the British Final, in addition to my other meetings. I’m pleased that’s out of the way. “There were a couple of occasions when I became a bit tired but generally everything has gone well. I’m feeling good about my form and good about my engines. Things are going really nicely for me. “I just want to keep enjoying my racing. That’s exactly what I’m doing right now and as long as that continues, I’m confident I can keep scoring the points.” Despite being nicely placed on top of the SGP tree, Woffinden says he has not looked at the title standings since his triumph at the Czech SGP in Prague on May 23. He said: “When it’s not a speedway day for me, I try and ignore everything that’s going on in the sport. I like to spend my private time relaxing and if you’re worrying about everything else going on in speedway, it will be playing on your mind all the time. “I have not even looked at the table. Obviously I’m aware I’m ahead, but I just want to keep my head down and concentrate on my own form without worrying about anyone else. I’m really looking forward to Saturday and seeing all the British fans in Cardiff.” Woffinden is being tipped to become the first home winner at the Millennium Stadium since Harris topped the rostrum in unforgettable style in 2007. The Cornishman is a 50/1 outsider this time around, but having hit his best form since 2010, he’s determined to end his three-year wait for an SGP final appearance in style. The Coventry skipper said: “If I can make a final, it would be great. It has been too long since I last reached a final in Copenhagen (June 2012), so hopefully Cardiff will be the night. “Hopefully I’ll get into the final, and maybe grab the win. The crowd here always gives you a lift. When you hear your name chanted and all the air horns, it gives you that extra buzz and gives you that extra determination to do well. “Riders don’t win their home GPs very often, so if I could do it again, it would be a fantastic feeling.” Cook earned his place in the Adrian Flux British SGP for the second straight season after storming to second spot in the British Championship Final on June 15. The Cumbrian, who doubles up for Belle Vue and Edinburgh, admits his struggles from the start have hampered his form this season. But he knows he can deliver a big performance if he gets the better of his gating gremlins for Cardiff. He said: “I know the speed is there. I have good speed and I’ve proved that time and time again. It’s just all about getting out of the starts. If you don’t do that, you’re wasting your time. “I know I can ride the bike. If I make starts, who knows where I might be at the end of the night? “I’m not aiming to be anywhere or saying I’m going to be somewhere. I’m going there with a clear, open mind. There’s no pressure on me and whatever will be, will be. “If I get a race win, it might inspire me to do something a bit more special. I have some great motors from Ashley Holloway. I’m really happy with them. I’m pretty confident that if I get out in front, there isn’t anyone who will catch me.” The online ticket sale for the Adrian Flux British SGP closes at midnight on Wednesday (July 1). Click here to purchase tickets: http://speedwaygp.seetickets.com/tour/2015-british-fim-speedway-grand-prix. From Thursday, tickets will be available from the Ticketline UK store on Westgate Street, Cardiff. They can also be bought at the Millennium Stadium box office on Friday from 12pm until 5.30pm and on Saturday from 9.30pm until 5.30pm. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Tai Woffinden 40, 2 Nicki Pedersen 34, 3 Jaroslaw Hampel 31, 4 Greg Hancock 27, 5 Matej Zagar 24, 6 Andreas Jonsson 24, 7 Maciej Janowski 23, 8 Jason Doyle 22, 9 Niels-Kristian Iversen 21, 10 Michael Jepsen Jensen 19, 11 Chris Harris 18, 12 Krzysztof Kasprzak 17, 13 Chris Holder 13, 14 Troy Batchelor 13, 15 Tomas H Jonasson 9, 16 Tomasz Gollob 4, 17 Bartosz Zmarzlik 3, 18 Timo Lahti 3, 19 Vaclav Milik 2, 20 Piotr Pawlicki 1. ADRIAN FLUX BRITISH FIM SPEEDWAY GRAND PRIX LINE-UP (in ranking order with rider numbers): 45 Greg Hancock (USA), 507 Krzysztof Kasprzak (Poland), 3 Nicki Pedersen (Denmark), 108 Tai Woffinden (Great Britain), 55 Matej Zagar (Slovenia), 100 Andreas Jonsson (Sweden), 23 Chris Holder (Australia), 19 Peter Kildemand (Denmark – substitute for 33 Jaroslaw Hampel), 75 Troy Batchelor (Australia), 88 Niels-Kristian Iversen (Denmark), 37 Chris Harris (Great Britain), 69 Jason Doyle (Australia), 71 Maciej Janowski (Poland), 52 Michael Jepsen Jensen (Denmark), 30 Tomas H Jonasson (Sweden), 16 Craig Cook (Great Britain – wild card). Track reserves: 17 Jason Garrity (Great Britain), 18 Robert Lambert (Great Britain). |
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