ELITSERIEN & SPEEDWAYLIGAEN | ZMARZLIK LEADS LIONS CHARGE AS IVERSEN INSPIRES ESBJERG

Polish duo Bartosz Zmarzlik and Dominik Kubera piled up the points for Lejonen as they claimed a 49-41 lead over Dackarna in the Bauhaus Elitserien play-off semi-finals on Wednesday.

Zmarzlik zoomed to 13 paid 14 points, while Kubera bagged a straight 14 for the Lions against the Malilla club, which stages the Kaeser FIM Speedway GP of Sweden – Malilla this Saturday.

Former world No.2 Jaroslaw Hampel scored nine paid 13, with Kaeser FIM Swedish Speedway GP wild card Oliver Berntzon scoring five points.

Former Australian champion Brady Kurtz was Dackarna’s top former on 12, with Nicolai Klindt adding eight paid nine and Maciej Janowski scoring eight.

The return leg takes place in Malilla on Tuesday, with the other semi-final matches between Smederna and Rospiggarna being staged in Eskilstuna on Monday and Hallstavik on Tuesday.

Meanwhile in Denmark, former Danish champion Niels-Kristian Iversen powered to 14 points for Esbjerg as they booked their place in the Speedwayligaen Super Final with victory in the play-off semi-final. Esbjerg won the four-team semi on 40 points, with Matias Nielsen notching nine and Jonas Jeppesen adding eight.

Former Speedway GP winner Michael Jepsen Jensen led Slangerup to second place – racking up 13 of the team’s 34 points, while Andreas Lyager added 12.

Grindsted took third place in the meeting on 26, with former Speedway GP rider Kenneth Bjerre leading their scorechart on 13. SGP2 rider Francis Gusts crashed out for Grindsted, but confirmed he suffered no broken bones as he undergoes additional hospital checks.

Region Varde finished fourth as Finland’s Timo Lahti topped their scorechart on 12 with Nicolai Heiselberg impressing on 10.

Esbjerg and Slangerup join table-topping Vojens club Sønderjylland Elite Speedway and second-placed Holsted in the Super Final at Vojens Speedway Center on September 21.