FIM SPEEDWAY TOP 5 MOMENTS | CROATIA

As speedway celebrates its 100^th anniversary season, FIMSpeedway.com looks back at the top five moments celebrated at each of our 2023 FIM Speedway venues.

Today, we feature Speedway Stadion Milenium, venue for the 2023 FIM Speedway GP of Croatia – Donji Kraljevec on April 29.

 

1. LIFT OFF FOR HANCOCK – 2010

When American legend Greg Hancock arrived in Croatia for the nation’s first-ever Speedway GP event, some feared his first visit to the Speedway Stadion Milenium may be his last.

Having reached just two semi-finals and one final in the opening seven rounds, a man who had appeared in every single Speedway GP event up to this point was in real danger of not qualifying for 2011. But lining up in the Sunday afternoon sunshine after the event was delayed due to heavy downpours on the Saturday, Hancock proved he wasn’t going to go quietly into the speedway sunset.

Racing on some revamped equipment, Grin powered to a famous victory that played a key role in helping him end the season fifth overall.

It was the day when Hancock proved he still had not only the speed, but also the desire to mix it with the world’s best. It truly was the start of something special …

 

2. HANCOCK MAKES HISTORY – 2011

Riders racing into their 40s has become normal across the speedway world in recent times – but only one rider has won the FIM Speedway World Championship after celebrating their 40^th birthday.

Those who assumed Hancock wouldn’t add to his 1997 Speedway GP world title were taken aback as the Californian swept all before him in 2011.

The longest gap between title wins was the seven years between British legend Peter Craven’s World Final victories in 1955 and 1962.

Hancock doubled the record to 14 years, with third place in heat 20 enough to finish the job, sealing his second world title with a round to spare at the age of 41, before he kissed the Speedway Stadion Milenium shale on which he had reignited his career a year earlier.

If some riders enjoy an Indian summer in the autumn of their careers, Hancock’s was more of a record-breaking, freak heatwave. He lifted two more Speedway GP world titles in 2014 and 2016, before racing his final Speedway GP in October 2018 and officially hanging up his kevlars just a few months short of his 50^th birthday in early 2020.

 

3. NEW ERA, FAMILIAR RESULT – 2022

Croatia wasn’t just the stage for the rebirth of Greg Hancock; it was also the venue where new global promoter Discovery Sports Events launched its new era of FIM Speedway in 2022.

The Speedway Stadion Milenium was transformed with a brand-new pit area, fanzone, central stage, push-off area and TV studio as Discovery introduced its vision for FIM Speedway to the world for the first time.

The Donji Kraljevec stands were packed for the first FIM Croatian Speedway GP since 2012, and fans were rewarded with some of the best racing ever witnessed in Croatia.

Polish icon Bartosz Zmarzlik made no secret of the fact the Speedway Stadion Milenium’s tight and technical circuit was not his favourite track on the tour.

But it didn’t stop him from opening his season with a big win, topping the standings. And he stayed top all the way to the end of the season as he lifted his third world title in four years.

 

4. AJ IN SEARCH OF SILVER – 2011

Amid the jubilation of Hancock’s title triumph, it’s easy to forget there was another big winner in Croatia in 2011 – Swedish star Andreas Jonsson.

In the form of his life, Jonsson stormed to what was his third Speedway GP victory in just five rounds, beating Britain’s Chris Harris, Sweden’s Freddie Lindgren and Hancock in the final before sealing World Championship silver.

Had Jonsson reproduced such red-hot form in the first half of the season, there’s every chance it would have been the Stockholm-born racer rather than Hancock, who collected the Speedway GP trophy that year.

 

5. PEDERSEN IN PURSUIT – 2012

Jonsson nearly made it two Croatian wins in a row in 2012, but Danish icon Nicki Pedersen had other ideas as he tightened the screw on his rivals in the Speedway GP title race.

Pedersen topped the podium ahead of the Swede, Polish racer Tomasz Gollob and local wild card Jurica Pavlic, who finished fourth on a track built, owned and operated by his family.

With Pedersen picking up 19 championship points, it was a pivotal moment as he took the title race all the way to the final round in Torun, falling just eight points short of eventual champion Chris Holder.

 

BE THERE! – 2023

Don’t miss this year’s FIM Croatian Speedway GP action on Saturday, April 29. Tickets are available online here now: https://www.entrio.hr/event/fim-speedway-grand-prix-of-croatia-12783