MADSEN AIMS FOR GRAND FINALE IN TORUN

Danish racer Leon Madsen hopes a big finish to 2022 in Torun will set him up nicely for 2023 as he bids to secure Speedway GP silver this Saturday.

The newly-crowned European champion already has one major title after lifting the continental crown in Pardubice last Friday.

But he would love to add Speedway GP World Championship silver and needs just four championship points at the For Nature Solutions FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Torun to seal second place.

In recent weeks, Madsen has been insisting that his main focus is on preparing for 2023 as Polish star Bartosz Zmarzlik ran away with the world title. But that doesn’t stop him from wanting to deliver a big performance in Torun, where he topped the podium with a 21-point, seven-ride maximum in 2019.

He said: “I still want to do well in Torun so that we know what to do next year. We don’t want to do badly. I can’t relax too much because everything is a preparation for next year now. I also need to secure my silver medal, so I need to go to Torun focused and try to improve and be better.”

Madsen’s title hopes came to an end in Malilla on September 17, when his engine failure in semi-final one handed Zmarzlik the sport’s biggest prize for the third time.

But having left the Skrotfrag Arena with just three championship points in 2021, Madsen was pleased with a much-improved display – just a week after reaching his first home Speedway GP final in Vojens.

He said: “It’s a little bit of a bummer to finish the night like I did. But still, we are quite positive. What happened over the last few weeks is a lot better than what happened in the past in Vojens and Malilla. We take all the positives from that, move forward and try to keep improving. Hopefully next year we can push Bartek a little bit more.”