MADSEN EXPECTS LIONS TEST IN ESBJERG

Danish racer Leon Madsen can’t wait to see the FIM Speedway of Nations head to Esbjerg next summer, but admits reigning world champions Great Britain might adapt quickly to the Granly Speedway Arena track.

The Danes took the bronze medals as the Lions won their first world team title for 32 years at Manchester’s National Speedway Stadium on October 17.

Madsen will be determined to lead his country a couple of steps further when Denmark hosts the revamped SON from July 27-30, 2022.

For the first time ever, the sport’s world team champions will be crowned over four nights of epic action on one track, with both Semi-Finals, the SON 2 event for the sport’s under-21 stars and a one-day SON Final taking place at Esbjerg’s Granly Speedway Arena.

The Danes will start among the favourites for gold as they are seeded into the Final as host nation.

Madsen would love to lift Denmark’s first world title since their 2014 FIM Speedway World Cup win in Bydgoszcz. But he admits his side will not enjoy a huge home advantage from the track.

He said: “To be honest, it’s a little bit similar to Manchester. I shouldn’t say that because now I have given good confidence to the British riders!

“It is a good racing track as well. I am not sure that we have any advantage with the track, but we have an advantage with the home crowd like the British boys did this year.

“Obviously when you race in front of your home crowd in the World Championship, you would like to win it.

“We saw how nice it was for the British guys. It must be amazing to win it front of a home crowd. We want to try the same thing next year. Hopefully we can take it a step further in front of our home crowd.”