MICHELSEN READY TO RACE

Danish star Mikkel Michelsen has been cleared to race in the final round of the Speedway European Championship on Friday and Lublin’s PGE Ekstraliga title decider against Gorzow on Sunday.

The European champion suffered a broken ankle in a freak crash during the warm-up for Lublin’s PGE Ekstraliga semi-final, first leg against Torun on September 2.

The bike took off with the engine landing hard on Michelsen’s ankle. Incredibly, he raced three meetings that weekend, before competing in the FIM Speedway GP of Denmark – Vojens, sponsored by Ecco on September 10.

Despite reaching the semi-finals at his home event and finishing second on the scorechart, Michelsen was ruled out of the Kaeser FIM Speedway GP of Sweden – Malilla last Saturday after the pain became too severe.

After undergoing treatment at Klinika Nieborowice near his Polish base in Rybnik, Michelsen gets back on the bike tomorrow.

Posting on Facebook, he wrote: “Can’t thank Dr Onaczyszyna enough for the past three months and the whole team at Klinika Nieborowice helping me overcome the various injuries I’ve been struggling with. They have cleared me for duty this weekend and I can’t wait to be back on my bike.”

Michelsen heads into the SEC finale fourth in the standings on 31 points – 10 behind series leader Janusz Kolodziej, giving him only an outside chance of retaining the European crown he won last year.

Kolodziej leads the way on 41, and should he retain top spot, he will earn a guaranteed place in the 2023 Speedway GP series.

But Danish ace Leon Madsen is just a point behind in second place on 40, with Poland’s Patryk Dudek third on 35. Should Madsen or Dudek lift the SEC title and finish inside the 2022 Speedway GP top six, the SGP qualification place allocated to the European champion will instead pass to a sixth permanent wild card, chosen by the SGP Commission.

Madsen is already guaranteed to finish in the top six and needs just four championship points at the For Nature Solutions FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Torun on October 1 to seal the silver medal. Dudek currently holds third place in the Speedway GP standings on 100. A final appearance in Torun would make certain of his SGP place for 2023.