VACULIK: BIKE SWAP COST ME IN MALILLA

Slovak star Martin Vaculik admits being forced to switch bikes for the final re-run cost him dearly as Dan Bewley snatched Holmgrens Bil FIM Speedway GP of Sweden – Malilla victory away last Saturday night.

Vaculik was in red-hot form all evening, racking up 13 race points in the heats. He then went wheel to wheel with home hero Fredrik Lindgren in the final, with the Swede running into him at the end of lap three after the Zarnovica-born racer left the door slightly open on the inside. Both men fell hard, and Lindgren was excluded.

While Vaculik got a second chance to seal victory and he hit the front for a second time, he was forced to change equipment due to damage sustained in the crash.

He admits his second bike was not quite so fast as Bewley made a clever cutback across the kerb on lap three, turn four to take his third Speedway GP win in just three final appearances.

Vaculik, now fourth in the Speedway GP standings on 69 points, said: “The team did everything perfectly and I am sorry about losing my first bike in the final. After the crash, it was damaged, and I had to jump on the second bike. The setup on the second bike was not correct and it was really tough for me to stay on the good line.

“But before the meeting, if you had offered me second place, I would have taken it. 

"Congrats to Dan – he was super good, and I am just looking forward to the rest of the season. We will take it meeting by meeting.”

Vaculik now takes a short break from the FIM Speedway stage as the Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup comes to Wroclaw from Tuesday to Saturday next week – featuring the sport’s top nine nations battling it out for the iconic Ove Fundin Trophy over four nights of epic racing.

STORY: PAUL BURBIDGE