RESULT: SPEEDWAY GRAND PRIX OF POLAND

The 9th round of this season's Grand Prix championship finished with the overall top three riders all nursing injuries and the current world number 3, Niels-Kristian Iversen also facing the prospect of an early end to his campaign.

Reigning World Champion Tai Woffinden who injured his hand at Eastbourne last Saturday withdrew from the Gorzow-staged GP after Friday's practice as he couldn't hold the bike up strongly enough. His absence offered current series leader Greg Hancock an opportunity to edge even closer a third world title and, with three straight race wins under his belt was very much on course to do so.

But, in what could turn out to be a defining point in this year's series, he became the innocent victim when Iversen, also looking to close in on a championship medal for the second successive season, picked up some unwanted lift and collided with the ever-present American.  Early reports suggest that Iversen has damaged his leg ligaments whilst Hancock has reported broken knuckles.

Multi-world title winner Nicki Pedersen who went into the meeting nursing a troublesome arm saw his hopes of bravely reaching the semi-finals when he suffered a heavy fall in his final qualifying race.

With so many casualties at the head of the championship race, and with Poole skipper Darcy Ward indefinitely suspended from future competition, the series is beginning the one rider to make the biggest progress was Poole asset Krzysztof Kasprzak.

Adding 16 points to his championship total which leaves him just one point shy of Pedersen's present third place, Kasprzak was third in an all home-track rostrum occupation. Wild card Bartos Zmarzlik making his third GP performance took top honours ahead of Slovenian Matej Zagar who is currently in 5th place on 91 points.

Despite not riding in either of the last two rounds Darcy Ward still hangs on to a top eight position with 75 championship points whilst fellow Aussie Chris Holder, a beaten semi-finalist in Gorzow holds 8th place, the lowest finishing position for automatic qualification to next year's championship.

1.B.Zmarzlik,N.Iversen,C.Holder ,A.Jonsson
2.G.Hancock,N.Pedersen,K.Bjerre ,M.Smolinski
3.M.Zagar,C.Harris,T.Batchelor ,A.Cyfer
4.K.Kasprzak,MJ.Jensen,F.Lindgren ,J.Hampel
5.K.Kasprzak,C.Holder,M.Smolinski ,A.Cyfer (rtd)
6.N.Pedersen,F.Lindgren,N.Iversen ,C.Harris
7.K.Bjerre,T.Batchelor,A.Jonsson ,J.Hampel
8.G.Hancock,B.Zmarzlik,MJ.Jensen ,M.Zagar
9.MJ.Jensen,T.Batchelor,C.Holder ,N.Pedersen
10.N.Iversen,M.Zagar,M.Smolinski ,J.Hampel
11.G.Hancock,F.Lindgren,A.Jonsson ,A.Cyfer
12.K.Bjerre,K.Kasprzak,B.Zmarzlik ,C.Harris
13.M.Zagar,C.Holder,F.Lindgren ,K.Bjerre
14.K.Kasprzak,T.Batchelor,L.Kaczmarek ,G.Hancock (NS), N.Iversen (fell exc)
15.MJ.Jensen,C.Harris,A.Jonsson ,M.Smolinski
16.B.Zmarzlik,N.Pedersen,A.Cyfer ,J.Hampel
17.C.Holder,C.Harris,L.Kaczmarek ,J.Hampel (rtd)
18.MJ.Jensen,K.Bjerre,A.Cyfer ,L.Kaczmarek
19.M.Zagar,K.Kasprzak,A.Jonsson ,N.Pedersen (fell exc)
20.M.Smolinski,B.Zmarzlik,T.Batchelor ,F.Lindgren
SF1 B.Zmarzlik,K.Kasprzak,K.Bjerre ,C.Holder
SF2 M.Zagar,MJ.Jensen,T.Batchelor ,G.Hancock (NS)
Final: B.Zmarzlik,M.Zagar,K.Kasprzak ,MJ.Jensen

Scorers:

B.Zmarzlik 17 (3,2,1,3,2,3,3)
M.Zagar 16 (3,0,2,3,3,3,2)
K.Kasprzak 16 (3,3,2,3,2,2,1)
M.Zagar 16 (3,0,2,3,3,3,2)
MJ.Jensen 14 (2,1,3,3,3,2,0)
K.Bjerre 10 (1,3,3,0,2,1)
T.Batchelor 9 (1,2,2,2,1,1)
G.Hancock 9 (3,3,3,N,N,N)
C.Holder 9 (1,2,1,2,3,0)
N.Pedersen 7 (2,3,0,2,0)
F.Lindgren 6 (1,2,2,1,0)
C.Harris 6 (2,0,0,2,2)
N.Iversen 6 (2,1,3,0,0)
M.Smolinski 5 (0,1,1,0,3)
A.Jonsson 4 (0,1,1,1,1)
J.Hampel 0 (0,0,0,0,0)
T.Woffinden 0 (0,0,0,0,0)
A.Cyfer 2 (0,0,0,1,1)
L.Kaczmarek 2 (0,0,0,1,1)

Championship Standings: G.Hancock 112; T.Woffinden 98; N.Pedersen 93; K.Kasprzak 92; M.Zagar 91; N.Iversen 87; D.Ward 75; C.Holder 70; F.Lindgren 69; T.Batchelor 66; M.Smolinski 64; J.Hampel 63; K.Bjerre 60; A.Jonsson 59; C.Harris 35; MJ.Jensen 31