Danish racer Mikkel Michelsen believes FIM Speedway World Cup silver was a success for his side after they produced a huge Warsaw fightback.
The Danes had just eight points after nine races – seven of them scored by Michelsen, who was their best rider in the BOLL FIM SWC Final – Warsaw at PGE Narodowy last Saturday.
Incredibly, they roared back to within just three points of leaders Australia with just three races to go, but a crash for Michelsen in heat 18 and victory for Max Fricke all but ended Denmark’s victory hopes.
After a difficult start, Michelsen was proud of his side for refusing to throw in the towel as they pipped Poland to silver by a point. He said: “It was a tough night for the Danish guys. After the first eight heats, to come back the way we did and get a silver medal is a great accomplishment. I think we should be proud of that.
“I think we could have easily gone home empty-handed. We definitely fought our way back in there. Going into the last four heats, theoretically, we still had a chance to come away with the gold, which would have required some luck and four heat wins. When I jumped off the bike in heat 18, I kind of messed that up.
“If it couldn’t have been us Danish guys getting away with the gold, I am happy that it was the Aussie guys. They rode brilliantly all night. I think that was the difference compared to the Danish and Polish teams. They were consistent all the way through.”
Michelsen’s night will be mostly remembered for his reaction to Polish racer Bartosz Zmarzlik’s challenge on him in heat 18, which saw the Slangerup star crash on lap three, turn two, before jumping to his feet to confront the six-time Speedway GP world champion.
Michelsen was held back by Denmark’s mechanics, before he raced down the PGE Narodowy tunnel to try and reach Zmarzlik again, only to be stopped by mechanics and teammates.
The incident sent the crowd wild, with boos raining down on Michelsen. “I set off some fireworks out there – that’s for sure,” he said. “They came a little early; I should have waited until after the prize giving ceremony.
“What to say – it was a racing incident, and I made a small mistake, trying to follow Max in the corner before. I was kind of stuck in the middle of the track, and I didn’t know where to go in the next corner.
“I knew Bartek was behind me. I decided to come in a bit wider, and I knew he was just going to divebomb me into the corner. If I had kept my line, he would have just taken my front wheel.
“I knew the situation; we were fighting for a World Championship, and the situation was important. I should have stayed on the bike, so the decision by the referee was fair enough. There are no complaints whatsoever.
“Things got a little heated there for a second because he always does the same thing, but it is what it is. That’s racing, and that’s the way he races. I should have been smarter and covered that move.”
Michelsen exchanged words with Zmarzlik on the infield and was heard telling the Lublin star “you aim for the clutch.”
Asked for his view on their discussions, Michelsen said: “We just exchanged some words about the whole situation. I am not going to go into too much detail. I don’t want to call it a grown-up conversation; it was very light.
“I might have said a few things about his riding style. It’s in the past now and at least we beat the Polish guys. It was great.”