Jack Holder podiums in 3rd at Race 1 of Manchester/GB FIM Speedway GP Doubleheader
Holder makes both Finals, going 3-4 and coming out of Manchester on the overall series podium in 3rd position with 55 points
Having languished back in the pack and missed out on finals in the previous two FIM Speedway Grand Prix rounds, Monster Energy’s Jack Holder stepped it up at this past weekend’s SGP Doubleheader in Manchester, Great Britain, and made both Finals – scoring a podium 3rd place on Friday and a 4th on Saturday.
More importantly, Holder’s 30-point (16 & 14) weekend bumped him up to 3rd place overall in the SGP series standings with 55 points.
Said Holder prior to the Manchester Doubleheader: “Doing two SGPs back-to-back is pretty stressful. But I am ready for it. We’re two rounds in, but after this weekend we are nearly halfway through the series. It’s a very important weekend. I feel pretty confident that my bikes are fast, so it’s just down to me really.”
Holder got things rolling quickly on Friday, topping defending SGP champ Bartosz Zmarzlik in his qualifier, then winning the Sprint race and taking the first four points of the weekend. Holder then won Heat 8 and Heat 10, along with Last Chance Qualifier 1, to make the Final. And in the rain-soaked Final he again topped Zmarzlik (4th) for the third and final spot on the podium.
Said Holder on Friday following the race: “I had good points throughout the whole meeting, but made it hard on myself going through the LCQ. Then the heavens opened and she was raining. I had to send it. Everyone went for the fence line, tried to put myself into that position. Had I got there first it would have been sweet, but went to the inside to try to make something happen. And that was it.”
Saturday’s qualifying results for Holder were similar to Friday, though he could only manage one heat win (Heat 4). So it was back to LCQ 1 – where he won it again and made his way to the Final. But this time the defending champ, who transferred to the Final via LCQ 2, would get the better of Holder, placing 3rd to Holder’s 4th.
Monster Energy’s Patryk Dudek would race to a top ten (8th) finish on Friday, but wasn’t able to catch that magic again on Saturday where he finished 12th. Dudek is currently 10th in the overall SGP points with 29.
Up next…
FIM Speedway Grand Prix visits Wroclaw, Poland, for the June 20th running of the DEWALT FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Wroclaw. For further information, including the season race schedule, racer bios and timely results, link to: www.fimspeedway.com
