AARNIO'S BITTERSWEET SON
Finnish racer Tero Aarnio admits missing out on Monster Energy SON Finals qualification took the shine off beating world champ Jason Doyle.
22 / 06 / 2018, 12:21
Finnish racer Tero Aarnio admits missing out on Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Finals qualification took the shine off his unforgettable victory over world champ Jason Doyle.
Aarnio and partner Timo Lahti may have been tipped as outsiders for qualification ahead of Race Off 2 in Manchester on June 5, but they only fell short of the knock-out heats on countback after tying on 14 points with France.
Their early exit didn’t stop Aarnio producing one of the moments of the tournament, when he rode a sensational heat 19 to get the better of Aussie icon Doyle and former World Under-21 champion Max Fricke.
Beating Jason was pretty good. Unfortunately, it was too late because we went there to qualify to the Finals and it actually feels like quite a big blow that we got eliminated even before the knock-out heats.
Tero Aarnio
While some riders may have left the National Speedway Stadium with a smile on their face beating the world champ, Aarnio insisted it was too little, too late for a Finnish side that went to Manchester in search of Finals qualification.
He said: “Beating Jason was pretty good. Unfortunately, it was too late because we went there to qualify to the Finals and it actually feels like quite a big blow that we got eliminated even before the knock-out heats. We didn’t even get a chance to get through. I’m a bit disappointed about that.
“We didn’t go there to just participate in this meeting, so we were both very disappointed when we went out on countback. That’s speedway. We should have started better.
“Before that, I think we got a little bit caught out by track conditions. I thought it was going to be a bit slicker and I set my bike up for that. When it got a bit slick, then I was on it.”
Aarnio, Doyle and Fricke are fairly familiar with each other as they race together for Rospiggarna in the Swedish Elitserien.
It may have been Finland’s first appearance in a world championship since the 2010 FIM Speedway World Cup, but with his experience in Scandinavia’s top leagues, Aarnio insists he has no fears about taking on the sport’s biggest names.
The Newcastle Diamonds rider said: “I’m riding in the Elitserien and Danish Speedway League, so I race that kind of rider there.
“I don’t really look at who is against me; I just try to win and that’s all that matters now. Hopefully I can keep this form going now.”