VACULIK: LONG MEDAL FIGHT AHEAD

Slovak star Martin Vaculik is determined to keep his eyes on the prize after stepping up his FIM Speedway Grand Prix medal bid with second place at the Norrbil Swedish SGP in Hallstavik last Saturday.

The Zarnovica-born racer racked up 16 points and stands fifth in the World Championship on 44 – just three short of series leaders Emil Sayfutdinov, Patryk Dudek and Leon Madsen.

With just five points separating six riders at the summit, Vaculik knows he faces stiff competition to reach the rostrum and challenge for the sport’s biggest prize.

He said: “There are still many, many meetings in front of us, so I will keep focused and keep working hard. I dedicate myself to being the best I can. I want to fight for a medal this year and I will do everything to do that.”

Vaculik has enjoyed a real upsurge in form since scoring four points at the ANLAS Czech SGP in Prague on June 15 after resolving an issue which was slowing him up. So he was delighted to build on his momentum in Hallstavik.

He said: “I am happy with the performance. We had a problem. I won’t say what it was. It all started in Krsko, but the track there was not so bad for the problem I had.

“We found the problem before my last meeting in Poland and now my bikes are fast and my gating is perfect.

“I am racing well and everything is working awesome for me. I’m very pleased with how many points I scored. That’s the main goal in the Grand Prix – to score the most points possible.”

Vaculik hit the front off turn one in the final, but Sayfutdinov snatched victory with a sublime swoop off bend two, with his Slovak rival paying a warm tribute to a man who won his first SGP round since 2013.

He said: “Congrats to Emil – he was awesome. He was very fast. I didn’t think I made any mistakes in the final. He was just the better man in Hallstavik.”