After a month’s delay because of restrictions around the Coronavirus, the Swedish Bauhaus Elitserien finally got underway tonight. And the wait turned out to be a good idea because as of today (1 June) regulations have changed allowing 500 fans into the stadiums.
As there are 9 teams in Elitserien this year, Piraterna have their first match next week at home against Vetlanda. But 6 of the teams got started tonight.
1. Dackarna 45 v Västervik 45
The opening match of the season was a close affair in Målilla. But Jacob Thorssell was in great form involved in all the heat advantages in the match in the first 9 heats for the home team (Heats 2, 4, 9) so that Dackarna lead 31:23. Few would have bet on anything other than a home win at this stage.
However, the match became much more interesting after Heat 10 when the track seem to open up for far more lines and we saw super speedway with overtaking in every heat. That led to Västervik coming back into the match with two 2:4s to make the match 44:40 with just the final nomination heat to go.
Dackarna had been in the lead the whole match but as Artem Laguta (pictured) and Pawel Przedpelski took the checkered flag first and second in Heat 15, Västervik had turned defeat into an unlike 45:45 draw.
Top Scorers
Artem Laguta WMSK 16
Pawel Przedpelski WMSK 12+1
Rasmus Jensen DAC 10+2
Jacob Thorssell DAC 10
Maciej Janowski DAC 8
2. Masarna 33 v Smederna 57
Two 1:5 heats early on in the match as Michael Jepsen Jensen won Heat 4 and Andrzej Lebedevs won Heat 5 saw the visitors, Eskilstuna, take an early lead. They never let go of it against reigning champions, Avesta Masarna and the home team were treated to an embrassing Round 1 defeat.
Top Scorers
Pontus Aspgren SMED 13+1
Michael Jepsen Jensen SMED 12+1
David Bellego MAS 11
Martin Smolinksi MAS 6+1
Prezmyslaw Pawlicki MAS 5+1
3. Indianerna 38 v Lejonen 52
The visitors also won when Gislaved Lejonen travelled to Kumla. The Scandinavian duo of Oliver Berntzon and Nicolai Klindt played a key role in Lejonen's victory when they raced together in Heats 2 and 8 taking two 1:5s. It was the Swedish rider who took the checkered flag before his Danish colleague on both occasions.
Any chance that the home team might make a come back in the final third of the match was crushed by three 1:5s in the last four Heats and Lejonen ran out deserved winners.
Top scorers:
Robert Lambert LEJ 14
Oliver Berntzon LEJ 12+1
Rohan Tungate LEJ 11+2
Niels Kristian Iversen IND 12
Chris Holder IND 10
Grzegorz Zengota IND 4+1
4. Vetlanda v Rospiggarna
Match is on Thursday 3 June at 7pm.
