As the season comes towards its end, the teams in Elitserien will all race two matches this week, both Tuesday and Thursday to ensure the 18 Round regular season is over next week. However, with 9 teams in the league, Smederna will only race on Tuesday, whilst Lejonen will only race on Thursday this week.
Dackarna 61:29 Vetlanda (103:87) #DACVETS
This match provoked a huge amount of discussion in Swedish speedway social media forums when it was announced that Dackarna would race with 3 SGP riders – Tai Woffinden, Maciej Janowski and Jason Doyle, whilst Vetlanda would not have Bartosz Zmarzlik and Dominik Kubera in their line-up. Fans of both clubs, as well as neutrals, were up in arms over the fact that the visitors were not going to race the derby match with their best Polish riders with people saying they would refuse to come to see the match. So much was written that the club themselves were forced to comment and blamed the Ekstraliga clubs for not releasing their riders before the playoffs in Poland.
Regardless, Vetlanda, travelled to Målilla with a 6-point lead from their Round 6 match when it came to the bonus point.
But that advantage was soon wiped out as Dackarna totally humiliated the visitors. Vetlanda gained just one heat win during the whole night when Brady Kurtz won Heat 1. The Australian would be their top scorer with just 8+1.
For the home side it was Doyle (pictured in blue helmet) who top scored with a paid maximum (14+1) as their top five riders all scored double points against a forlorn Vetlanda.
Full scores from Zuzelend here.
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Västervik 65:25 Piraterna (110:60) #WMSKPIR
Piraterna’s only point this season came from a 45:45 draw with Västervik at home in Motala. But Daniel Davidsson’s team travelled without top scorer, Oskar Fajfer, or top scoring Swede, Tomas H Jonasson, whilst the home side have added SGP rider, Fredrik Lindgren to their side that drew in Motala.
If the visitors had any notion they might take home three points, it was soon crushed as Västervik took four 5:1s in the first 6 heats. It did not get any better for Piraterna who lost 65:25. Danish U21 World Championship representative, Jonas Seifert-Salk, was the team’s top scorer with 7 pts and lead out the only 1:5 the visitors took. For the triumphant home team, it was Lindgren took a 15 pts maximum whilst Bartosz Smekala, took a paid maximum with 13+2.
Full scores from Zuzelend here
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Masarna 38:52 Rospiggarna (88:92) #MASROS
Masarna had a 10-point advantage from the first match between these two teams when the Hallstavik side travelled north to Avesta for this match.
But when Rospiggarna’s top two scorers, Pole, Patryk Dudek (15) and Swede, Kim Nilsson (13+1) crossed the finish line in Heat 15 with a 5:1 in the bag, the scores were 38:52.
That meant the visitors took all 3 points home with them to Hallstavik on a night when the home team struggled on the start line. The Avesta side only won two heats before the three nominations heats, giving them far too much to do to win the match. Nonetheless, veteran Antonio Lindbäck was the home side’s top scorer with 9 pts. But his two heat victories in his last two heats was too little too late for Masarna.
Full scores from Zuzelend here.
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Smederna 45:45 Indianerna (96:84) #SMEDIND
League leaders, Smederna won their away match in Kumla 39:51 giving them an extra advantage coming into tonight’s return match in Eskilstuna. This match also has extra significance as the two clubs’ B teams will also meet tomorrow in the first semi-final of Allsvenskan, Swedish second division. 3 riders from each of these Elitserien teams will double up and take part in Wednesday’s match in Kumla.
In the first half of the match, it looked like the home side was in control as they turned a heat 1 loss into a 23:19 lead by Heat 7. However, Indianerna were not prepared to give up and in Heat 8 drew level – as they would in Heat 14 when Smederna looked looked like they were on the brink of victory, 40:38 after Heat 13.
Both times it was the visitors’ Danish duo, Niels Kristian-Iversen and Jonas Jeppesen who gave life the Indians.
But in the deciding Heat 15 it was 3:3 as Eskilstuna’s Grigory Laguta took the chequered flag first, to score a perfect 15 pts. Meanwhile, it was Max Fricke who had to settle for second place and be content with being his side’s top scorer with 12 pts as the scoreboard read 45:45 with Smederna’s away win in Kumla securing the bonus point.
Full scores from Zuzelend here.
