Speedway Grand Prix 2022 - Mikkel Michelsen 'hopefully not serious' after Warsaw crash as Leon Madsen defends actions
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Published 15/05/2022 at 12:01 GMT
Mikkel Michelsen and fellow countryman Leon Madsen were involved in a dramatic crash in the final of the Speedway Grand Prix of Poland in Warsaw. Michelsen came out worse off and was deemed to be at fault leading to his exclusion from the re-race where Madsen eventually finished second to Max Fricke. The 2022 Speedway Grand Prix will be available live and ad-free on discovery+.
'That's a difficult call' - Michelsen excluded after crashing out of SGP final in Warsaw
Mikkel Michelsen has provided an update on his condition after dramatically crashing out of the final of the Speedway Grand Prix of Poland.
Michelsen was involved in a clash with fellow Danish rider Leon Madsen on the first lap as the two battled for second place behind Max Fricke in first.
The collision sent the 27-year-old flying from his bike across the track and into the safety barriers.
Michelsen was excluded for the re-race but may not have been in condition to resume regardless after lengthy treatment for an apparent arm injury and having to be helped off the track by medics.
Writing on Instagram later, the Dane assured fans of his health but said he wouldn’t be racing for his country in the European team Speedway championship the following day.
“Not feeling well at the moment but hopefully nothing too serious.
“I have decided to pull out of tomorrow’s European Team Final in Poznan so good luck to the rest of Team DK.”
Ironically, Michelsen was due to race alongside Madsen at the event in Poznan on Sunday in a bumper weekend of action for Polish fans who sold out the 50,000 national stadium for the SGP.
Speaking after the re-race in which he finished second behind Fricke, Madsen insisted he was not to blame for the incident.
“I prefer to make good starts and don't have to fight so much on the track,” he said. “But if we have to do that, I will do that to win. Those finals are always very tough, everybody gives that 110%.
“I tried to avoid Mikkel, I was leaning, I was going left.
“As you can see, when we went into the corner, I didn't go straight, I was going left and he kept going left on me.
“We going down the straight side by side, I'm not like behind him or anything. I feel like he kept leaning left on me and I tried to avoid him.
“He kind of like, kept provoking it. I think he knew that if I passed him that was it."
Asked if there was a chance he might have been excluded from the race, he added: “I’m not the referee. I'm just a rider and I'm just doing my best to win every race and I tried to be fair.
“I also know if you fall off, there's a there's a chance that I get excluded and I don't want that.
“So yeah, it's tough. It's the GP, the best riders in the world. Everybody is racing tough and hard and everyone is good here and can win the meeting. That's why it's so exciting for the for everyone to watch.”
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The 2022 Speedway Grand Prix will be available live and ad-free on discovery+. with live race action also on Eurosport 2.
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