Post by admin on Oct 6, 2013 7:03:15 GMT
Great Britain sensation Tai Woffinden has ended his country’s 13-year wait for a world champion after sealing the 2013 Speedway World Championship at the Marian Rose Motoarena in Torun tonight.
The 23-year-old, born in Scunthorpe, clinched the title when he won his second race in the Torun FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland, leaving him out of reach of his nearest rival, Poland’s Jarek Hampel, to take his place in the history books. And he did it despite re-breaking his collarbone only two weeks earlier in Stockholm at the Rockklassiker Scandinavian SGP on September 21.
He becomes the first Briton to claim speedway’s biggest prize since Mark Loram secured the World Championship at Polish track Bydgoszcz on September 23, 2000.
An emotional Woffinden said: “What a feeling. I don’t know what to say. I’m so excited, it means everything. It’s great to have my Mum (Sue) here. She has given up a lot over the years to get me here, and this is amazing.”
The Team GB international suffered a difficult SGP debut season in 2010, finishing 14th overall.
Woffinden becomes Britain’s eighth world champion, following in the huge footsteps of Tommy Price (1949), Freddie Williams (1950 and 1953), Peter Craven (1955 and 1962), Peter Collins (1976), Michael Lee (1980), Gary Havelock (1992) and Loram in 2000.
His SGP title triumph caps a tremendous transition from underdog to top dog in a year which has also seen him win his maiden British Championship at Wolverhampton on May 13.
Woffinden, who re-entered the World Championship as a wild card pick, became the first Brit to win an SGP round for six years when he topped the rostrum in the Mitas Czech SGP in Prague on May 18.
He has also claimed second places at the Italian SGP in Terenzano and Doodson Slovenian SGP in Krsko, as well as bronze medals at the Gorzow SGP of Poland and the Rietumu Bank Latvian SGP in Daugavpils.
Woffy achieved these four podium places despite racing with the shattered collarbone he suffered at the Fogo British SGP in Cardiff on June 1. And he gritted his teeth again to finish the job in Torun.
SGP
The 23-year-old, born in Scunthorpe, clinched the title when he won his second race in the Torun FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland, leaving him out of reach of his nearest rival, Poland’s Jarek Hampel, to take his place in the history books. And he did it despite re-breaking his collarbone only two weeks earlier in Stockholm at the Rockklassiker Scandinavian SGP on September 21.
He becomes the first Briton to claim speedway’s biggest prize since Mark Loram secured the World Championship at Polish track Bydgoszcz on September 23, 2000.
An emotional Woffinden said: “What a feeling. I don’t know what to say. I’m so excited, it means everything. It’s great to have my Mum (Sue) here. She has given up a lot over the years to get me here, and this is amazing.”
The Team GB international suffered a difficult SGP debut season in 2010, finishing 14th overall.
Woffinden becomes Britain’s eighth world champion, following in the huge footsteps of Tommy Price (1949), Freddie Williams (1950 and 1953), Peter Craven (1955 and 1962), Peter Collins (1976), Michael Lee (1980), Gary Havelock (1992) and Loram in 2000.
His SGP title triumph caps a tremendous transition from underdog to top dog in a year which has also seen him win his maiden British Championship at Wolverhampton on May 13.
Woffinden, who re-entered the World Championship as a wild card pick, became the first Brit to win an SGP round for six years when he topped the rostrum in the Mitas Czech SGP in Prague on May 18.
He has also claimed second places at the Italian SGP in Terenzano and Doodson Slovenian SGP in Krsko, as well as bronze medals at the Gorzow SGP of Poland and the Rietumu Bank Latvian SGP in Daugavpils.
Woffy achieved these four podium places despite racing with the shattered collarbone he suffered at the Fogo British SGP in Cardiff on June 1. And he gritted his teeth again to finish the job in Torun.
SGP
