Reigning champion Martin Haarahiltunen got the defence of his FIM Ice Speedway World Championship powered by Anlas, Kineo and HKC Koopmann off to a successful start over the first weekend of action at Inzell in Germany, but he was forced to mount a fierce comeback in Sunday’s second round after finishing off the podium the previous day.
The thirty-four-year-old Swede, champion for the last three seasons, dominated both days’ Heat races in the immaculate Max Aicher Arena with four wins from five starts on Saturday and a clean sweep on Sunday, but after a commanding unbeaten performance on day two he was left to count the cost of a poor start in the previous day’s Grand Final when he trailed home fourth. The close and competitive nature of this year’s championship was perfectly illustrated by the changes in fortune for the world’s elite riders over the weekend with only Haarahiltunen and Finland’s Heikki Huusko making the cut for the Grand Final on both days. After backing up third on Saturday with fourth the following day, Huusko sits second in the standings a further four points off the leader’s pace and just one ahead of his compatriot and round one winner Max Koivula with Niclas Svensson and Luca Bauer only another point adrift in fourth and fifth. Haarahiltunen started Saturday with wins in his first two Heats, but tasted defeat for the first time in his third race when he was beaten by newly-crowned Swedish champion Svensson who won four of his five Heats to qualify for the Grand Final tied with Koivula, one point behind Haarahiltunen and one ahead of Huusko. When the tapes went up on Saturday’s Grand Final in was Koivula, making his career debut in the main points-scoring race at this level, who reacted quickest to win from Svensson – who was in only his third career Grand Final – and Huusko as Haarahiltunen struggled to get away from the line. Haarahiltunen rolled out onto the ice on Sunday afternoon with a point to prove and he set about the task like a true champion, defeating all-comers as he racked up win after win to book his place in the Grand Final on a perfect score of fifteen, but behind him competition for the last three places in the concluding race of the day was intense. With three Heat wins, Huusko – last season’s bronze medallist – booked his place in the Grand Final and he was joined by Jasper Iwema from the Netherlands and German-born Bauer, racing on an Italian licence, who both scored two victories in their Heats. After narrowly failing to make the cut on Saturday when he was disqualified in his final two Heats, 2024 silver medal winner and home hero Max Niedermaier again missed out on the Grand Final after finishing the Heats in fifth position while two crashes also put Koivula out of contention. Haarahiltunen led away the Grand Final before it was stopped when Huusko drifted wide and crashed out of second, but from the restart the three-time champion claimed a tapes-to-flag victory with Iwema a career-best second after resisting a heroic late challenge from Bauer. The FIM Ice Speedway World Championship powered by Anlas, Kineo and HKC Koopmann now moves to the Netherlands where it will conclude in the Thialf Ice Stadium in Heerenveen on 4-6 April. |