GP SEMI FINAL 1   (Sweden, top 4 qualify for GP Challenge)
 
With only 4 riders qualifying for certain to the GP Challenge (the successful semi finalists to be joined by the bottom 7 GP riders from this year's series and one wild card pick) it was important to make a good start.  Struthers, Verner, Treadwell and Chong won the opening heats whilst those riders failing to score were already facing an uphill battle.  Norwegian star Rudi Juritzen took a tumble and injured his back - after a check with the doctor it was agreed he couldn't continue and reserve David Bedford would have a chance to at least make an impression; Bedford had been forced out of the chase for a GP place after taking a tumble in the British Semi Final and had been a touch unlucky not to take the Wild Card pick for this one.  The Wild Card place had gone to Olle Bjorn Thoresen who had missed out on qualifying from the Scandinavian Final by just a single point when he was struck by the mechanical gremlins.
 
Experience Matija Petkovic showed he still has class at this level by winning heat 5 to move to 5 points before Thoresen did the same in the next.  Teenage wonderkid Chong remained unbeaten by heading Scott and Bedford home in heat 7 before the other winners in round 1 all met in heat 8, with Verner taking the win and Struthers joining the group on 5 points.
 
As we headed to the interval Bedford took 3 points from heat 9 with Dvoynev, Kosciuch and Mark Black all looking out of the running with just 3, 2 & 1 points respesctively.  Chong won heat 10 and put himself in a strong position, unbeaten on 9, more so as Petkovic struggled at the back.  Petr Verner also remained undefeated when he headed Scott and Thoresen in heat 11 before Struthers moved to 8 points in the next and the leading trio now had a gap at the top of the scoreboard, Andrew Scott holding the vital 4th place at this stage with 6 points.
 
A few riders needed a big result in the fourth round of heats with Thoresen taking the first race after the break to move on to 8 points, a third for Treadwell left his hopes looking precarious as he was on just 6 points.  Verner all but sealed qualification to the GP Challenge by winning heat 14 as Bedford and Kryznowek's hopes took a big hit behind him.  Jamie Vaughan maintained an outside chance of progress with a win in the next, Andrew Scott moving quietly to 8 points as he once again surprised many pundits with his battling performance on the international stage.  All eyes were on Chong and Struthers in heat 16 but wily Graeme Black made the start and won although Chong did well to follow him home and all but seal his place in the GP Challenge, whilst Verner was now definitely through as a result.
 
SCOREBOARD AFTER HEAT 16: Verner 12, Chong 11, Struthers 9, Thoresen & Scott 8, Vaughan 7, Petkovic & Treadwell 6
 
It was lucky that Verner was already through as he took a tumble in heat 17, Chong winning the clash between the leaders and winning the meeting as a result.  Vaughan could score just a single point and a top 4 spot was now beyond his reach.  Heat 18 was a bit of a quiet one as none of the riders could qualify, Soderberg taking the win to finish on a respectable 7 points.  Behind him in that one was Mark Black who many fancied to make progress but he ended on just 3 points and tumbled quietly out of the GP race.
 
Scott (8 points) and Treadwell (6) were the riders really needing points from heat 19 and it was the Scottish rider who took the win, to move to 9 and keep his hopes alive, whilst Scott's last place meant his hunt for a spot in the GP Challenge was definitely over.
 
Heat 20 was a crunch heat with Struthers (9) and Thoresen (8) both needing a big result and in theory Petkovic (6) still having some interest if he could take maximum points.  Thoresen it was who made a great start and moved to 11 points and into the GP Challenge - more than justifying his Wild Card pick for this one after his misfortune in the Scandinavian Final.  Back in 3rd Struthers knew just a point would be enough and so he settled sensibly and joined Thoresen, Chong and Verner as a confirmed qualifier for the GP Challenge to take place at the end of the season.  The young Canadian certainly rode a consistent meeting and deserved his place ahead of many more fancied riders and he and Thoresen will be hoping to show they are ready to compete on the highest stage now.  Former World Champion Petr Verner will be wanting his place in the series back, having finished 3rd as recently ago as 2013, whilst Chong continues to surprise on the senior stage and will look to do so one more time in week 25's big showdown.
 
Treadwell fell just a single point short, with David Bedford just a couple further back and both will surely be in the minds of the GP Committee when they meet to discuss the Wild Card selection for the GP Challenge.  The next Semi Final takes place in 2 weeks time when 4 more riders will also confirm their place just one step away from joining the full GP Series for the 2016 season.
 
 
 
  1. Fillippe Chong............ 3  3  3  2  3  14   (QUALIFIED)
  2. Petr Verner............... 3  3  3  3  F  12   (QUALIFIED)
  3. Olle Bjorn Thoresen....... 2  3  0  3  3  11   (QUALIFIED)
  4. Jean-Marc Struthers....... 3  2  3  1  1  10   (QUALIFIED)
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  5. Luke Treadwell............ 3  0  2  1  3   9
  6. Jamie Vaughan............. 2  2  0  3  1   8
  7. Andrew Scott.............. 2  2  2  2  0   8
  8. Halle Soderberg........... 1  0  1  2  3   7
  9. David Bedford............. 1  3  1  2  -   7
 10. Boguslaw Kryznowek........ 1  2  2  0  2   7
 11. Matija Petkovic........... 2  3  0  1  0   6
 12. Graeme Black.............. 1  0  1  3  1   6
 13. Boris Dvoynev............. 0  1  2  0  2   5
 14. Marc Vaniak............... 1  0  1  2  0   4
 15. Mark Black................ 0  1  0  0  2   3
 16. Hynek Ksciuch............. 0  1  1  0  1   3
 17. Rudi Juritzen............. X  -  -  -  -   0 (I)
 18. Jozef Jarzabek............ Did not ride
 
 No. Results
  1: Jean-Marc Struthers, Andrew Scott, Halle Soderberg, Boris Dvoynev 
  2: Petr Verner, Matija Petkovic, Marc Vaniak, Hynek Ksciuch 
  3: Luke Treadwell, Jamie Vaughan, Graeme Black, Rudi Juritzen (X) 
  4: Fillippe Chong, Olle Bjorn Thoresen, Boguslaw Kryznowek, Mark Black 
  5: Matija Petkovic, Boguslaw Kryznowek, Boris Dvoynev, Graeme Black 
  6: Olle Bjorn Thoresen, Jamie Vaughan, Hynek Ksciuch, Halle Soderberg 
  7: Fillippe Chong, Andrew Scott, David Bedford, Marc Vaniak 
  8: Petr Verner, Jean-Marc Struthers, Mark Black, Luke Treadwell 
  9: David Bedford, Boris Dvoynev, Hynek Ksciuch, Mark Black 
 10: Fillippe Chong, Luke Treadwell, Halle Soderberg, Matija Petkovic 
 11: Petr Verner, Andrew Scott, Graeme Black, Olle Bjorn Thoresen 
 12: Jean-Marc Struthers, Boguslaw Kryznowek, Marc Vaniak, Jamie Vaughan 
 13: Olle Bjorn Thoresen, Marc Vaniak, Luke Treadwell, Boris Dvoynev 
 14: Petr Verner, Halle Soderberg, David Bedford, Boguslaw Kryznowek 
 15: Jamie Vaughan, Andrew Scott, Matija Petkovic, Mark Black 
 16: Graeme Black, Fillippe Chong, Jean-Marc Struthers, Hynek Ksciuch 
 17: Fillippe Chong, Boris Dvoynev, Jamie Vaughan, Petr Verner (F) 
 18: Halle Soderberg, Mark Black, Graeme Black, Marc Vaniak 
 19: Luke Treadwell, Boguslaw Kryznowek, Hynek Ksciuch, Andrew Scott 
 20: Olle Bjorn Thoresen, David Bedford, Jean-Marc Struthers, Matija Petkovic