HE MAY have walked off with a new silver bike as reward for his Elite League Riders' Championship victory, but Bjarne Pedersen is currently speedway's Goldenballs. (Oct 17)
When you're hot, you're hot and by the end of this week, Pirates' dashing Dane could be in need of a police escort with the amount of silverware weighing him down.
Already safely in possession of an Elite League title medal, his second in succession, after Poole's storming victory over Wolves last Monday, Pedersen delighted a healthy Wimborne Road crowd with a stunning triumph in the leading individual event in the British speedway calendar.
And by the end of this week, he could well have added a Knockout Cup success to his bulging roster if Pirates can complete a second successive double.
Yesterday, he and fellow Poole star Ryan Sullivan completed a Poole one-two as they delighted a partisan home contingent in a highly competitive Elite League Riders' Championship.
Despite being shorn of a host of big names, including new world champion Jason Crump, the meeting provided enthralling Sunday afternoon entertainment.
All three home riders, Pedersen, Sullivan and Matej Ferjan, raced into the contest's latter stages with a series of electrifying rides, Ferjan just missing out on a final spot when he finished third in the semi-final.
But Pirates' top two outgunned the ever-popular Hans Andersen, still yet to live down his World Cup final controversy, and surprise package Rory Schlein to secure first and second spots.
Unshaken from an encounter with the air fence, the ice-cool Pedersen kept his composure to duck inside 2000 champion Sullivan off the first bend of the re-run final and burned away to add the ELRC crown to his maiden Grand Prix win earlier in the year.
There were disappointing early exits from the competition for much-fancied Leigh Adams and Scott Nicholls, both of whom struggled uncharacteristically on the Wimborne Road circuit.
The duo were involved in a classic heat nine, however, where they, along with Andersen, rode almost all four laps on top of one another before Adams edged ahead for his sole victory.
It was Belle Vue's Schlein who provided many of the fireworks though. Back-to-back successes in heats four and five were complimented by a series of bold manoeuvres throughout as he deservedly found his way to the final.
And the entertaining Andersen and a consistent Mikael Max also booked their places in the semi before falling foul to the unstoppable Pirates pairing.
The bookmakers were offering as short as 5/2 on Pedersen before the meeting. Even they get it right sometimes.
HEAT DETAILS
Riders: 1 Leigh Adams (2-2-3-1-1) 9, 2 Ryan Sullivan (3-3-3-3-2) 14, 3 David Howe (0-0-3-1-2) 6, 4 Rafal Dobrucki (1-0-0-2-0) 3, 5 Chris Harris (1-1-0-ret-1) 3, 6 Sebastian Tressarieu (0-0-ret-0-0) 0, 7 Matej Ferjan (2-3-3-3-0) 11, 8 Bjarne Pedersen (3-2-2-2-2) 11, 9 Josh Larsen (0-0-1-1-1) 3, 10 Davey Watt (1-1-1-2-0) 5, 11 Scott Nicholls (3-1-1-0-3) 8, 12 Adam Shields (2-1-1-2-1) 7, 13 Rory Schlein (3-3-2-1-3) 12, 14 Gary Havelock (0-2-0-0-2) 4, 15 Mikael Max (2-2-2-3-3) 12, 16 Hans Andersen (1-3-2-3-3) 12.
Referee: Phil Griffin
Ht 1: Sullivan, Adams, Dobrucki, Howe, 58.33
Ht 2: Pedersen, Ferjan, Harris, Tressarieu, 59.32
Ht 3: Nicholls, Shields, Watt, Larsen, 59.44
Ht 4: Schlein, Max, Andersen, Havelock, 59.75
Ht 5: Schlein, Adams, Harris, Larsen, 58.74
Ht 6: Sullivan, Havelock, Watt, Tressarieu, 59.65
Ht 7: Ferjan, Max, Nicholls, Howe, 59.45
Ht 8: Andersen, Pedersen, Shields, Dobrucki, 59.83
Ht 9: Adams, Andersen, Nicholls, Tressarieu (ret), 59.42
Ht 10: Sullivan, Max, Shields, Harris, 59.36
Ht 11: Howe, Pedersen, Larsen, Havelock, 60.57
Ht 12: Ferjan, Schlein, Watt, Dobrucki, 60.46
Ht 13: Ferjan, Shields, Adams, Havelock, 59.19
Ht 14: Sullivan, Pedersen, Schlein, Nicholls, 59.59
Ht 15: Andersen, Watt, Howe, Harris (ret), 60.91
Ht 16: Max, Dobrucki, Larsen, Tressarieu, 60.98
Ht 17: Max, Pedersen, Adams, Watt, 59.51
Ht 18: Andersen, Sullivan, Larsen, Ferjan, 60.47
Ht 19: Schlein, Howe, Shields, Tressarieu, 60.75
Ht 20: Nicholls, Havelock, Harris, Dobrucki, 60.47
Semi-final: Andersen, Pedersen, Ferjan, Max, 60.25
Final: (re-run) Pedersen, Sullivan, Andersen, Schlein, 59.63
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