1997 Speedway Grand Prix Qualification

The 1997 Speedway Grand Prix Qualification or GP Challenge was a series of motorcycle speedway meetings used to determine the 8 riders that qualified for the 1997 Speedway Grand Prix to join the other 8 riders that finished in the leading positions from the 1996 Speedway Grand Prix.

The format changed slightly in that four riders would qualify straight from the Intercontinental and Continental finals and four riders would qualify through the GP Challenge.

Simon Wigg won the GP Challenge.

Format First Round - 5 riders each from Sweden & Denmark, 3 riders each from Finland & Norway to Scandinavian Final First Round - 32 riders from Continental quarter finals to Continental semi-finals First Round - 7 riders from British final to Overseas Final First Round - 5 riders from Australian/New Zealand final to Overseas Final First Round - 4 riders from United States final to Overseas Final Second Round - 8 riders from Scandinavian final to Intercontinental Final Second Round - 8 riders from Overseas final to Intercontinental Final Second Round - 16 riders from Continental semi-finals to Continental Final Third Round - 7 riders from positions 9-15 from the 1995 Grand Prix to GP Challenge Third Round - 2 riders from the Continental Final to 1997 Grand Prix and 4 to GP Challenge Third Round - 2 riders from the Intercontinental Final to 1997 Grand Prix and 5 to GP Challenge Final Round - 4 riders from the GP Challenge to the 1997 Grand Prix

First round Continental quarter finals

QF (4 May Marmande)PosRider Points 1 Simon Wigg 152 Philippe Bergé 133 Sergej Darkin124 Piotr Protasiewicz 125 Zdeněk Schneiderwind 106 Vladimir Trofimov 107 Oleg Kurguskin98 Piotr Baron79 Gerhard Lekse 710 Sergej Eroschin 611 Michal Makovský 612 Izak Šantej 513 Christophe Dubernard 414 Frederick Brisseau 215 Gregor Pintar 216 Rob Steman 0

QF (5 May Terenzano)PosRider Points 1 Zoltán Adorján 152 Stefano Alfonso 133 Igor Marko124 Armando Castagna 115 Valentino Furlanetto 106 Robbie Kessler 107 Zsolt Benzce98 Václav Milík Sr.99 Robert Král 810 Simone Tadiello 511 Vladimir Visvader 512 Alessandro Milanese 513 Zoltan Hajdu 414 Franz Leitner 115 Luca Taccini 116 Gaspar Forgac 0

QF (5 May Pfaffenhofen)PosRider Points 1 Gerd Riss 152 Tomasz Bajerski 143 Robert Barth124 Tomáš Topinka 125 Antonín Šváb Jr. 116 Piotr Świst 97 Sándor Tihanyi98 Mirko Wolter89 Andreas Bössner 710 Andrea Maida 611 Robert Csilik 512 Róbert Nagy 513 Nikolaj Manev 414 Walter Nebel 215 Martin Peterca 216 Jaroslav Gavenda 0

QF (5 May Ostrów)PosRider Points 1 Antonín Kasper Jr. 152 Roman Jankowski 143 Sławomir Drabik124 Jacek Krzyżaniak 115 Rif Saitgareev 116 Tomasz Gollob 117 Rinat Mardanshin98 Csaba Hell99 Nikolaj Kokins 510 Norbert Magosi 511 Tommy Dunker 412 Grigorij Charchenko 413 Vladimir Voronkov 414 Petr Vandírek 215 Jörg Pingel 216 Vladimir Kolodij 0

Second round Overseas Final 3 riders to Intercontinental final+ + Controversy over tyres at the final saw only 3 riders progress with an extra 5 places awarded in the Scandinavian final.

Scandinavian Final 13 riders to Intercontinental final (9 Jun 1996 Varhaug)PosRider Points 1 Jimmy Nilsen 142 Brian Andersen 123 Mikael Karlsson114 Arnt Førland 105 John Jørgensen 106 Jan Stæchmann 107 Brian Karger108 Stefan Dannö99 Niklas Klingberg 910 Ronni Pedersen 711 Rune Holta 412 Vesa Ylinen 413 Kai Laukkanen 414 Lars Gunnestad 315 Jarno Kosonen 216 Björn Tönnesen 116 John Pollestad 0

Continental semi finals Continental semi-finals - 16 riders from to Continental final SF 9 June 1996 Togliatti Pos.RiderPoints1 Sergej Darkin 142 Simon Wigg 133 Armando Castagna134 Zoltán Adorján 115 Igor Marko 96 Philippe Bergé 87 Zdeněk Schneiderwind78 Oleg Kurguskin79 Valentino Furlanetto 710 Václav Milík Sr. 611 Stefano Alfonso 612 Piotr Baron 513 Robbie Kessler 414 Vladimir Trofimov 415 Piotr Protasiewicz 316 Zsolt Benzce 3SF 9 June 1996 Bydgoszcz Pos.RiderPoints1 Roman Jankowski 122 Jacek Krzyżaniak 123 Sławomir Drabik124 Tomasz Gollob 115 Tomáš Topinka 106 Robert Barth 97 Rinat Mardanshin98 Tomasz Bajerski99 Gerd Riss 810 Antonín Kasper Jr. 711 Nikolaj Kokins 512 Piotr Świst 513 Antonín Šváb Jr. 514 Csaba Hell 315 Sándor Tihanyi 216 Mirko Wolter 1

Third round 7 riders from positions 9-15 from the 1996 Speedway Grand Prix to GP Challenge

Intercontinental Final 2 riders direct to Grand Prix, 5 riders to GP Challenge, Jimmy Nilsen won the event.

Continental Final 2 riders direct to Grand Prix, 4 riders to GP Challenge 28 July 1996 Abensberg Pos.RiderPoints1 Tomasz Gollob 122 Sławomir Drabik 113 Zoltán Adorján 114 Robert Barth 115 Rinat Mardanshin 116 Simon Wigg 107 Sergej Darkin 108 Armando Castagna 99 Tomáš Topinka 910 Jacek Krzyżaniak 611 Tomasz Bajerski 5 12 Oleg Kurguskin 513 Zdeněk Schneiderwind 314 Antonín Kasper Jr. 315 Roman Jankowski 216 Philippe Bergé 117 Igor Marko 118 Václav Milík Sr. 1

Final Round GP Challenge 4 riders to 1997 Grand Prix 5 October 1996 Prague Pos.RiderPoints1 Simon Wigg 122 Leigh Adams 123 Mikael Karlsson 114 Andy Smith 115 Sam Ermolenko 116 Jason Crump 117 Ryan Sullivan 98 Stefan Dannö 99 Joe Screen 910 Brian Karger 811 Zoltán Adorján 6 12 Gerd Riss 413 Robert Barth 414 Craig Boyce 215 Rinat Mardanshin 016 Tommy Knudsen 017 Armando Castagna 0

References