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Teams have been declared for the 2012 Team Final this weekend at the Anatoly Stepanov Stadium in Togliatti. The Russian hosts and current champions will be expected to win again and they include the three riders currently leading this year’s individual championship. They have been dominant in this competition since its inception in 1979 and most of the discussion now concerns which teams will provide them with the hardest opposition.
Austria was a surprise runner-up in last year’s Final where they came within 9 points of the winners. Their hero then was Franz Zorn who scored 31 of their points and they will be hoping to see him back to his best form after a disappointing start in the FIM Ice Speedway Gladiators Individual World Championship to date. After the Moscow round he returned home to work on his motors and looked to be in good shape when he rode in the Czech Republic last weekend. Harald Simon should provide good support.
The Czech Republic Team are at full strength with Antonin Klatovsky now recovered from the injury which has kept him out of many of the major races so far this season. Both he and younger brother Jan were in action in the first round of the Czech Open Championship last Saturday with Jan in first place and Antonin third. However we have to ask whether there may be some significance in the fact that Austria’s Franz Zorn was second.
The Swedish team have not enjoyed success in this competition for some time but name veteran Per Olov Serenius at Reserve. ‘Posa’ who was FIM Individual World Champion in 2002 also lead the Swedish team to victory over the Russians in the same year. He is still one of the best in Scandinavia and if Stefan Svensson’s recent eye injury restricts his performance ‘Posa’ could prove to be a trump card. Robert Henderson completes the trio.
At the top of the Finland squad is Antti Akko the 32 year old carpenter from Oulu in the north of the country who followed his father Erkki into ice racing. Currently the top Finn he missed last year’s final and will be looking for some high scores along with partner Mats Järf to lift Finland into a rostrum place.
Germany will be relying on Günther Bauer to return to the form which brought him a second place in the 2003 World Championship but with Max Neidermaier struggling in the current series and Stefan Pletschacher a non qualifier they have a mountain to climb. Similarly, The Netherlands suffer from a lack of top level riders despite the popularity and tradition of the sport in Holland and particularly Assen. René Stellingwerf and Gerrit Oege Schukken a relative newcomer will be their representatives on a Togliatti track which Schukken rates as one of his favourites.
Once again the meeting will be followed live on FIM-TV with TAG Heuer providing results and times throughout. Racing starts at 19.00 (local time) on Saturday and 15.00 on Sunday afternoon. FIM Jury President will be Petr Ondrasik from Czech Republic and Referee Marek Wojaczek, Poland.
Can the Russians be toppled from their champion’s perch? Well, stranger things may have happened in sport and by late on Sunday afternoon we shall know the answer.
Full line up is:
Team A: The Netherlands
Federation: KNMV
Team Manager: Mrs. Joni Hut
1 René Stellingwerf
2 Gerrit Oege Schukken
15 Simon Reitsma
Team B: Czech Republic
Federation: ACCR
Team Manager: Miroslav Topinka
3 Antonín Klatovský
4 Jan Klatovský
16 Jan Pecina
Team C: Austria
Federation: OeAMTC
Team Manager: Robert Tesar
5 Harald Simon
6 Martin Leitner
17 Franz Zorn
Team D: Germany
Federation: DMSB
Team Manager: Ohmer Joachim
7 Günther Bauer
8 Stefan Pletschacher
18 Max Niedermaier
Team E: Russia
Federation: MFR
Team Manager: Rais Mustafin
9 Daniil Ivanov
10 Nikolaï Krasnikov
19 Dmitry Khomistevich
Team F: Finland
Federation: SML
Team Manager: Jouni Seppänen
11 Antti Aakko
12 Mats Järf
20 Janne Vilponen
Team G: Sweden
Federation: SVEMO
Team Manager: Nils-Erik Lindström
13 Robert Henderson
14 Stefan Svensson
21 Per-Olof Serenius
