RUSSIA have been crowned Speedway of Nations champions for the third year in a row – in a meeting badly hit by the weather in Lublin.
Friday night’s opening round was cancelled because of rain and the title race reduced to a single meeting on Saturday night. But even that failed to last the distance, a halt being called after 15 races due to deteriorating track conditions. The FIM jury declared the result after 14 heats, at which stage all seven nations had completed four of their scheduled six outings. Russia and hosts Poland were level on 23 points, but the defending champions retained their title on the basis of their 5-4 victory over the Poles when the sides met in Heat 8. The Great Britain team finished in sixth place on 12 points. • Full coverage of the Speedway of Nations in this week’s Speedway Star – on sale on Thursday.