Friday 8th June 2012, 14:11

Danish international Bjarne Pedersen could make his final PARKEN Stadium appearance on Saturday after admitting “it’ll probably be my last year” in the Grand Prix series if he falls short of the top eight.

The Ryde-born racer is currently 14th in the World Championship on 19 points going into the FIM Dansk Metal Danish SGP in Copenhagen.

This leaves him 18 points off Freddie Lindgren in eighth place – the final automatic qualification berth for the 2013 series.

Pedersen fought his way back into the competition for this season after a three-year absence, when he finished second in the GP Challenge at Vetlanda last August.

But he has struggled to recapture the form which carried him to sixth in the world in 2005 and Pedersen has already opted out of the SGP qualification rounds for next season.

As a result, his only way to guarantee a place for 2013 is to finish in the top eight. And the Birmingham rider says he is ready to walk away from the sport’s top table if he doesn’t get there.

He said: “If I get into the top eight, I’m there next year. If not, it’ll probably be my last year. If you’re going to be at the bottom, it’s better not to do the Grand Prix.

“I wanted to get back into it and see if I felt good in there. We’ll give it this year and we’ll see where we end up. You can never expect it to be easy in the Grand Prix.

“But I’m 33 now and the most important thing is I enjoy my racing – with or without the Grand Prix.”

Pedersen claimed the bronze medal at PARKEN in 2006 and another podium finish would breathe new life into his SGP campaign.

The Holstebro legend feels his fortunes are slowly picking up after a slow start to 2012. He said: “Since the last Grand Prix, I have improved my league form a bit. There is still space for improvement. But it’s better than it was before Gothenburg – for sure.

“I’m at home, so it would be a nice place to have a good Grand Prix. The first goal is to get into the semis again.

“I’ve had some good and some bad meetings in Copenhagen. I’ve been on the podium once. Everything is possible in the Grand Prix – you just need to focus on getting into the semis.

“We’ve still got eight rounds left. Time is slipping away, but I’m not putting any stress on it now. It’s important I get my form going in the leagues and then I’m sure it will come into the Grand Prix as well.”

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