Saturday 25th August 2012, 14:00

Slovak sensation Martin Vaculik dubbed Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium speedway’s answer to Barcelona’s Nou Camp as he prepares for his first ever FIM Fogo British SGP tonight.

The series first reserve has been given a massive boost with the news that he will race all of the remaining four Grand Prix rounds after Kenneth Bjerre’s season was ended by a broken leg.

He had already been called up for Cardiff to cover for Polish star Jaroslaw Hampel, who is also recovering from a similar injury, and Vaculik can’t wait to race in front of 40,000-plus fans – the biggest audience of his career.

Having taken his first look at the Millennium Stadium during Friday’s practice session, it was clear the Welsh venue had made a real impression on the Zarnovica-born man.

He said: “This is my first time at Cardiff and it’s unbelievable. This is like the Nou Camp in Barcelona. I saw this stadium and I’m in seventh heaven. I saw the track, the stadium, wow! This is amazing.”

Vaculik, who won on his SGP debut in Gorzow, will be seeking to bounce back from the disappointment of being excluded from the Italian Grand Prix final in Terenzano on August 11.

“The meeting in Terenzano is in the past and we’ll see what will be today,” he said. “I’ll try my best and I want to put on the biggest show I can for the fans.

“I love it when people get to see a good fight and good show. That’s what I want to do. I always try my best.”

Vaculik will not qualify automatically for next year’s SGP series, even if he climbs into the top eight over the final four rounds as he did not qualify for this year as a permanent rider.

The Tarnow and Vetlanda man has another route into the competition as he targets a top three berth in the GP Challenge at Gorican on September 29.

But Vaculik, who is currently 14^th in the World Championship on 42 points despite racing in just three rounds, isn’t too concerned where he finishes in the standings right now.

He said: “We will see how I race in the other meetings. For now, I will keep myself on the floor and not float up to heaven. I’ll keep my head on the body, keep focused and see how many points I score.

“I’m racing in Gorican and I want to be in the top three there. I want to be in the GP for next year.”

Tweet

Speedway Grand Prix Speedway Grand Prix