We head of to the Slovenian Grand Prix this weekend and Jason Crump is still very much in the driving seat. He has never won here, I am not why that is because he has won in most places, but I don't think he will be too concerned about that and he will be looking for a good showing tonight.
In theory he could clinch the championship here if all the results fell right for him. If he scores about nine more points than Tomasz Gollob then he cannot be beaten. I don't think that will be the case though and it will be decided beyond this meeting - probably in Terenzano in the Italian Grand Prix.
Lindgren: will Slovenia be his night? (Photo: www.fotospeedway.pl)
Crump had an indifferent meeting at Vojens in the Nordic Grand Prix last time out but he still managed to stretch his lead in the championship so things are going very well for him.
Gollob won last year and it is the type of track that suits his style. He is having a very good second half of the season and he will be one of the major threats here on Saturday night. He is desperate to stay in the top three in the world - it is unlikely he will be world champion but there is no doubt that to be ranked in the top three is very important to him.
There is tremendous pressure on these riders to get some points and they are running out of races.
Kelvin Tatum
Quotes of the week
Slovenian Grand Prix
6pm, Sat, Sky Sports Xtra
The track is a classic continental track - it is big and fast and on the whole riders enjoy riding on here. It can be a little bit rutty but that is about all that you can really pick on. It is raining here today but the forecast is good for Saturday which should do the track some good. On the whole we see some terrific racing on this track as there is plenty of room and when there is a little bit of grip on the track we see some terrific action.
The wildcard for Slovenia is Matej Zagar who has been in terrific form for Swindon Robins. He is desperate to get back into the GP series as a fully fledged GP rider. This is his opportunity to display his talents and really put his name in the frame for a pick. He is not in the GP challenge next week so the only way he can get in is through a pick. If he can make the final or maybe even win the meeting then that would give him a chance to get back into the series.
There is a handful of riders that need to do well to keep their Grand Prix spots. Reigning champion Nikki Pedersen is one of those as he is currently in eighth. He needs to be kicking on as does Hans Andersen who is in ninth. Lee Adams has had a poor run and is also outside the top eight. There is tremendous pressure on these riders to get some points and they are running out of races. We saw Rune Holta finishing second in Vojens to give himself an outside chance of making the top eight. He has certainly left it late but he knows that if he misses out on a automatic place then he will be out. There is that added interest now with all those riders desperately trying to secure their Grand Prix future.
Kelvins' Call
Coming into this meeting the wildcard Zagar is definitely going to be a danger. For me Fredrik Lindgren is the man to watch. He is definitely an outside bet but I just feel that sooner or later he is going to win one. He is definitely capable of winning a Grand Prix and Slovenia may just be his night.
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