Lebedev Helps Smederna Secure Eighth Win in Swedish Speedway League

Smederna of Eskilstuna continues to dominate the Swedish Bauhaus-Ligaen speedway championship, securing their eighth win in nine matches. At their home track, they defeated Molilla's Dackarna 52:38, with Latvian rider Andžejs Ļebedevs contributing 10 points, the second-highest on the team.

The match faced a delayed start due to adverse weather conditions, making the track unsafe initially. After test runs by both teams, the track was improved, and the first heat began 75 minutes later than scheduled. Smederna immediately took control, winning the first three heats 5:1 each to build a 15:3 lead.

Dackarna responded in heat seven with a 5:1, narrowing the gap to 16:26, but the hosts quickly countered with a 5:1 of their own. With three heats remaining, the score stood at 32:40, giving Dackarna a slim chance for a draw if they won the last two heats 5:1. However, in the penultimate heat, Ļebedevs and Polish rider Maciej Janowski won 4:2, extinguishing the visitors' hopes.

Top scorers for Smederna were Kim Nilsson and Mathias Pollestad, each with 11 points. Nilsson, the current Swedish champion, has received a wild card for the SGP event on July 11 in Molilla. For Dackarna, Timo Lahti scored 11 points; the Finnish rider is a former key performer for Daugavpils Lokomotiv.

In the standings, Smederna leads with 19 points, two ahead of Kumla's Indianerna and five ahead of Jislaveda's Lejonen. In the individual average rankings, Ļebedevs sits sixth with 2.249 points per heat, trailing only world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik, European champion Patryk Dudek, Mikkel Michelsen, Robert Lambert, and Artem Laguta.

Lebedev faces a busy schedule ahead: the SGP round in Molilla on July 11, the first European Championship (SEC) final on July 18, and the 2027 SGP challenger final on July 25.