Lebedev posts fastest time in practice ahead of Speedway World Cup semi-final in Riga

On Friday, August 7, official practice sessions were held at the renovated speedway track at the CSDD Biķernieki circuit ahead of the FIM Speedway World Cup Semi-Final 2 in Riga, scheduled for the evening. Riders used two practice sessions to test the refurbished track and finalize preparations before the main event.

Lebedev fastest in first session

In the first session, Latvia's leading rider Andžejs Ļebedevs was the fastest of all 20 participants, clocking 14.581 seconds and beating Sweden's Oliver Berntzon by 0.148 seconds. Sweden's Kim Nilsson posted the third-fastest time. Latvia's other main-squad riders also placed among the top eight: Francis Gusts was fifth (14.828 s), Jevgeņijs Kostigovs seventh (14.880 s), and Daniils Kolodinskis eighth (14.936 s). Reserve rider Oļegs Mihailovs recorded the 14th-fastest time at 15.082 seconds.

Danish riders lead second session

In the second session, Danish riders were notably faster, taking the top five spots led by Frederik Jakobsen at 14.628 seconds. Ļebedevs placed eighth in this session with 14.882 seconds, but his first-session time remained the fastest overall across all practice runs.

After the sessions, Ļebedevs said the track was well prepared and the team had found suitable bike settings, expressing hope for a strong evening performance and calling on fans to fill the stands in support of the national team.

Competition format

Latvia will be represented in the semi-final by Kolodinskis, Ļebedevs, Kostigovs and Gusts, with Mihailovs as reserve. Latvia's rivals are the national teams of Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Unlike individual Grand Prix events, the World Cup semi-final is a team competition across 20 heats, with three points awarded for a heat win, two for second, and one for third. After 16 heats, team managers will select riders for four closing heats. The winning team earns the sole qualification spot for the Speedway World Cup final, set for August 29 in Warsaw. The first heat at the Biķernieki track is scheduled for 19:00, while the fan zone opens to visitors from 13:30.