Michelsen lands shock first Grand Prix win in Landshut

Mikkel Michelsen took a shock victory in the third round of the FIM Speedway Grand Prix in Germany.

Zmarzlik just pipped Holder for second to give him some vital championship points.

For three-time European champion Michelsen it was his first FIM Speedway Grand Prix victory after a tough time at the sport’s highest level.

“It’s amazing, it’s been a long time coming,” said the 35-year-old. “It has been a rough year and a half for my team, working so hard and searching and fighting.

“I’m a bit emotional right now, I’m just so grateful to my sponsors who stuck behind me and my team for working so hard when it would have been easier to give up.

“I’ve had a never-give-up mentality. We all have our ups and downs. We don’t have the ups without the downs.

“When you are going through a rough patch, it just makes it feel so much better.”

Bidding for a fifth world title and a third in as many years, Zmarzlik now leads the overall championship sitting two points ahead of Holder.

“I’m very happy because tonight I found a good set-up for good speed,” said the Polish world champion. “I’m really happy and proud of my team and second is not such a bad result.”

Australian rider Holder had to win his final heat to qualify for the semi-final after a slow start to the meeting before placing third in the final.

“If you’d have offered me this halfway through the meeting I’d have taken your arm off,” said Holder.

“The boys [mechanics] worked hard and we were scratching our heads all night. I definitely wasn’t the fastest.

“I had to win that last heat and I was third at one point. I used my head and got to the front. I had last choice [of lanes] in the semi-final and then the final.”

Jason Doyle came into the third round in Germany as championship leader but suffered mechanical problems in his final heat and semi-final resulting in an eighth-placed finish on the night, dropping vital world championship points.

The FIM Speedway Grand Prix continues with round four in Prague, Czech Republic on June 1 before moving onto Malilla, Sweeden, two weeks later.