Polish racer Maksym Drabik is the new World Under-21 champion after sealing gold at last night‰Ûªs final round in Pardubice.
The Wroclaw racer‰Ûªs 2016 title bid was cruelly dashed by a broken leg, but he has bounced back in spectacular style, winning the opening round with a 21-point maximum and dominating ever since to finish on 49 overall.
Drabik capped off an unforgettable night by winning the Pardubice round on 18, with Rybnik racer Kacper Woryna second, Australian Max Fricke third and Bartosz Smektala fourth.
Leszno star Smektala finished second in the final standings on 42 with last season‰Ûªs champion Max Fricke denied an historic double, claiming third on 41. He was unable to force a run-off for silver after being overhauled by Woryna in the final.
Drabik sealed gold in the second semi-final, when he out-trapped nearest rival Smektala and fended him off for four laps to put the title beyond his compatriot.
PARDUBICE SCORES:
1 Maksym Drabik 18,
2 Kacper Woryna 17,
3 Max Fricke 13,
4 Bartosz Smektala 12,
5 Jack Holder 11,
6 Dmitri Berge 11,
7 Eduard Krcmar 9,
8 Jevgenijs Kostigovs 9,
9 Patrick Hansen 8,
10 Brady Kurtz 8,
11 Lukas Fienhage 7,
12 Andreas Lyager 6,
13 Alexander Woentin 4,
14 Robert Lambert 3,
15 Dominik Kubera 2,
16 Patrik Mikel 0.
FINAL WORLD UNDER-21 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:
1 Maksym Drabik 49,
2 Bartosz Smektala 42,
3 Max Fricke 41,
4 Kacper Woryna 33,
5 Brady Kurtz 32,
6 Jack Holder 28,
7 Robert Lambert 27,
8= Andreas Lyager 25,
8= Dimitri Berge 25,
10 Jevgenijs Kostigovs 24,
11 Eduard Krcmar 20,
12 Dominik Kubera 19,
13 Patrick Hansen 15,
14 Alexander Woentin 12,
15 Lukas Fienhage 11,
16 Michael Haertel 4.
