2005 Speedway Grand Prix Qualification Explained

The 2005 Speedway Grand Prix Qualification or GP Challenge was a series of motorcycle speedway meetings used to determine the 2 riders that would qualify for the 2005 Speedway Grand Prix to join the other 8 riders that finished in the leading positions from the 2004 Speedway Grand Prix and 6 seeded riders.^[1]

The system introduced the previous year, that of four quarter finals and two semi-finals was retained but due to the main Grand Prix being reduced from 24 riders to 16 only 2 riders would qualify through the GP Challenge.^[2]

Antonio Lindbäck won the GP Challenge.^[3]

Format

• First Round (64 riders qualifying from respective national championships)
• Quarter finals – 32 riders to semi-finals
• Semi-finals – 16 riders to GP Challenge
• Final Round – 2 riders from the GP Challenge to the 2005 Grand Prix

Quarter-finals

32 riders to semi-finals

QF (8 May 2004 Terenzano)
width=20	Pos	width=180	Rider	width=60	Points
1		10+3+3
2		15+3+2
3	Niels Kristian Iversen	13+2+1
4		9+2+0
5		9+1
6		8+1
7	Lukáš Dryml	10+0
8	Aleš Dryml Jr.	9+0
9		6
10		5
11		5
12		5
13		4
14		2
15		2
16		1

QF (9 May 2004 Zielona Góra)
width=20	Pos	width=180	Rider	width=40	Points
1		12+2+3
2		9+3+2
3	Janusz Kołodziej	11+2+1
4		10+3+0
5		12+1
6		10+1
7	Jacek Rempala	12+0
8	Damian Baliński	8+0
9		8
10		8
11		7
12		6
13		3
14		2
15		2
16		0

QF (9 May 2004 Krško)
width=20	Pos	width=180	Rider	width=40	Points
1		15+2+3
2		11+3+2
3	David Ruud	11+3+1
4		7+2+0
5		11+1
6		11+1
7	Izak Šantej	11+0
8	Peter Ljung	10+0
9		7
10		6
11		5
12		3
13	Primož Legan	2
14		2
15		2
16		1
17		1

QF (22 May 2004 Slaný)
width=20	Pos	width=180	Rider	width=40	Points
1		9+3+3
2		14+3+2
3	Stefan Dannö	11+2+1
4		8+2+0
5		12+1
6		9+1
7	Craig Watson	13+0
8	Tomáš Topinka	9+0
9		8
10		8
11		6
12		4
13		3
14		1
15		1
16		0
17		0

Semi-finals

16 riders from to GP Challenge

width=50% valign=top	SF 5 June 2004 Lonigo width=25px Pos. width=180px Rider width=40px Points 1 13 2 12 3 Antonio Lindbäck 12 4 11 5 11 6 10 7 Bohumil Brhel 9 8 Roman Povazhny 7 9 7 10 7 11 6 12 5 13 3 14 3 15 3 16 1	width=50% valign=top	SF 20 June 2004 Heusden-Zolder width=25px Pos. width=180px Rider width=40px Points 1 11+2+3 2 12+3+2 3 Ronni Pedersen 8+2+1 4 10+3+0 5 10+1 6 9+1 7 Craig Watson 12+0 8 Stefan Andersson 8+0 9 8 10 7 11 7 12 6 13 5 14 5 15 2 16 0
valign=top

Final Round

Hans Andersen was extremely unlucky not to seal a place in the Grand Prix after topping the event with 14 points and then suffering an engine failure in the final.

GP Challenge

2 riders to 2005 Grand Prix

• 14 August 2004 Vojens

width=25px	Pos.	width=180px	Rider	width=20px	Total	width=120px	Points	width=60px	semi-final	width=60px	final
1		12	2, 3, 3, 2, 2	3	3
2		10	1, 2, 1, 3, 2	3	2
3		7	3, 0, 1, 0, 3	2	1
4		14	3, 2, 3, 3, 3	2	ef
5		8	0, 2, 2, 1, 3	1	-
6		9	3, f, 0, 3, 3	1	-
7		10	3, 3, 2, x, 2	exc	-
8		10	2, 1, 3, 2, 2	ef	-
9		7	2, 1, 3, exc, 1	-	-
10		7	0, 3, 1, 2, 1	-	-
11		7	1, 1, 2, 3, 0	-	-
12		6	1, 3, 0, 1, 1	-	-
13		6	0, 2, 1, 2, 1	-	-
14		4	2, exc, 2, 0, ef	-	-
15		3	1, 1, 0, 1, 0	-	-
16		0	0, 0, ef, -, –	-	-

Notes and References

1. Web site: HISTORICAL LIST OF RESULTS 1995–2013 Speedway Grand Prix – Qualifications . Speedway History . 8 January 2023.
2. Web site: Craig Watson 2005 hopes . US Motorsport . 8 January 2023.
3. Web site: 2004 Grand Prix Challenge . Edinburgh Speedway . 8 January 2023.