Ice Speedway - Hendersson qualified for the final in Uppsala!

The last Final of the 2013 FIM Ice Speedway Gladiators World Championship will be held in Uppsala, Sweden. The stadium has a history of great ice speedway events. Several Swedish championships have been held here and the arena already hosted a FIM Ice Speedway Gladiators World Championship Final last season. That time Robert Hendersson managed to qualify by performing well during the qualification rounds, and his impressive driving has now guaranteed him a place on the starting line of the 2013 FIM Ice Speedway Gladiators World Championship finals. We asked "King Kong" how he sees this year's finals.Interviewer:Congratulations, you are the only Swede entering this season already qualified for the finals. How does that affect your preparation for the coming season?Robert Hendersson:It has definitely made me feel even more willing to really make an effort. I want to show that I deserve to be here and I will practise harder than ever. I will be focusing a lot on my physical training. Now in December I will go to Östersund to practise both with my team Hammarby and the Swedish national team.Interviewer:You have a little insight into the world of Russian ice speedway. Why do you think they are so dominant and are there any "non-Russians" who can challenge them in the fight for a gold medal in the near future?Robert Hendersson:They have a much longer season than we have here in Sweden. Their season began in mid-November with competitions. They have constant access to very good facilities where they can easily make settings on the bikes and then directly test them and race for a few laps. They are tougher in training and the competition is tougher. However, a non-Russian who will be interesting to follow this year is Harold Simon, who will be competing in the Russian ice speedway series this season.Interviewer:Krasnikov has retired from the World Championship. What does that mean for the races?Robert Hendersson:Krasnikov is a living legend. But now there is going to be a harder fight for the gold. Ivanov, Khomitsevich and Koltakov will definitely be fighting up there. Then I believe Igor Kononov is potentially a top rider, if he can get to the World Championship. He is not qualified yet, but if he gets on to the podium in the Russian championships, he will be qualified for the FIM Ice Speedway Gladiators World Championship. If he succeeds, he will become dangerous.Interviewer:We have a proud history of FIM Ice Speedway titles in Sweden. When will we see another Swede with an FIM Ice Speedway Gladiators World Championship medal?Robert Hendersson:My personal goal is in 3 to 5 years. P.-A. Lindstrom will also be able to make a challenge for the podium I think. But I hope that I can be a part of a Swedish team that takes a medal in the FIM Team Ice Speedway Gladiators World Championship this season already. The Russians are probably too difficult to beat, but we are fighting for the other places, mainly against the Czechs and the Austrians. Interviewer:Thank you for your time and good luck this winter. See you in Uppsala.Robert Hendersson:Thank you. It will be fun! When the tickets for the FIM Ice Speedway Gladiators World Championship Final in Uppsala are released on December 14, the season will already be in full swing for the Russian riders. Roberts and the other Swedish riders are just starting theirs. But there is a future for Swedish ice racing, of that there is no doubt. Maybe we will get a glimpse of it already in Uppsala this March!Communication - www.qase.sePhotos FIM/Good Shoot - Robert Hendersson (Uppsala 2012)

Source: http://www.fim-live.com/en/media/news/news-detail/article/1355758412-ice-speedway-hendersson-qualified-for-the-final-in-uppsala/

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