Kujawa takes shock Under 21 victory.

The new speedway world under 21 champion is David Kujawa. He took the title after scoring twelve points in the final at Peterborough on Sunday afternoon.

Kujawa, from Poland, races for Zielona Gora in the Polish Extra League, was rated by most experts as little more than a 'spoiler' but proved to be much better that that.

With two wins and two second places from his first four rides, Kujawa headed the field along with one of the main pre-meeting favourties - Chris Slabon.

Whichever rider finished the better in his final ride looked odds-on to be crowned champion. Kujawa had first go in heat seventeen but could only finish a distant second to Lukas Dryml. Slabon lined up in the next heat knowing that a win would make him champion.

Unfortunately Slabon suffered a puncture early in the race which cruelly put pay to his hopes and handed things on a plate to Kujawa.

Another pre-meeting fancy, Lukas Dryml, opened up with a first ride zero but then hit big form to hit home a second followed by three heat wins which was good enough for second place on the rostrum.

England's Simon Stead meanwhile was going quietly about his business and without managing a heat win was on the fringes throughout. His tally of ten points was enough for a tie for third place with Slabon and Rafal Okoniewski - another Pole.

Okoniewski started well enough with a win before a third followed by a last made him look like an also-ran. But a win over Stead in heat sixteen was followed by another win in the final heat to put him from nowhere in to a tie with Stead and Slabon for third.

That trio had to go head-to-head in a run-off for the final rostrum place.

Stead lead early but was passed by both Okoniewski and Slabon. Okoniewski's overall third place quite remarkable after looking out of things with just four points from three opening rides. Of the other supposed leading contenders, Jarek Hampel never got in to it and home track rider David Howe fell away badly after a bright start.

A slick track (David Howe indicating it was the slickest he'd ever seen it) was not conducive to good racing but that takes nothing away from Kujawa who found things very much to his liking - a fast start and a fast bike being the order of the day.

As the meeting progressed, riders did manage to find some grip and drive by taking a wider line as demonstrated by Slabon (round the field in heat twelve) and Dryml (a superlative third to second effort in heat fourteen before duelling wheel to wheel with Ruud over the last lap).

Slabon will be left cursing his luck after his puncture, doubtless Dryml will be wondering what might have been if his first ride was not so bad and Stead wishing he'd won a race or two.

Instead, congratulations to David Kujawa - 2001 World Under-21 champion, who said afterwards: "All I did was put in my best. I wasn't thinking about other riders. Maybe tomorrow it will sink in that I am world champion"

Scorers:
David Kujawa 12
Lukas Dryml 11
Rafal Okoniewski 10
Chris Slabon 10
Simon Stead 10
David Ruud 8
Matej Zagar 8
David Howe 8
Jarek Hampel 7
Freddie Eriksson 7
Lukas Romanek 7
Bjorn Hansen 6
Roman Chromik 6
Krzyztof Kasprzak 4
Tomasz Chrzanowski 4
Miroslaw Fencl 2