Rickardsson dedicates victory to Blomfeldt.

Tony Rickardsson launched the defence of his world title in style by winning the European Grand Prix in Poland last night. And he immediately dedicated his success to his popular engine tuner who is set to undergo major heart surgery. He said: "During the run-up to the meeting Carl Blomfeldt suffered a small heart attack and had to return to Canada for an operation - so this victory is for him."

The five-time champion opened his quest for a record-equalling sixth world individual title by racing to victory from Nicki Pedersen, Lukas Dryml and Thomasz Gollob. Ryan Sullivan found things tough with his broken collarbone and finished well down the field while 2000 champion Mark Loram lost his race to be fit to race after his elbow injury.

Hans Andersen won the open heat as the early starters battled for qualification to the main event. Sebastian Ulamek's mechanical problems sending him straight to an eliminator next time out and Todd Wiltshire suffered a similar fate in heat two. No drama in heat three which saw Piotr Protaseiwicz and Rune Holta safely through to the next stage. Nicki and Bjarne Pedersen had something of a coming together in heat four with Nicki judged to blame and excluded from the re-run, which was won by Tomasz Barjeski.

Nicki went straight out in to heat five needing a win or second to stay in the event, and he won OK from Krzysztof Cegielski as Jason Lyons and Wiltshire had first go at the hot water in the showers. Bjarne Pedersen and Peter Karlsson followed them in after going out in heat six as Rafal Kurmanski and Ulamek made the most of their second chances. Holta couldn't beat the time allowance for heat seven which was won by Scott Nicholls from Dryml and Andersen. Protasiewicz was showing up well on home soil winning the next from Bo Brhel, Barjeski and Lee Richardson.

Now the "big boys" came out to play in heats nine and ten to basically race for gate positions in their next races. Rickardsson was away and gone in the first with Michael Max second with the unlucky Leigh Adams dropping a chain. Gollob clearly had his racing head on when streaking out for a big win in heat ten with a sadly struggling Sullivan in rear.

Andersen lost some control and fell in heat eleven to be excluded which meant the end of his night. Ulamek went out the door also with winner Pedersen and second placed Richardson sailing on. Cegielski and Holta progressed from heat twelve but the Poles had to wave goodbye to native due Barjeski and Kurmanski as things started to heat up.

Rickardsson was off again and looking untouchable to win heat thirteen from Holta with Sullivan and Nicholls staring elimination in the face in their next outings. A positive ride from Protasiewicz in heat fourteen took him in a wide sweep around the boards to lead and win from Greg Hancock and leave Richardson and Adams sweating. Not that much separated Cegielski, Jason Crump and Dryml in the next heat but Crump just held off the young Czech to book his place in the next stage. Gollob still had his racing head on winning heat sixteen from Pedersen with Brhel in third.

Dryml came good to stay in after winning the eliminator heat seventeen but behind him a do-or-die scrap was in place between Adams and Sullivan who traded places a time or two before fitness was perhaps the deciding factor and Adams had the advantage on that score. He progressed at Sullivan's expense. Nicholls and Brhel were next in the showers after heat eighteen as Richardson and Max moved to within one ride from a semi-final spot.

If they were not already, events now started to get serious with those semi-final places and accompanying big standings points in the pot. Cegielski knew it and lead Rickardsson for a lap or two in heat nineteen before slipping back to third place as first Rickardsson went past and then a determined Pedersen to book their semi-final places. Crump and the effective Protasiewicz then made certain of joining Rickardsson and Pedersen with a 1-2 in heat twenty as Gollob lost his racing head and came last.

But the enigmatic Pole found it again straight away to win heat twenty-one and snap up a semi place along with Dryml as Cegielski and Max saw their racing come to an end. Holta and Adams completed the semi-final fields coming home in heat twenty-two ahead of Hancock and Richardson.

Rickardsson, Gollob, Protasiewicz, and Adams lined up in the first semi and that's the order in which they flashed over the line. Pedersen and Dryml completed the field for the final when outpacing Holta and Crump in the second semi-final which was an achievement of some note as both has started the evening in the early qualification heats and both had faced eliminators along the way.

And it was Rickardsson who took the chequered flag in the grand final to launch his campaign for that record equalling sixth title in the best possible way from the chasing Pedersen, Dryml and Gollob. With main rivals Crump, Adams and Sullivan not having the best of nights for various reasons, Rickardsson already has a tidy standing lead going in to the next GP in his homeland of Sweden in two weeks' time.