Speedway of Nations 2022: 'We just need to be calm' - Robert Lambert backs Great Britain to retain crown in Denmark
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Published 26/07/2022 at 07:38 GMT
"The build-up is looking good and we just need to be all confident together and be happy with what we're doing," Robert Lambert, who starred for Great Britain as they won the Speedway of Nations in 2021, believes his side are fully focused on winning back-to-back titles at this year's event in Vojens, Denmark.
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Robert Lambert is confident that Great Britain can defend their title at the Speedway of Nations.
Lambert was a member the team that triumphed at Belle Vue in 2021 and is back with the team in Denmark trying to make it back-to-back successes.
The event descends on Vojens when Lambert and Britain will compete in the semi-final against Sweden, France, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Italy and Slovakia, hoping to reach the final two days later.
Lambert, who collected 32 points overall in the 2021 final and finished second in the Grand Final to help Team GB triumph after securing a heat advantage, is bullish about the team’s chances this time around but taking nothing for granted.
“It was a massive achievement,” he said speaking exclusively to Eurosport. “And now we're going to defend it. The strategy beforehand is obviously a little bit different.
“We’ll focus on the gold a little bit more than probably we were last year. But at the same time, we're trying to be humble about it.
“We’ve still got one meeting before the final and anything happened on that day, to penalize our hopes and what we want to do to progress to the final ourselves.
“The build-up is looking good and we just need to be all confident together and be happy with what we're doing and take in the atmosphere at the same time. Not try and get locked in that situation where we want success too bad. Because when we do that, then things can go wrong and go against us. So yeah, just be relaxed and, and do our jobs and take it step by step.
For the first time, both semi-finals and finals will take place in the same venue at the Vojens Speedway centre.
The first two semi-finals take place on the 27th and 28th of July with the final on the 30th. Friday July 28 will see the under-21s Speedway of Nations 2 event.
The event was initially scheduled to take place in Esbjerg before a last-minute switch to Vojens and Lambert thinks the change as well as the new format could be beneficial.
“I've been there a few times now,” he revealed. “I've had a World Cup with Team GB there, had a few races there, had a couple of grand prix there as well.
“So yeah, I've got a bit of experience that the track, probably a little bit more than Esbjerg so it's not a bad thing that it has changed venues beforehand. I’m looking forward to going there.”
“I think it's pretty cool that it's all in one place, it’s definitely great for fans. You've got a whole week of speedway, and if I was a fan, that'd be definitely something I'd want to come to.
“We can all come together, we’ve got the under 21s as well there. So it's great, much more of a team atmosphere and an environment that we can we can hopefully thrive off of each other's energy.”
The setup of the Speedway of Nations sees hosts Denmark automatically handing a place in the final. While on paper this may seem like a bonus, the Danes’ Leon Madsen has in fact suggested this is a disadvantage for the hosts.
Madsen’s view is that their potential final opponents will benefit from having raced on the track in the semis and are able to adjust accordingly, something Lambert admits he agrees with.
“Now we're obviously going to be going there and having a meeting on the track before the final,” he said. “If we get to the final.
“I think he [Madsen] is correct with that. Obviously, they've got a lot of experience being home riders, they've grown up on them tracks, but then the track will be different on the day, and anything can happen.
“I think Vojens is a bit like a British track so yeah, we can be good rivals for them.
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Lambert also revelled who will be the teams to beat over the course of the tournament and the biggest threat to Great Britain’s prospects of retaining their crown.
“Obviously, Poland as number one,” Lambert said. “Denmark as well, Australia is looking good.
“The thing is, this year everyone is fast. And there's just small margins, which makes a difference between winning and losing.
“Any team can just pop out and get somewhere and then without us even realizing they could be a threat.
On GB’s chances, he added: “This year, I think we just need to be calm, optimistic, exactly the same as it was last year, because that worked for us and that strategy worked. So we shouldn't go too far off what we did last year.”
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Stream the 2022 Speedway of Nations live and ad-free on discovery+ with live race action also on Eurosport 2 and via eurosport.co.uk.
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