Polish GP: It's number six for Rickardsson.

Tony Rickardsson enhanced his reputation as the greatest speedway rider of the modern era when he was crowned 2005 World Champion at Bydgoszcz in Poland on Saturday night.

The sensational 35-year-old Swede, needing only four points in the FIM Pentel Polish GP to complete the formality of a record-equalling sixth title, duly obliged with a win in heat three and a third place in heat six.

He has now equalled the feat of Kiwi legend Ivan Mauger in winning a sixth World crown, and has won the GP series five times in the last eight years.

Rickardsson, who missed out on extending his run of consecutive final appearances when he failed to make the last eight on the night, admitted: "It is a fantastic feeling and I am just so happy. This has been my best season ever and I am loving what I am doing.

"It was hard to keep my focus after the title was won. I was at the tapes waiting for the green light with a big smile on my face! I really had to concentrate in my last three rides."

Rickardsson ran a last in his first race as 2005 World Champion, and a third place in his final ride meant he missed out on the semi-finals - for the first time in 12 GPs - when Great Britain's Lee Richardson won heat 20. Richardson tied on eight points with Rickardsson and fellow Brit Scott Nicholls, but qualified by virtue of his two wins and one second place.

The Swindon rider, who had switched bikes after starting the night with two last places, won his semi-final, and finished runner-up in the final - his best ever GP performance - when local hero Tomasz Gollob won in Bydgoszcz for the fourth successive year.

Gollob became the first rider in GP history to win four consecutive meetings at the same venue, and once again he served up some spectacular action for the partisan fans inside a packed Polonia Stadium. He dropped two points in the qualifying rounds, to Leigh Adams in heat 11 when he produced a wide outside swoop to drive from fourth to second, and Richardson in heat 20.

Gollob, who lifted himself from 11th overall to seventh with his 25-point haul, said: "I love riding at Bydgoszcz, but there is always a lot of pressure on me. I used a Jawa engine specially tuned for this track rather than a GM and it was a great night for me."

Richardson finished second when he muscled through deposed champion Jason Crump and Greg Hancock off the second turn in the final. Hancock had reached the final after scoring 12 points in the qualifying and then finishing second behind Richardson in the second semi-final.

Richardson, whose only previous final appearance was at Cardiff last year, beamed: "I needed a big finish to the series after the way things have gone this year, and this was a fantastic night for me.

"I swapped bikes after my first two rides and my second machine performed brilliantly. It has been a frustrating season in the Grand Prix but I am over the moon with this result."

The battle to finish in the top eight also saw Andreas Jonsson move up a place after scoring 10 points, with both Antonio Lindback, who finished a wretched night with five last places, and Jarek Hampel dropping out of the frame.

Polish Grand Prix:
Tomasz Gollob (Poland) 25 (13), Lee Richardson (Great Britain) 20 (8), Jason Crump (Australia) 18 (9), Greg Hancock (USA) 16 (12), Leigh Adams (Australia) 11, Piotr Protasiewicz (Poland) 11, Andreas Jonsson (Sweden) 10, Nicki Pedersen (Denmark) 9, Tony Rickardsson (Sweden) 8, Scott Nicholls (Great Britain) 8, Bjarne Pedersen (Denmark) 7, Jaroslaw Hampel (Poland) 6, Hans Andersen (Denmark) 5, Ryan Sullivan (Australia) 2, Tomasz Chrzanowski (Poland) 1, Antonio Lindback (Sweden) 0

Overall standings:
T. Rickardsson 171, J. Crump 134, N. Pedersen 97, L. Adams 91, G. Hancock 82, B. Pedersen 80, T. Gollob 79, A. Jonsson 70, J. Hampel 67, S. Nicholls 66, A. Lindback 66, H. Andersen 56, L. Richardson 49, R. Sullivan 45, T. Chrzanowski 22