Harris bombs out

Chris Harris: GP challenge over

Great Britain endured a disastrous weekend in the Grand Prix challenge as all three hopes bowed out with Chris Harris the shock exit.

Harris travelled to Divisov in the Czech Republic for one of the three semi-finals, expecting to ease in the the final GP Challenge in September.

But the Cornishman hit just seven points and was not in the reckoning as Ales Dryml claimed the win.

The Belle Vue man beat Polish star Krzysztof Kasprzak in a run-off for first place after they tied on 12 points.

They are joined by current SGP regular Peter Ljung, who finished third on 11 and remains determined to earn a second season on the big stage.

FIM Gorzow SGP of Poland winner Martin Vaculik and Australian international Troy Batchelor snatched the last two places on 10 points apiece.

Harris, who is 15th in the World Championship - 19 points adrift of the top-eight automatic qualification places - and now faces a tough task to qualify for the 2013 series as Tai Woffinden looks better place to earn a wild card should one, as is likely, be offered to a Brit.

Croatian star Jurica Pavlic missed out on six points, but he is still likely to take his place in the GP Challenge. The staging federation is entitled to one wild card pick as none of their riders have qualified.

Polish international Janusz Kolodziej pulled out of the meeting after the practice session as his broken finger proved too problematic to race with.

In Lonigo, Italy, Britain's other hopes Ben Barker and Danny King missed out in an event dominated by current GP star Antonio Lindback - who won the event with 12.

Having won the Challenge at Vojens in 2004 and Vetlanda last year, as well as finishing second to Artem Laguta at the Danish track in 2010, Lindback knows more than most about getting through world speedway's most cutthroat meeting.

He will be up against fellow Grand Prix rider Hans Andersen, who qualified on 11 points along with Slovenian star Matej Zagar, Danish hotshot Leon Madsen and German racer Martin Smolinski.

Peter Kildemand tied on 10 points with Ben Barker but the Dane won a match race between the pair for the reserve spot. King exited on seven.

The third semi-final took place in Vojens and home favourite Niels-Kristian Iversen dominated with 14 points.

Runner-up was youngster Michael Jepsen Jensen as it ended in a Denmark one-two.

Davey Watt also made it through and won a run-off for third place with Polish international Grzegorz Walasek after they tied on 11 points.

And Adrian Miedzinski snatched the final qualification berth after winning heat 19 to force a head-to-head with Danish teenager Mikkel B Jensen, who also scored 10 points.