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Krzys: I just wasn't quick enough
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| GP WOE: Krzysztof Kasprzak |
KRZYSZTOF Kasprzak pulled no punches by admitting he was "well off the pace" after his dismal display in the European Grand Prix at Leszno.
The former world under-21 champion looked totally out of his depth in the senior competition on his hometown track of Leszno as he really struggled to muster only three points.
Kasprzak's perplexing performance on Saturday on a familiar circuit that is almost like a second home to him will have been a shock to the young Pole, who is the Leszno track record holder.
Indeed, his trio of third places on a night when he was expected to mount a serious challenge for his first GP round victory in only his fifth appearance was a major setback.
At least Kasprzak, who is 14th in the overall standings, nine points adrift of an automatic re-qualification place, knows what he has to do to put things right.
The Pirates star, who has set himself a daunting target of 100 points in the 11-round series to guarantee his 2009 GP status, said: "I'm not fast enough at the moment.
"I tried three different engines at Leszno but still wasn't competitive enough."
Kasprzak, called up by Castle Cover Pirates last week to replace injured Bjarne Pedersen, added: "I'm so pleased to be back with Poole because I need to be racing in England to get stronger and sharper for the GP.
"To be honest, I was very disappointed with my form in Leszno and I'm going to have to improve very quickly if I'm to survive in this competition."
Whether big meeting nerves played a part in Kasprzak's under-achieving show at Leszno - and many in the crowd suspect they did - then he wasn't letting on.
Kasprzak filled every race position in his opening outing in heat three when he briefly led, was forced wide by eventual race winner Andreas Jonsson, and was also passed by Leigh Adams and Hans Andersen.
The Pole salvaged third by diving under Andersen on the third lap.
Kasprzak wasted the lucrative inside gate in race seven and trailed in last, then lost a hard-earned second place in heat nine when Jason Crump blasted outside him.
A poor last in heat 14 and a fighting third in race 20 ended Kasprzak's nightmare, and he now goes into the third round at Gothenburg on May 24 fully aware that 100 point target is a long, long way off.
Pirates reserve Adam Skornicki switched his bike for a mic when he took time out from racing to carry out a roving pits reporter role at the European GP.
Skornicki was caught on Sky's cameras interviewing his Polish compatriot and wild card sensation Jarek Hampel trackside just before the first semi-final got under way.
Additional reporting by Steve Allen.
7:00am Monday 12th May 2008
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