Tai Woffinden became the first Brit to win a Grand Prix since Chris Harris efforts at Cardiff six years ago as he won the Czech Republic GP on Saturday night.

Emil Sayfutdinov makes it two in a row in Gothenburg with an impressive 17 points; he is surely becoming the favourite to win the series?

On current form you wouldn’t bet against him would you? What made that victory more remarkable was that it coincided with his father passing away. He didn’t know about it before the meeting I’m told, but he still knew he father was gravely ill, he spent time with him during the week and he sadly passed away the night of the GP. So it was a remarkable show of courage and determination and he’s got a very special talent which we’ve all known since he emerged on the scene in 2009 and he is showing it on a regular basis. It’s truly wonderful what Emil is doing at the moment.

Chris Holder had a good return to form, finishing second, do you think he can kick on from here and really push for a series win?

Chris is struggling for consistency in England with the Poole Pirates at the moment, but he has made a steady start to the world championships. The first three rounds he has steadily improved his performances, he’s got a good record on the Gothenburg track, and there is no reason why he can’t have a good round in Prague, he will be one to watch. It’s a similar track to Gothenburg, it is smaller but its long straights, and I think he could do quite well around the Marketa Stadium.

We spoke last week about the Swedish riders having to up their game, and Gothenburg provided them with the perfect opportunity for this, yet they didn’t take advantage, with all three of them scoring poorly. Do you think their chances of winning the championship are out of the picture now?

It’s a mystery really, I mean Antonio Lindback is a great talent, he seems to be feeling better and better about his racing, but he was inconsistent again in Gothenburg, Freddie Lindgren is obviously struggling to find the right set-up machinery wise and Andreas Jonsson is just a pale shadow of the rider we know he can be. It’s getting down to a critical stage for the Swedish riders, they have to have a big round in Prague, they have to get it right or they will be in danger of missing out on a top eight finish.

Nicki Pedersen also answered his critics, with a solid third place, which moved him to within six points of Gollob in the overall classification. What chances does he have to win title number 4?

Well, the problem with Nicki is that he was involved in a crash with Woffinden in the semi-final, which effectively left him with a broken hand. He’s had a special brace fitted on it, he’s having intensive physio on a daily basis and he’s having to leave his hand in an ice bucket for five minute periods. He rode purely on adrenaline in the semi and the final in Gothenburg as his wrist was swelling up, but now, two weeks after Gothenburg he’s got to do five heats in a hope of then getting into the semi and the final. You have to question whether his injury is going to hold up to that and that is the big question with Nicki. Initially, the doctors said it would be four weeks out, but he is determined to ride, that’s typical Nicki, he will grit his teeth and ride through the pain barrier. Only he will know whether he can handle it on Saturday night. It’s a big question mark.

With Tai Woffinden winning the British Final on Monday night, do you think this form will have a positive effect on his performance in the GP’s?

He’s on the crest of a wave, he was so fast in that meeting on Monday in Wolverhampton, the final itself, he made such a charge of the start leaving Scott Nicholls and Chris Harris behind. He’s fast on the bike, he’s feeling confident. He isn’t riding in Sweden, so his schedule has cleared up a little. He feels refreshed, he feels keen, the next morning after the British Final, he got up early and went for a run, so he isn’t resting on his laurels, he’s still training hard, eating the right things, fitter than he has ever been, who knows what he can achieve? Initially, his priority was for the top eight, but now, if he has a big round in Prague, he will have to change his focus, he will have to look not just towards the top eight, but towards a potential podium place.

With no Czech riders in the GP, who do you think will be a crowd favourite here at the Marketa stadium?

No Czech riders in the series, but the wild-card, Josef Franc, rode last year and got to the semi-final. It was truly remarkable, it was a fairy-tale for him, to come out of that meeting and really lift the spirits of the home crowd. I can’t see him doing that again in this field, but you never know. I think that was his moment in the sun, but it’s always a popular Grand Prix, it’s a fantastic city, the riders and the fans alike love going there and I can only see Sayfutdinov, Woffinden and Holder really shining in a meeting like this. Hampel and Gollob also stand a chance, so those five will be the front runners. Greg (Hancock) clearly isn’t 100%, I know he’s having treatment on his neck, so he needs to have his gating gloves on this weekend, like he always does of course when he’s 100% fit.

Darcy Ward crashed out in Gothenburg, fracturing his collar bone which has put him out of action for two months, do injuries like this have a long-term effect on a rider?

It depends on who it is, now Darcy has taken a lot of knocks this season, it’s just unfortunate for him that his season hasn’t really got going. I find it a shame for the kid now that he is going to miss two months because he was part of the attraction of the Grand Prix. The arrival of Darcy to the GP circuit was massively exciting and it’s a crying shame he will miss the next few GP’s. He will be desperate to get back on the bike, I expect he will use this time out of the saddle to focus his mind. I wouldn’t put it past Darcy Ward to come out and have an exceptional second half to the season. He won’t win the world title this year, he is going to miss too many rounds, but he will want to come back and spoil things, he can win a Grand Prix this year, no doubt.

What type of racing can we expect from the Marketa Stadium, will it be more like Gothenburg where big engines work well on the long straights, or will it be more like Bydgoszcz where the short straights caused the racing to be frantic?

Gothenburg started off pretty predictable in the first twelve heats, but then it became truly sensational. The second half of that meeting was the best Speedway we have ever seen in the Ullevi. I think the nature of the competition, Woffinden and Sayfutdinov, the young guns, will enjoy it here, and I don’t see any reason why we won’t see great Speedway again here on Saturday.

Finally, who do you think is going to win this week’s Czech GP?

Tai Woffinden, Chris Holder, Emil Sayfutdinov, Jaroslaw Hampel

‘British Eurosport will broadcast exclusive LIVE coverage from every round of the Speedway Grand Prix in high definition including the Czech GP from Prague. Coverage starts Saturday 6pm on British Eurosport 2 HD or via the Eurosport Player. www.eurosportplayer.co.uk ’

Saturday 18 May
1800-2100 LIVE Speedway GP from Prague on British Eurosport 2 HD

Current standings leader Tomasz Gollob will start the Czech Republic Grand Prix in the opening race after being drawn at number 3.

British Eurosport has announced that Sophie Blake and Scott Nicholls will be part of the on-site speedway presentation team for the Fogo British FIM Speedway Grand Prix at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on Saturday 1st June.