As the latest instalment of the FIM Speedway Grand Prix series gets underway, there is just one question on everyone’s lips - can anyone stop Bartosz Zmarzlik?
The 28-year-old has spent his life earmarked for super stardom. He burst onto the world scene as the youngest rider to ever appear on a Grand Prix podium aged just 17 as a wildcard in Gorzow in 2012.
He has since made good on all of that initial promise, succeeding where so many talented Polish prospects have failed by becoming a dominant world championship force.
Zmarzlik has won three of the last four world titles. The man who beat him by just three points in 2021, Artem Laguta, is no longer in the picture after sporting sanctions placed on Russia. In his absence, Zmarzlik stormed to the title last term with a round to spare and no real challenger.
This year, there’s an almighty target on his back. “It’s a little bit like chasing the rabbit,” rival Maciej Janowski says. “But he’s a very quick rabbit!”
Yet the man himself remains as relaxed and motivated as ever to keep raising the bar as he warns his rivals the best is yet to come.
“I see it the same,” Zmarzlik says. "I have many dreams and I am fully focused on myself and making sure I do a good job for me and for my people.
“I don’t look at the other riders, I am only focused on myself. I just want to still do a good job. I like the challenge, and for me this season is a new challenge. I want to make it the best season of them all.”
There is some change in the Zmarzlik camp. He has switched clubs in the Polish Ekstraliga, leaving boyhood club Stal Gorzow for the first time in his career to join Motor Lublin. Yet such has been Zmarzlik’s dominance, he, incredibly, begins the new campaign in Croatia this weekend (Saturday) less than even money to win the title with the bookies.
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However, there are 15 of the world’s best riders all vying to cause an upset and climb to the top of the speedway tree. Here’s what the contenders have to say…
Been there, done that
Remarkably, Zmarzlik is joined in the Speedway Grand Prix series by just two other riders who have tasted World Championship success.
TAI WOFFINDEN is also a three-time winner and beat Zmarzlik to the crown in 2018, the last time he won the gold medal. Five years on from his last success, the British superstar insists he is ready to prove wrong those that have written him off and compete for the top again.
“The last few years for me have been tough because I’ve come off the back of three huge injuries,” Woffinden says.
“It all started in 2019 when I broke my back and my shoulder blade, then the year after I broke my foot twice and broke my hand, finished with an operation. The year after I was having a good start to the season then crashed and smashed all the ligaments in my shoulder, then crashed in Manchester and broke my femur and my tibia.
“The previous years have been tough from that aspect of not being on the bike all the time. As long as you’re fit, healthy, have good nutrition, good hydration and your engines are fast, that’s all it is.
“For me, personally, I know what I’m capable of and I know I can be top three in the world every year. There’s a lot of people that’ve been talking s*** about me and I’m ready to prove ‘em wrong.”
JASON DOYLE shocked the speedway world when he was first introduced to the Grand Prix scene after being something of a late bloomer.
He had won three straight rounds and was right in the title picture in 2016 before as serious crash in the penultimate round brought his bid to an abrupt halt. He returned by racing to the world title the following year, capping off a magnificent achievement with victory in Australia.
He’s struggled to recapture that form and his last two seasons (finishing ninth in 2021 and 10th last year) have been the worst of his eight Grand Prix campaigns. However, it’s now back to basics as the 37-year-old looks to call on his rare experience of knowing what it takes to win it all.
He says: “I wouldn’t be in the Grand Prix’s if I didn’t think I could get back to where I was in ’16 and ’17, but I know I’ve got a good chance this year with a lot more speed.
“Who knows? When you’re racing the top 16 in the world, it’s small gains. The 1% matters, and hopefully I’ve found that little bit of extra speed.
“Speedway’s such a simple sport but I think we’ve complicated it the last couple of years. When you first come into the Grand Prix’s you don’t have any expectations, the pressure is only coming from yourself.
“I guess when you win a world title, you’ve got your doubters and also you then have to keep up to being that top rider. The last few years I’ve really struggled with trying to be that No.1 rider, and I think the biggest thing was I just kept chasing speed. I’ve gone back to basics now.”
Closest contender
The man closest to ending Zmarzlik’s dominance is Danish racer LEON MADSEN, who finished runner-up last year.
He was also beaten by only two points by the Pole in 2019, a result Madsen is quick to point out would be reversed under the new points scoring system introduced in 2020. He is now determined to go one better and show he has not missed his chance.
“I definitely think to win a world championship you have to be in the final almost every time, that’s our goal for the season,” he says.
“And we all know the guy to beat at the moment is Bartek. He’s incredibly fast, but I have to look at myself to be honest, just do my best and just see how it goes.
“He’s been very good, but when you look back at 2019 when I came second, only two points behind, if we had the new points system like we race with today I would’ve been world champion back then.
“In my mind, I know I can beat him. I just have to be at my best and be at my best all the time, that’s what we’re going to try do do. Of course, I’m not going to expect a big gap between me and Bartek like last year, hopefully it can be the opposite and he has to chase me unlike last season.
“But it’s not only about Bartek, there are a lot of good riders in the GP who can win the world championship. It’s not so much about focusing on different riders, but focusing on myself and living up to my best.
“If I am at my best, my equipment and my team perform their best, then I’m sure I can win, but there are a lot of good riders who will make it tough.
“Hopefully I can start well so we don’t have to climb the ladder all season long. It’s harder when you have to be the one chasing all the time, I want to be at the top from the beginning of the season.”
Best of British
There are high hopes for two young Brits who both made huge strides last season.
DAN BEWLEY burst onto the scene after a late call-up to the series, becoming just the second home rider to win the British Grand Prix at Cardiff before following it up with victory at Wroclaw in Poland the following round.
He finished his debut campaign sixth in the standings and is now looking to build on a whirlwind year after a winter trip to the USA which involved some time racing.
“I didn’t expect to be there to be honest, and it started off a little bit tough,” Bewley says, reflecting on last season. “It took me three rounds I think just to win a heat, so I didn’t expect to win two rounds after that!
“It was a pretty cool year and I learnt a lot. I feel like I got better throughout the year so I just want to keep that going.
“With speedway, a lot of it is setting up the bike and also technique. I still think I have some areas to improve. I’m still young, hopefully I can keep getting a little bit better.”
ROBERT LAMBERT ended the year as the top Brit, finishing in fifth after the race for the bronze medal went right down to the wire.
“I was 10th the year before, 5th last year so definitely a medal is going to be the goal this time,” he says.
“Last year I wanted to show I could qualify on my own merit, that was the goal and I managed to achieve it. It was tight heading into the final round, close on points. Could’ve ended up with a medal, but that’s the way it goes.
“We’re always analysing things to do better and to improve on things, so there’s still some way to go before I’m at a level where I’m feeling comfortable. There’s always improvement.”
Home rivals
In the race for Poland’s next big thing after the end of the Tomasz Gollob era, three names have stood out.
And whilst it is Zmarzlik who has emerged as the next superstar, MACIEJ JANOWSKI and PATRYK DUDEK have both been close to making that leap previously. Janowski made the jump to earn his first medal after five straight seasons in the top six last year and is now eyeing the next step - claiming gold.
“Finally I finished on the podium, so it was a very happy season for me, good memories, but of course, the goals are higher,” Janowski says. “I’ve been working for that for many years now, but that only makes me more hungry for the gold.
“Of course, we are all fighting for one thing. Like the rest of the riders, I want to look for the gold medal and that’s what I hope we’ll be fighting for.
“Bartek is a very hard competitor,” Janowski adds. “I think it’s very good for all of us because, looking at how he’s scoring and how he’s riding, makes us all better riders all year, because we all try to beat him.
“It’s great to have a rider like Bartek in the competition. It’s a little bit like chasing the rabbit, but he’s a very quick rabbit!”
Dudek finished runner-up in 2017 and is now looking to get back into the title picture.
“I know I was very close before, but now we start with 11 new rounds and I think again about the gold medal - that’s speedway,” he says.
“You look all the time at what Bartek’s doing on the track and on the bike and step by step we are trying to catch Bartek.”
Dark horses
Now entering his 15th Speedway Grand Prix season, FREDRIK LINDGREN took a huge jump in 2018 and has been in the top four in each of the last four seasons.
That’s particularly impressive considering a well-documented battle with long COVID which saw him end his 2021 season early and take an enforced break during last season to allow his body to recover.
Can he now take the next step and battle for the gold?
“I’m feeling really good at the moment,” he says. “I’m ready to come out swinging.”
“It’s a long time ago [since his first Grand Prix] but I definitely still feel butterflies in my stomach coming into a new season. A lot of wishes, you want to do well and it’s the same feeling.”
Asked what he can do to make the difference and take that final step, he says: “I wish I knew, if I knew I would’ve done it already! But we’ve just got to keep working, trying new things with myself and my equipment and being the best version of myself, that’s all I can do and we’ll see what results come with that.”
Referred to by his nickname, ‘Fast Freddie’ he jokes: “Well, he turns up now and then!”
Lindgren appears relaxed after a winter focusing on the emotional aspect of his life and career which he hopes will make a difference.
“It’s been really good,” he explains. “The main focus for me is to feel good, and it’s not really working on the mental aspect, it’s more working with your emotions.
“It’s something different, new and not very easy, it takes a lot of work but so far the decision has been very good, the outcome has been very good and hopefully it will continue to be good for me.”
Slovakian star MARTIN VACULIK has gathered plenty of experience on the Grand Prix stage and won two rounds last season despite being plagued by injuries.
“Same story every winter, nothing different,” he says. “Just can’t wait to start the season.
“2022 was a good season for me, I won two Grand Prix’s, but also I had some bad results that I need to work on.
“I think step by step I’ll be a better rider. I hope that one day I’ll eliminate all these bad meetings and it will be only the good ones. I feel like year after year I am a better rider at this level.
“The goal is just to show my best, be the best I can and I’m very happy with my equipment right now, my engines and my team behind me. I have strong tools in my hand and, to be honest, it’s all about me now - I have to show my best.”
Aussie aces
Australia has a fine tradition of producing top speedway talent and boasts three
Whilst Jason Doyle is already a former world champion, JACK HOLDER and MAX FRICKE hold ambitions of following in his footsteps.
Holder has plenty of inspiration in the form of brother, Chris, who was 2012 world champion and the younger sibling grasped his chance to jump into the series with both hands after a late call-up last year.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself last year,” he admits. “It was always my dream to be in the Grand Prix and to finally get that call-up, it was massive for me so I put a lot of expectations on myself.
“Probably a bit too much, but I’ve done it on my own terms now and we’ll let it all go out. It’s been about stepping it up the last couple of years, being a bit more professional, just growing and learning.”
He now returns to Europe having won the Australian title over the winter, giving himself plenty of confidence in the process.
“I’ve wanted that one for a while now,” he says, “Been close a couple of times but it was good to go home, travel around Australia with the family and have the good old times. It was great to win, hopefully I can continue that form into this year.”
What are his targets for his second Grand Prix season?
“Top six, world champion - one of them, I’d be happy with both!” He declares.
Fricke won the Polish Grand Prix in Warsaw last year, but it proved a rare highlight in an otherwise inconsistent campaign. Yet he knows he has what it takes to win - and believes finding quicker answers in terms of setup is key.
“It’s a new opportunity, a fresh start,” Fricke says. “I think speed is there, especially on a good day. I just need to try and work on my consistency and getting things set up a little bit quicker.
“We’re working on that behind the scenes, doing what we can, but I think the changes we’ve made in the off-season will definitely help in the Speedway GP this year.
“It’s pretty difficult to go to a new track and set the bike up well straight away, and that’s where I think we’ve been missing out a little bit. Hopefully a little bit more time on these tracks and a few changes will help.”
Danish duo
Leon Madson is leading the charge to replace Nicki Pedersen as Denmark’s Speedway GP force.
But MIKKEL MICHELSEN and ANDERS THOMSEN are also hoping to step up and get in the medal mix.
“It’s been a long winter for me,” says Thomsen, who won his first Grand Prix in Gorzow then suffered a badly broken leg ending his season in August. “A lot of treatments and laying in bed for the first month.
“But I’m back on track now and pretty happy with that. When I get under the helmet, I don’t think about anything.
“The season goal is, of course, to try and get in the medals. But finishing in the top six is absolutely the main goal for me.”
Michelsen, meanwhile, showed he belongs on the world stage during a promising albeit inconsistent campaign.
Michelsen says: “Last season got off to a great start, then we kind of hit a wall and had a few rough meetings which was very unfortunate, because in general I had a great season.
“I hope I can take that kind of form into this year and be a little bit more consistent. If you want to fight for medals you need to be in the semi-finals every single meeting, and obviously in many finals as well.
“I’m hoping to get off to a great start and continue on from there. I think last season in general we were maybe mixing a little bit too much with equipment when it came down to the GPs instead of just keeping it simple.
“A GP is just a race like any other league meeting, if you treat it way different then it adds pressure. So maybe try to approach it a little bit different, a little bit more relaxed and hopefully that’ll be the key to have a better season.
“You know, the goal for the season is the same as everyone else here - we’re all here to become world champion, to fight for medals and anyone who says something else, they’re lying.
“You’re not here to finish second or third, you’re here to win the whole thing. I’ll do the best I can and see where we end up at the end.”
New arrival
There is just one new face in this year’s Speedway Grand Prix series - and Swedish star KIM NILSSON is out to make the most of it after qualifying from the GP Challenge.
“It feels good,” he says. I’ve tried to not change too much compared to other seasons, but of course I’ve been forced to do a lot of changes to get it all to work. But I’m excited.
His expectations? “To progress as much as possible during the year. There’s a lot to learn, but I think I can progress with that as a rider and a person. I see it possible to grow throughout the year and hopefully become something really good at the end of the year.
“There’s no pressure. I want to do well and show what I can do, but the main thing is I’m going to enjoy it. I can’t forget to enjoy it as well. I’ll just do my best and see where it takes me.”
Stream every round of the 2023 Speedway Grand Prix season live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com
