AUSSIE CHAMPION HOLDER SEEKS THIRD STRAIGHT SPEEDWAY GP FINAL CHARGE IN TETEROW

09/06/2023

AUSSIE CHAMPION HOLDER SEEKS THIRD STRAIGHT SPEEDWAY GP FINAL CHARGE IN TETEROW

Australian champion Jack Holder is determined to continue his final flourish in the FIM Speedway Grand Prix series at the Wölk FIM Speedway GP of Germany – Teterow on Saturday.

The Lublin, Vastervik and Sheffield rider is enjoying the year of his life on the track, having won the Australian Championship last January and started the Speedway GP series with two final appearances in three rounds.

Holder took second place at the Orlen FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Warsaw on May 13, before finishing third at the Prague FIM Speedway GP of Czech Republic last Saturday.

This leaves him third in the Speedway GP World Championship on 42 points – just eight behind Poland’s triple world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik, who leads the standings on 50, with Sweden’s Fredrik Lindgren second on 47. Prague winner Martin Vaculik holds fourth place on 41.

Holder has never been higher in the Speedway GP standings, and he’s determined to continue with the magic formula that has delivered his red-hot start to 2023 – the year speedway celebrates 100 years since the sport's very first meeting in Holder’s homeland Australia in 1923.

He said: “I am working so hard behind the scenes. In the off-season in Australia, I had a good season there and won the Australian Championship – I had wanted that one for a while.

“I am just in a happy spot at the moment. Everything is working well. We just have to try and keep it that way.

“When everything is working in speedway, it’s good. I am confident and scoring some points everywhere, which is good. And I am staying healthy.

“Last year I went through a GP series without getting to a final. It’s pretty disappointing because I raced these boys in the league throughout the week and beat them. When it came to the Grand Prix, they always had that edge on me.

“I have changed clubs in Poland, and it has shown in my riding. It’s good. My mechanics are working hard, and I am doing my job. It’s all going well at the moment and when speedway goes well, it’s great.”

DREAM TEAM

The Speedway GP World Championship standings make very happy reading for fans of Polish PGE Ekstraliga champions Lublin, as Zmarzlik, Lindgren and Holder all signed for the club for this year.

Holder made rapid progress when he teamed up with Zmarzlik at Gorzow in 2020. And he admits sharing a pit area with two of the sport’s frontrunners away from Speedway GP can only benefit him.

He said: “It’s definitely good to ride in the same team as them. They have been there for many, many years. Freddie was in the GPs when I wasn’t even racing speedway! We do bounce things off each other, but we all have different engines and stuff. Then when we come to the GPs, we obviously don’t talk too much. It’s all on yourself then.”

Lublin's Speedway GP heroes Holder, Lindgren and Zmarzlik

One former Speedway GP icon who is certainly on Holder’s side this season is his elder brother Chris Holder, the 2012 Speedway GP world champion. Jack jetted into Torun from Australia 11 years ago to watch Chris lift the sport’s biggest prize. And now the 35-year-old is cheering his younger brother on.

“He’s on the back of the bike with me,” Jack said. “My whole family is – my girlfriend Jessica and my big brother James too. He’s back home and he is super stoked for me. The whole family is super, super happy.

“They see all the hard work I put in and it’s just good that it’s showing. It’s very pleasing that all this hard work is paying off. My goal is to make every semi and then see what happens. Then hopefully I will be at the pointy end come the end of the season.”

TARGETING TETEROW GLORY

Holder comes up against plenty of riders who pile up the points at the Bergring Arena. Zmarzlik has reached four finals in five visits, finishing second three times in 2016, 2019 and 2022 and third in 2018. He will be determined to finally win Germany’s biggest speedway event, while nearest rival Lindgren will be keen to better his third place in the 2022 round.

In-form Aussie star Jason Doyle (2016), Britain’s triple world champion Tai Woffinden (2018) and Polish stars Maciej Janowski (2019) and Patryk Dudek (2022) are all former Teterow winners.

Holder raced to his first-ever Speedway GP semi-final in the 2022 Wölk FIM German Speedway GP and hopes to go a stage further on Saturday.

He said: “If you get through to the final, you can creep up so much. My goal is to make every semi and then see what happens. Then hopefully I will be at the pointy end come the end of the season.

“Teterow was my first semi last year. We will just go there, hopefully make a couple of starts, get to the semi and then the final.”

Holder battles Fredrik Lindgren and Patryk Dudek

2023 WÖLK FIM SPEEDWAY GP OF GERMANY - TETEROW LINE-UP (in FIM ranking order with rider numbers): 95 Bartosz Zmarzlik (Poland), 30 Leon Madsen (Denmark), 71 Maciej Janowski (Poland), 66 Fredrik Lindgren (Sweden), 505 Robert Lambert (Great Britain), 99 Dan Bewley (Great Britain), 692 Patryk Dudek (Poland), 108 Tai Woffinden (Great Britain), 54 Martin Vaculik (Slovakia), 69 Jason Doyle (Australia), 155 Mikkel Michelsen (Denmark), 25 Jack Holder (Australia), 46 Max Fricke (Australia), 105 Anders Thomsen (Denmark), 233 Kim Nilsson (Sweden), 16 Kai Huckenbeck (Germany – wild card), 17 Norick Blodorn (Germany – first track reserve), 18 Michael Hartel (Germany – second track reserve).

Tickets for the Wölk FIM German Speedway GP are still available online. Secure your spot in Teterow HERE NOW.

TETEROW FANZONE

The action at the Bergring Arena starts long before the racing with an action-packed Wölk FIM German Speedway GP fanzone located just outside the main speedway arena.

The entertainment gets underway at 13:00 CET – just as Qualifying Practice gets started.

The Speedway GP trophy will be on display for fans to take pictures with throughout the day. There will also be vintage bike displays, attractions for kids, plenty of entertainment in the Monster Energy Zone, plus Speedway GP and rider merchandise available for purchase.

There will be chances to grab a selfie with official FIM Speedway mascot Speedy at 15:15 CET and 18:15 CET.

Speedway GP’s Monster Energy athletes Fredrik Lindgren, Dan Bewley, Tai Woffinden, Patryk Dudek and Jack Holder will be on hand signing hero cards in the Monster Energy Zone from 16:00 CET.

This will be followed by our Teterow autograph session, featuring all the world’s best riders, from 16:30 CET.

Fans can win Speedway GP prizes in our quizzes on the big screen at 15:30 CET and 17:45 CET, before we crown the King and Queen of the Fanzone at 18:00 CET.

Vaculik meets the fans in Teterow last year

WHERE TO WATCH: Wölk FIM Speedway GP of Germany - Teterow – Saturday, June 10 at 19:00 CET.

Fans with access to discovery+ or the Eurosport App, available in selected countries, can enjoy full live coverage of all the FIM Speedway action, featuring Qualifying Practice, plus all the build-up from the pits and reaction after the chequered flag falls, as well as the very best coverage of the racing including pit and on-board cameras, rider reaction times and, coming soon, live speed data.

Coverage of Speedway GP is available worldwide with linear coverage of the Wölk FIM Speedway GP of Germany – Teterow also available in selected countries – see below for more details of where to watch.

Fans can also get live results from Teterow throughout the Wölk FIM German Speedway GP via the official FIM Speedway app. Download it now on the App Store or Google Play.

ACROSS EUROPE: Live on the Eurosport App

BRITAIN: Live on discovery+ and the Eurosport App

POLAND: Live on Eurosport Extra in Player

SWEDEN: Live on discovery+ and the Eurosport App

DENMARK: Live on 6’eren, discovery+ and the Eurosport App

AUSTRALIA: Live on Fox Sports (Kayo)

NEW ZEALAND: Live on Recast via www.recast.tv/fimspeedway

USA/CANADA: Live on Recast via www.recast.tv/fimspeedway

GERMANY: Live on discovery+ and the Eurosport App

ACROSS THE BALTICS: Live on discovery+, Eurosport App, Go3 and TV3 Sport channels

CZECH REP: Live on the Eurosport App

SLOVAKIA: Live on the Eurosport App and RTVS