BEWLEY BIDS TO BETTER CARDIFF DEBUT

Great Britain racer Dan Bewley can’t wait to return to Principality Stadium as a Speedway GP regular next Saturday as he bids to improve on his one and only FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Cardiff ride.

Bewley lines up in Britain’s biggest indoor motorsport event alongside the likes of fellow Lions stars Tai Woffinden and Robert Lambert as Cardiff celebrates its 20^th Speedway GP event with a weekend of epic action and entertainment on and off the track, including the FIM SGP2 of Great Britain on Sunday, August 14.

The Cumbrian made his Speedway GP debut in the Welsh capital in 2018, taking to the shale as a track reserve when then wild card Lambert suffered mechanical problems in heat two.

Bewley failed to score from that outing, but admits he may have been somewhat districted by the occasion. He said: “That one ride wasn’t anything spectacular! I actually remember it quite well. I remember riding out and doing a wheelie down the back straight and looking across. I was pretty happy. I thought I had made it!

“I actually rode terribly, but I wasn’t too fussed at that point. I look forward to going there as a regular rider.”

Having reached three straight Speedway GP semi-finals and won 2021 FIM Speedway of Nations gold for his country in Manchester, followed by a silver medal in Vojens this year, Bewley has proved he can handle the big occasion.

He’s determined to improve on 11^th place and 44 points in the pre-Cardiff standings. But with just nine points separating him from the injured Martin Vaculik, who holds third spot, Bewley can climb the table with a big performance in his home event.

He said: “I was looking at the points after the last GP in Gorzow. I felt I could have done a lot more there. I ended up fifth on the night and 11^th in the standings. If I had won the meeting, I would have been third overall.

“The points are that close. One good GP and the points can change a lot. For now, I will just keep doing what I am doing.”

It’s 15 years since a Brit last topped the podium at Principality Stadium and Speedway GP regulars Woffinden, Lambert and Bewley will all fancy their chances of making history and following in 2007 winner Chris Harris’ tyre treads next Saturday.

“I think we are all capable,” Bewley said. “But every rider in the GP is capable too. It’s a meeting I am looking forward to, and I’ll just see what I can do.”

Celebrate 20 years of Speedway GP in Cardiff on Saturday with all tickets including entry to Sunday’s FIM SGP2 of Great Britain, featuring the sport’s under-21 stars. Secure your seats at Principality Stadium online here now: https://bit.ly/3ixX9wQ

Photo: Taylor Lanning