CARDIFF TOASTS 20 YEARS OF SPEEDWAY GP WITH EPIC WEEKEND DOUBLE-HEADER

The FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Cardiff celebrates its 20^th anniversary in style as Britain’s biggest indoor motorsport event roars back into Principality Stadium on Saturday and Sunday.

After a three-year absence, 500cc Speedway GP machines raise the Principality Stadium roof once again with an epic programme of entertainment and racing set to thrill fans travelling from across the UK, Europe and beyond.

For the first time since the event launched in 2001, Cardiff stages two days of World-Championship motorsport, starting with the FIM British Speedway GP at 5pm BST on Saturday night as home heroes Tai Woffinden, Robert Lambert, Dan Bewley and wild card Adam Ellis take on the world’s best riders.

As well as the Speedway GP class of 2022, a host of Cardiff legends return to the Principality Stadium to mark 20 sensational years of racing there, including six-time world champion Tony Rickardsson and four-time world champion Greg Hancock, plus triple world champions Jason Crump and Nicki Pedersen.

Two-time Cardiff winner and 2012 world champion Chris Holder is back, along with former world No.3s Ryan Sullivan and Niels-Kristian Iversen, plus British hero Chris Harris, the Cardiff event’s one and only home winner.

Saturday’s racing follows an action-packed fanzone on Cardiff’s City Hall Lawn from 10am BST, featuring an autograph session with all of the Speedway GP riders, a Monster Energy Rig Riot and burnout, freestyle mountain bike stunts, star guests, photo opportunities and much, much more.

The sport’s brightest under-21 stars then take centre stage for the FIM SGP2 of Great Britain at 1pm on Sunday, as FIM Speedway global promoter Discovery Sports Events shines a spotlight on the next generation of stars in the biggest FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship event ever staged.

 

IN POLE POSITION

Polish star Bartosz Zmarzlik leads the Speedway GP World Championship race on 78 points heading into the FIM British Speedway GP, holding a sizeable 18-point lead at the series’ halfway stage.

Zmarzlik has never failed to reach the Cardiff final in four visits to South Wales, winning in 2018, finishing third in 2016 and 2019 and fourth in 2017. Another final appearance on Saturday would take him a giant stride closer to winning his third Speedway GP world title in four seasons.

Danish racer Leon Madsen is his nearest rival in second position on 60. He will bid to replicate his 2019 victory in Cardiff to try and reel in Zmarzlik.

The race for the rostrum and a top-six finish, which guarantees 2023 Speedway GP qualification, could not be closer as just 11 championship points separate third-placed Martin Vaculik on 53 and 12^th-placed Mikkel Michelsen on 42.

Vaculik misses the FIM British Speedway GP due to injury. His place in the meeting is taken by series substitute Andzejs Lebedevs, who makes his first Speedway GP appearance since 2015.

 

HOME HEROES

Triple world champion Tai Woffinden heads to Cardiff bidding to improve on three second-place finishes at Principality Stadium in 2014, 2016 and 2018 in his quest to end Britain’s 15-year wait for a home winner.

Three-time British champion Chris Harris shook the iconic venue to its foundations in 2007, when he stormed past Greg Hancock, Jason Crump and Leigh Adams to top the Cardiff podium.

Speedway GP shooting stars Robert Lambert and Dan Bewley were nine and eight years old respectively when Harris sent Cardiff wild. Both will fancy their chances of writing their names in FIM British Speedway GP legend, having reached three semi-finals each in the opening five rounds.

They also took silver in the sport’s world team championship, the FIM Speedway of Nations in Vojens, Denmark on July 30 – following up their gold-medal triumph in 2021, when they won Britain’s first world team title since 1989 at Manchester’s National Speedway Stadium.

Adam Ellis is the final home star. He was nominated as this year’s wild card, having won the 2021 British Championship, earning his first Speedway GP appearance over five rides.

 

2022 FIM SPEEDWAY GP OF GREAT BRITAIN – CARDIFF LINE-UP (in FIM ranking order with rider numbers): 95. Bartosz Zmarzlik (Poland), 71. Maciej Janowski (Poland), 66. Fredrik Lindgren (Sweden), 108. Tai Woffinden (Great Britain), 30. Leon Madsen (Denmark), 46. Max Fricke (Australia), 69. Jason Doyle (Australia), 505. Robert Lambert (Great Britain), 105. Anders Thomsen (Denmark), 29. Andzejs Lebedevs (Latvia – substitute for 54. Martin Vaculik), 323. Pawel Przedpelski (Poland), 155. Mikkel Michelsen (Denmark), 692. Patryk Dudek (Poland), 25. Jack Holder (Australia), 99. Dan Bewley (Great Britain), 16. Adam Ellis (Great Britain – wild card), 17. Tom Brennan (Great Britain – first track reserve), 18. Leon Flint (Great Britain – second track reserve).

 

U21 STARS SET TO SHINE

The weekend’s Cardiff action extends into Sunday, when the Principality Stadium hosts the FIM SGP2 of Great Britain at 1pm.

The Welsh national rugby stadium is by far the biggest and best venue ever to stage a round of the FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship.

As part of their 10-year vision to elevate the sport’s young riders and give them a pathway to success, new FIM Speedway global promoter Discovery Sports Events has lifted the next generation of stars on to the same grand stage enjoyed by their Speedway GP peers.

Polish racer Mateusz Cierniak leads the SGP2 standings on 20 points after winning the FIM SGP2 of Czech Republic in Prague on May 27, passing Latvia’s Francis Gusts on the last lap of the final in dramatic style for the win.

Cierniak goes into the meeting on a huge high after joining forces with Jakub Miskowiak to win SON2, the FIM Team Speedway Under-21 World Championship in Vojens on July 29.

Czech duo Petr Chlupac and Jan Kvech, who claimed SON2 silver medals, are placed third and fourth respectively in the SGP2 table after a fine opening round in their home city Prague.

Tom Brennan and Leon Flint fly the British flag on Sunday. Brennan, who led GB under-21s to SON2 bronze, is SGP2’s first substitute rider and steps in for the injured Timi Salonen, while Young Lions team mate Flint is named as wild card after a strong start to 2022 with UK clubs Wolverhampton and Berwick.

 

2022 FIM SGP2 OF GREAT BRITAIN LINE-UP (in FIM ranking order with rider numbers): 196. Kevin Juhl Pedersen (Denmark), 2. Francis Gusts (Latvia), 201. Jan Kvech (Czech Republic), 717. Daniel Klima (Czech Republic), 43. Casper Henriksson (Sweden), 108. Mateusz Swidnicki (Poland), 842. Mateusz Cierniak (Poland), 515. Jakub Miskowiak (Poland), 408. Jonas Knudsen (Denmark), 47. Wiktor Lampart (Poland), 505. Wiktor Przyjemski (Poland), 44. Petr Chlupac (Czech Republic), 27. Tom Brennan (Great Britain – substitute for 281. Timi Salonen), 92. Benjamin Basso (Denmark), 118. Gustav Grahn (Sweden), 16. Leon Flint (Great Britain – wild card), 17. Drew Kemp (Great Britain – first track reserve), 18. Jason Edwards (Great Britain – second track reserve).

 

CARDIFF FANZONE

Two decades of the FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Cardiff will be celebrated with an action-packed fanzone on City Hall Lawn this Saturday from 10am.

Fans can get an autograph or a speedway selfie with their favourite riders at our autograph session, featuring all of the Speedway GP riders from 2.15pm.

Monster Energy brings the noise at 1.30pm, when triple world champion Tai Woffinden winds on the throttle for a burnout.

Fans can then grab some freebies and meet Monster Energy athletes Woffinden, Freddie Lindgren, Patryk Dudek, Jack Holder and Dan Bewley at the Monster Energy Rig Riot from 1.45pm. There will also be plenty of entertainment in the Monster Energy zone throughout the day, including drink sampling, music and a photo booth.

Speedway GP legends will appear on the main stage from 12.15pm and again at 1pm as Cardiff celebrates the stars of the shale, who have topped the Principality Stadium podium since 2001.

The two-wheeled action gets started early with some freestyle mountain bike stunt performances at 11.30am, 12pm, 12.45pm and 2.45pm.

Throughout the day, fans can have their photo taken with the FIM Speedway World Championships trophies, pose on a speedway machine or take a photo with the brand-new ‘We Love Speedway’ sign!

There will be plenty of fun for kids all day, including face painting and glitter tattoos, plus a display of vintage bikes, and food and drink is available for purchase.

There’s also the chance to take home the perfect souvenir of Cardiff’s 20^th FIM British Speedway GP by visiting the Speedway GP merchandise shop to check out the new range.

The fanzone closes at 3.30pm when the doors to the Principality Stadium open, with fans advised to arrive in good time to clear ticket and security checks.

Tickets for the FIM British Speedway GP are no longer available online, but can be purchased from the WRU Shop at the Principality Stadium, between gates three and four on Westgate Street on Friday (13:00-17:30 BST) and Saturday (09:30-17:30 BST).

 

WHERE TO WATCH

Qualifying Practice: Friday, August 12 – 15:00 BST (closed to the public)

FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Cardiff: Saturday, August 13 – 17:00 BST

FIM SGP2 of Great Britain: Sunday, August 14 – 13:00 BST

 

Fans with access to Discovery+ or the Eurosport App, available in selected countries, can enjoy full live coverage of all the FIM Speedway action this year, featuring qualifying practice, a documentary series and other innovative features, including live data such as rider heartbeat.

Linear coverage is also available in selected countries – see below for more details of where to watch.

ACROSS EUROPE: Live on the Eurosport App

BRITAIN: Live on Discovery+ and Eurosport 2

POLAND: Live on Eurosport Extra

SWEDEN: Live on Kanal 9 and Discovery+

DENMARK: Live on Discovery+

AUSTRALIA: Live on Fox Sports

NEW ZEALAND: Live on Sky Sport

USA: Live on beIN SPORTS

GERMANY: Live on the Eurosport App

CZECH REP: Live on the Eurosport App

CROATIA: Live on the Eurosport App

NORWAY: Live on Discovery+

FINLAND: Live on Discovery+

ACROSS THE BALTICS: Live on Discovery+ and Go3

SELECTED ASIAN MARKETS: Coverage on beIN SPORTS

 

2022 FIM SPEEDWAY GP CALENDAR

The 2022 FIM Speedway World Championship includes:

April 30: FIM Speedway GP of Croatia – Donji Kraljevec

May 14: Orlen FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Warsaw

May 28: Prague FIM Speedway GP of Czech Republic – Prague

June 4: FIM Speedway GP of Germany – Teterow

June 25: FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Gorzow

August 13: FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Cardiff

August 27: FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Wroclaw

September 10: FIM Speedway GP of Denmark – Vojens

September 17: FIM Speedway GP of Sweden – Malilla

October 1: FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Torun