FIGHTING FIT FREDDIE STORMS TO WARSAW WIN

Swedish star Fredrik Lindgren admitted “I am just grateful to be healthy again” after storming to a “very emotional” Orlen FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Warsaw win on Saturday.

The world No.4 won his first Speedway GP since 2020 FIM Gorzow Speedway GP round four after triumphing in a restarted final ahead of Aussie racer Jack Holder in second and Zmarzlik in third, with Aussie star Jason Doyle disqualified after crashing as he duelled with Zmarzlik in the first staging of the race.

Lindgren also topped the podium in the 2017 Warsaw event and has now reached the rostrum on an incredible five straight visits to PGE Narodowy.

The victory in front of almost 45,000 fans comes as a real boost to a rider who has endured a huge battle with the effects of long Covid, suffered since he was first infected with the virus in March 2020 and again the following winter. After enduring breathing difficulties and other symptoms which impacted on his training, Lindgren was elated to celebrate his sixth Speedway GP win.

He said: “I am just grateful to be healthy again. I don’t think many people understand how hard I have had it for the last three years – only my nearest family and mechanics.

“The win feels great. I am very happy. It’s very emotional to win a GP; I haven’t done it for a long time. This is my sixth GP win tonight. I’ve had a fair few attempts, so it doesn’t come easy. 

“My wife also came here with my daughter and our friends and family. I haven’t seen my daughter, Millie-Li, too much since February, apart from a couple of days now and then, so it was great to see her this weekend to have her and her Mummy here as well.”

Lindgren is now level on 36 points with Zmarzlik at the top of the Speedway GP standings, with the Pole placed higher only by virtue of his superior FIM ranking. The pair continue their battle at the Prague FIM Speedway GP of Czech Republic on June 3.

While he’s keen to enjoy another golden moment in Warsaw before thinking about the next test, Lindgren pledged: “I am just going to give everything I have. That’s what I did today, and I was rewarded with a win, and I am very glad about that.”

Runner-up Holder reached his first-ever Speedway GP final and came within a lap of his first victory after taking a commanding lead in the first run of the final. The race was rerun following Doyle’s fall, denying Holder top spot, but he said: “I am just stoked to be in the final. 

“A dream nearly came true. I was in front, but that’s just speedway. How many times has a person been in front and then missed the start in the re-run? I am over the moon really. I have made some big steps in the right direction and had a good start to the season compared to last year. I am just really happy.”

Third-placed Zmarzlik admits he thrived on the energy of a partisan Warsaw crowd, especially after starting the night with a disqualification and then a third place in his second outing.

Having ended his wait for his first Warsaw final appearance, Zmarzlik said: “I am so happy that I have made this final today at the GP in Warsaw. I can say this adds some good points to the championship standings. After that start of mine today, I can say I am pretty happy to be on the podium.

“After my first two heats, my only thought was ‘okay, this is Warsaw. Keep calm.’ I did my best and I am very glad to have reached the final. I can say that all the fans were absolutely amazing today. I could feel their energy through the whole event.”

SPEEDWAY GP STANDINGS: 1 Bartosz Zmarzlik 36, 2 Fredrik Lindgren 36, 3 Jason Doyle 28, 4 Jack Holder 26, 5 Robert Lambert 23, 6 Tai Woffinden 21, 7 Martin Vaculik 21, 8 Dan Bewley 20, 9 Max Fricke 18, 10 Mikkel Michelsen 17, 11 Leon Madsen 12, 12 Maciej Janowski 10, 13 Anders Thomsen 8, 14 Patryk Dudek 7, 15 Bartlomiej Kowalski 4, 16 Kim Nilsson 4, 17 Matej Zagar 1.

ORLEN FIM WARSAW SPEEDWAY GP POINTS: 1 Fredrik Lindgren 20, 2 Jack Holder 18, 3 Bartosz Zmarzlik 16, 4 Jason Doyle 14, 5 Martin Vaculik 12, 6 Max Fricke 11, 7 Dan Bewley 10, 8 Tai Woffinden 9, 9 Leon Madsen 8, 10 Maciej Janowski 7, 11 Mikkel Michelsen 6, 12 Robert Lambert 5, 13 Bartlomiej Kowalski 4, 14 Anders Thomsen 3, 15 Kim Nilsson 2, 16 Patryk Dudek 1, 17 Wiktor Przyjemski DNR, 18 Kacper Pludra DNR.