FRICKE: CARDIFF VIDEOS INSPIRED RACING DREAM

Australian champion Max Fricke revealed watching FIM Speedway Grand Prix action from Cardiff on video tempted him to take up the sport as he prepares for his Principality Stadium debut on August 13.

The FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Cardiff is back to celebrate its 20^th visit to the Welsh capital in 2022 as it returns following a two-year break, with the FIM SGP2 of Great Britain taking place on Sunday, August 14 at 1pm, featuring the world’s top under-21 stars.

Fricke has watched the action at Principality Stadium from the stands, but this will be his first time on the track at Wales’ national stadium.

The Victorian ace admits racing in Cardiff isn’t just a dream come true – it’s one of the reasons he became a speedway rider.

He said: “I have been there as a spectator, but I have never raced there, so I am super excited about that.

“Cardiff is one of the GPs that originally introduced me to speedway. I watched the GPs at home – a friend of mine got me into speedway and showed me some GPs on video.

“That was what I used to watch – it wasn’t so much the speedway meetings in Australia. I used to get videos of the GPs and put them on. Cardiff was always the biggest one on the calendar, so I am pretty excited to go there and have my first experience on the track. Hopefully I will do well.”

Fricke is also pleased to see the Speedway GP series return to a more familiar calendar after the 2020 season was restricted to Poland and the Czech Republic due to the pandemic. A number of events were also cancelled and moved in 2021, with five countries staging 11 rounds – six of which were in Poland.

The Belle Vue star is pleased to be racing in more countries with a bigger range of race tracks, and at iconic arenas like Principality Stadium and PGE Narodowy in Warsaw.

He said: “We are back to more of a normal system this year with a few bigger stadiums and more races in different countries. That will suit me a little bit more maybe.”

While Fricke can’t wait to get the 2022 Speedway GP tour started, he has been enjoying an off-season at his Andorran base – set in the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain.

“I had a nice, quiet winter,” he said. “I went to Andorra and did my pre-season training and got ready for the season. That was a nice time and it was nice to have a bit of routine and stay in one place for a while. It gave me a good base to get ready for the season.

“I was toying with the idea of going back to Australia for a little bit. But I had already put my preparations in place to go to Andorra and do everything there.

“I have my gym I go to every day and it’s perfect to be able to head out on a push bike in the afternoons or go for a run in the mountains. In between times, I can also go skiing or head out on my trials bike – stuff like that, which is really good fun. I am super lucky to be able to do that in Andorra and have that right on my doorstep.”

Tickets for the FIM British Speedway GP in Cardiff are available online now – with prices including entry to both Saturday’s Speedway GP and Sunday’s SGP2 events.

With prices set to increase on Friday, book here now and save: https://fimspeedwaygpofcardiff.seetickets.com/