LATVIAN ACE LEBEDEVS READY FOR RIGA THIS SATURDAY

Former European champion Andzejs Lebedevs stars in Latvia’s first FIM Speedway Grand Prix event in six years after being named as OlyBet FIM Speedway GP of Latvia – Riga wild card for this Saturday.

Lebedevs lines up in the famous No.16 race jacket, flying the Latvian flag in capital city Riga’s first Speedway GP event at Bikernieki.

The Daugavpils-born racer has been at the heart of an historic few years for Latvian Speedway, leading his country into their first speedway world team final at the 2021 FIM Speedway of Nations, where they finished sixth.

Individually, Lebedevs won the Speedway European Championship in 2017, and is currently serving as first substitute rider for the 2023 Speedway GP series.

He fell just short of a semi-final spot at the Holmgrens Bil FIM Speedway GP of Sweden – Malilla on July 15, missing out on countback after touching the tapes in his fourth race.

But Lebedevs made his first Speedway GP semi-final at the final round of 2022 in Torun, Poland, scoring 10 championship points. He will be hoping to reach his first final in Riga this weekend.

Lebedevs is joined in the line-up by first track reserve Francis Gusts – a member of the 2023 FIM SGP2 series, who is competing for the FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship. 

This weekend’s No.17 finished second at the opening round of the 2022 SGP2 series in Prague, missing out on victory only after being passed by winner Mateusz Cierniak on the last lap of the final.

The Riga field is completed by second track reserve Ricards Ansviesulis, a Latvian under-21 international, who lines up at No.18.