LINDGREN: THE BEST RACES SLIP MY MIND

Swedish star Freddie Lindgren admits he knows when he has had a great race – when he forgets everything about it.

The world No.4 has established himself as one of Speedway GP’s hardest chargers in an impressive spell, which has seen him finish in the world’s top five for the past five seasons – winning two bronze medals along the way.

Lindgren’s never-say-die style ensures he’s regularly battling it out at the business end of a Speedway GP, delivering plenty of thrills for his fans. But when the Lublin signing is at his brilliant best, he admits racing is so instinctive that he can’t recall what happens on the track.

Speaking to Monster Energy’s Twist the Throttle film, he said: “When it is going well, you don’t really think much. Then it is pretty easy. But when it is going badly, the brain starts to work overtime.

“I think that when I have my best races, everything just happens by instinct. I don’t really think about anything else. I am just there in the present and doing stuff.

“I know that sometimes when I come in after a heat which has been really, really good, I can’t remember anything. My mechanics have to remind me what happened and sometimes it comes back to me. It’s that feeling you strive to get to, but it’s never easy.”

Lindgren would be unlikely to forget being crowned world champion if he can deliver that historic moment in 2023.

Finishing fourth in the Speedway GP World Championship last season was some feat for a rider who has been battling the effects of long Covid, which have blighted him since he was first struck down with the virus in March 2020 and then again the following winter.

Lindgren has been fighting hard to regain full fitness while taking on the best riders in the world. But he admits the sport’s biggest prize remains in his sights.

He said: “Of course I want to be world champion, but I am coming from two years with big health problems with long Covid, lung damage and stuff like that.

“This year I just want to try and enjoy it and have fun with my mechanics, whether we are at the racetrack, in the van or practising or testing somewhere. I just want to enjoy the journey of being a speedway rider, and if we can get some success, that’s a big plus.”

At 37, Lindgren is now the oldest rider in the permanent Speedway GP line-up. But age is just a number for the Orebro-born ace, and Fast Freddie has no plans to slow down anytime soon.

Asked if retirement is on the horizon, he replied: “I don’t know when I am going to stop. I am getting older for sure, but I don’t feel old in my head.

“I still feel pretty young, and I still feel like I am learning new things. I feel like I want to develop myself, so I don’t have a clue when I am going to finish my career.”

Hear more from Lindgren and Speedway GP’s Monster Energy athletes in their exclusive Twist the Throttle film. Scroll down to watch now.