WARD: ZMARZLIK THE SPEEDWAY GP RIDER TO BEAT IN 2023

12/01/2023

WARD: ZMARZLIK THE SPEEDWAY GP RIDER TO BEAT IN 2023WARD: ZMARZLIK THE SPEEDWAY GP RIDER TO BEAT IN 2023

Aussie legend Darcy Ward believes triple world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik “will be the man to beat for the next six years” in Speedway GP.

The Pole stormed to his third FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship in four years last season, winning Speedway GP rounds in Croatia, Malilla and Vojens along the way.

Ward faced off with Zmarzlik during his racing days, before he was cruelly forced to retire from the sport due to spinal injuries in 2015.

Now the Queenslander promotes racing at North Brisbane and hosts his Darcy Ward Invitational on Friday. The event, which is live online via pay per view, features triple world champion Tai Woffinden, Speedway GP star Max Fricke, former Aussie champions Rohan Tungate and Brady Kurtz, plus local favourites Ryan Douglas and Nick Morris.

Ward still follows the Speedway GP action from afar, and asked who he tips for the 2023 title, he is backing Zmarzlik to enhance his gold-medal haul.

The 2014 FIM Danish Speedway GP winner said: “I say it every year, but Zmarzlik is the man to beat. He will be the man to beat for the next six years, I think.

“I was watching him throughout the year, and he just made finals. He just got round and didn’t need to do anything silly.

“He made the final and he did that at many places. He can consistently make finals and just push when he needs to push. There is nobody besides him that can do that at the minute.”

Ward is interested to see if Bewley can build on his back-to-back Speedway GP wins in Cardiff and Wroclaw last August, while Woffinden also remains a contender. “Let’s see what Bewley can do,” Ward said. “He’s the next talent behind Zmarzlik, but he needs consistency. It’s a long year. He got better as last year went on and then dropped off again at the end.

“I am interested to see what Woffy is going to do. I know he has a different approach this year. He’s moving out of Poland and getting back to the UK. Getting back to an English-speaking country may be better for his family. It will not have been easy for them living in Poland with two kids. The whole language barrier will have been really tough, and everything has to be perfect at the top.

“I know he is doing a lot of motocross here in Australia. He’s just getting that handlebar time and strength on a bike. We will see how it works for him. I know he is working hard in the off-season. What can he do this year? That’s kind of up to Woffy.”

Ward is delighted to see Woffinden competing at North Brisbane in an event which combines riders racing on the sport’s biggest stages with Queensland’s up-and-coming talents.

“Woffy joining the Invitational line-up is awesome,” Ward said. “Everybody is excited about it. He’s dedicated to riding here in Australia and good on him. It’s good for him to have these Aussie fans. He grew up here in Australia and we are privileged to have him come to North Brisbane and ride.

“It’s also great for a couple of the local kids to line up against Woffy. Declan Kennedy, who won my series of meetings throughout the year, gets to ride in my Invitational.

“The Invitational is being streamed live throughout the world. We have David Tapp on commentary with Rod Colquhoun. We will also have Sam Ermolenko in the pits interviewing riders. I am really looking forward to bringing these meetings to the world and having a really good platform – done really well with some GOATs of the commentary world.”

Fans can tune into the Darcy Ward Invitational via pay per view online here: https://livestream-australia-pty-ltd.cleeng.com/darcy-ward-invitational/E373359600_AU?fbclid=IwAR2hqiGOkKB2ZIZHaqdIfW33uR249tIFKYE8PfG0FsxQmr_zm1woN_NIDRM