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LAMBERT: SPRINT RACE UPS THE INTENSITY IN WARSAW AND CARDIFF

Great Britain racer Robert Lambert believes the brand-new Speedway GP sprint race “amps up the level of intensity in Qualifying Practice” in Warsaw and Cardiff this season.For the first time in SGP history, World Championship points will be on the line at Orlen FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Warsaw Qualifying Practice on Friday, May 10 ahead of racing on Saturday, May 11 at PGE Narodowy.The 16 riders will be split into four groups of four and take to the track for two two-minute sessions, bidding to clock the fastest lap time. The fastest rider in each group qualifies for the sprint race – heat 0 – which sees the winner earn four Speedway GP World Championship points, with three for second place, two for third and one for taking fourth spot.The winner of the sprint race also earns first choice of starting positions for the Orlen FIM Warsaw Speedway GP. A sprint race will also take place ahead of the FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Cardiff at Principality Stadium on Friday, August 16, ahead of racing on Saturday, August 17, and Lambert believes the new format adds an edge to Qualifying Practice.He said: “It’s something new they have brought into the Speedway GP series. It’s something a little bit different and a chance to gather more championship points. It could work in our favour, or it could work against us. But I think that’s the whole point of adding this to the series.“It definitely adds a little more pressure to Qualifying Practice. We always need to do well in the session to secure a good starting number for the meeting – the number we prefer the most. But now we could have an extra race where we can score points. “I think that just amps up the level of intensity in Qualifying Practice. The sprint race brings more interest for the fans and gets them to the stadium on the Friday. The fans come to watch racing and there will be four guys out on track having a race that day. I think it’s interesting and definitely great for the fans.”Riders will continue to contest Qualifying Practice in the same format used in 2023 at the other nine Speedway GP events, with all 16 competing to set the fastest lap time, with the rider who clocks the quickest lap earning first choice of starting positions.But one key change for Warsaw and Cardiff sees riders only compete within their group of four riders for a place in the sprint race – a move that aims to ensure the four riders in each group face the same track conditions.Lambert admits track conditions can change during a Qualifying Practice session and hopes the innovation will make things fairer for everyone.He said: “In Qualifying Practice, we have seen on many occasions that if you go out after grading, you can be at a little bit of a disadvantage – by a hundredth of a second maybe – because the track has been watered.“I think the new format will make it the same for everybody. You will have four guys on the same track. We will really be able to battle it out on a level playing field.”Tickets for the Warsaw event are available online. For more details, to check availability and to book, visit KupBilet.pl and eBilet.pl now. Programmes are also available to pre-order for 30 PLN via KupBilet.pl.GOLD VIP hospitality packages include seats in the VIP Gold zone (sectors V1, V2, V3, V4, V5), catering including a warm and cold buffet, appetisers and desserts from 18:00 to 23:00, plus an unlimited open bar with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and an event programme. These packages are available to book via KupBilet.pl.SILVER VIP tickets (priced at 1,200 PLN) are also available – for more details and to book, please visit www.pakietyVip.com or email kontakt@pakietyVip.com.Tickets for the FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Cardiff are also available to book online now. More details and to secure your seat at Britain’s biggest indoor motorsport event, CLICK HERE.

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IVERSEN: FIGHTING BACK AFTER INJURY BATTLES

Denmark’s former world No.3 Niels-Kristian Iversen insists he still has the determination to mix it at the sport’s highest level.The four-time FIM Speedway World Cup winner was eliminated from the Speedway GP series after suffering a catalogue of injuries during the pandemic season of 2020 – shoulder damage in June and a fractured hand in early August, before sustaining rib injuries in the Polish play-offs.The timing of these knocks was devastating as the shoulder injury came just before Poland’s PGE Ekstraliga resumed after lockdown restrictions were eased, before Iversen hand injury struck just weeks before an eight-round Speedway GP series, condensed from its usual five-month schedule into just five weeks from the end of August to early October.Things didn’t get any better in 2021. Iversen broke his shoulder on his debut for Polish club Tarnow in April, before picking up lung damage and fractured vertebrae in another heavy crash in June.Mercifully, Iversen has had a better spell over the past two years and hopes that rotten run of luck is behind him now. While he celebrates his 42nd birthday this year, the Esbjerg-born star insists he is still determined to rediscover something resembling the form that carried him to Speedway GP bronze in 2013 and five SGP wins.Reflecting on a rollercoaster few years, he said: “When I was in the GP and we had the Covid-19 season in 2020, it was an extremely tough time for me with injuries. I almost didn’t race and that was devastating to my career.“I had two seasons where I was just injured in 2020 and 2021, and it felt like I had such a setback in terms of how I was mentally and how I was riding. That has been really difficult to get past.“I feel like it is behind me now and I have had a good two years when I have been riding consistently and I have been doing okay – not anything near where I know I can be, but it has been consistent and alright. Hopefully I can take it another step forward this year and then I will be closer to where I want to be.“When people start to go down, maybe it’s because they don’t have the will to prepare anymore or really put the work in. But I still do. I still work really hard at it, and I have been working extremely hard this winter on my fitness and also with a sports psychologist – just to try and get to a better level. I think as long as you have that determination to do it, it is possible.“I haven’t been happy with how I have been racing for a couple of years. I am competitive as a person. I have a winning mentality and I want to be the best I can be. If I don’t think that way anymore, I think it would be time to retire. As long as I am racing, I am going for it.”Iversen is set to feature in Denmark’s Speedway GP and Speedway European Championship qualifying event at Vojens on April 16, where the top five riders will earn places in the international qualifiers. NKI hopes to land a place in the SEC qualifiers to compete for a berth in the four-round 2024 series, which sees the champion earn a guaranteed Speedway GP place for 2025. But he is undecided on whether he will battle for a spot in the SGP international rounds, which will see riders compete for places at the FIM SGP Challenge in Pardubice, where the top four riders secure spots in the 2025 Speedway GP line-up.“I will definitely do the qualification for the SEC,” Iversen said. “I haven’t really made my mind up with regards to the Speedway GP qualifiers.“I was there for many years, and I would like to go back there. But I want to be competitive. Considering how my form has been for the past couple of seasons, I don’t think there would be much for me in the GP. But having said that, it is still in the back of my mind, and I am still working hard to try and improve as a rider and get back to the better form I have shown.”

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DUDEK LEADS POLAND TO EUROPEAN TEAM GOLD IN GRUDZIADZ

Poland’s former world No.2 Patryk Dudek led the charge as the hosts cruised to FIM European Team Speedway Championship gold in Grudziadz on Saturday.In FIM Europe’s version of the FIM Speedway World Cup four-team competition, Poland took a commanding victory with 51 points, seeing off runners-up Denmark (35). Sweden bagged bronze on 20, with Czech Republic placed fourth on 13.Dudek was Poland’s top scorer, dropping just one point from his five rides, while four-time Speedway GP world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik raced to 13 – a total matched by former SGP winner Piotr Pawlicki. His brother Przemyslaw Pawlicki tallied 10, while reserve Wiktor Przyjemski scored one.Former Speedway GP winner Anders Thomsen impressed for silver medallists Denmark on 14 points from six races, with European individual champion Mikkel Michelsen notching nine, Rasmus Jensen scoring seven and Mads Hansen collecting five.World No.2 Fredrik Lindgren was Sweden’s star man on 10, with former Speedway GP duo Antonio Lindback and Kim Nilsson scoring four each. Jacob Thorssell tallied two.Czech Republic’s Speedway GP newcomer Jan Kvech led their scorechart on five along with Vaclav Milik. Daniel Klima collected two points and Adam Bednar one, with Jan Macek failing to score.

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ZMARZLIK WINS FIFTH EKSTRALIGA INDIVIDUAL TITLE IN LODZ

Four-time Speedway GP world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik raced to his fifth International Individual Ekstraliga Championship (IMME) in Lodz on Friday.Zmarzlik saw off Speedway GP rivals Jason Doyle in second place and Fredrik Lindgren in third to win the final, with double SGP2 champion Mateusz Cierniak taking an impressive fourth place against a stellar field.Zmarzlik topped the scorechart over five heats on 13 points to qualify automatically for the final, with Doyle following him on 12.Slovak star Martin Vaculik just missed out on 10, forcing him to compete in the semi-finals, but world No.2 Lindgren, who scored eight in the heats, got the better of the world No.3 in semi one to take his place in the final. Emil Sayfutdinov and Dominik Kubera, who scored seven apiece in the heats, failed to finish the semi.Cierniak qualified for semi two on nine and saw off Speedway GP first reserve Max Fricke, world No.4 Jack Holder and world No.5 Leon Madsen to take his place in the final. Fricke notched nine in the heats, with Holder scoring eight and Madsen seven.In one of the most competitive meetings outside of Speedway GP, British racer Dan Bewley fell short of the semis on countback with seven points. Former Speedway GP world champion Artem Laguta missed out on six, along with Szymon Wozniak and Anders Thomsen. Mikkel Michelsen registered three points and wild card Luke Becker, who represented host club Lodz, bagged two.

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ZAGAR SET FOR SPEEDWAY GP SEASON OPENER AS BOLL FIM CROATIAN SPEEDWAY GP WILD CARD

Slovenian former world No.5 Matej Zagar returns to the FIM Speedway Grand Prix stage as the 2024 season launches with the Boll FIM Speedway GP of Croatia on April 27.Zagar has been named as wild card for round one of the Speedway GP World Championship series, donning the famous No.16 race jacket, as he takes on the sport’s biggest stars once again at Speedway Stadion Milenium.The Ljubljana-born ace is a popular visitor to the Donji Kraljevec venue, where he topped the podium in both the 2019 and 2020 FIM SGP Challenges staged there to earn his place in the Speedway GP series. While Zagar was eliminated from the Speedway GP World Championship at the end of the 2021 season, he has since appeared in two FIM Croatian Speedway GPs, reaching the semi-finals in 2022.With 128 Speedway GP outings, 1,003 championship points and 23 final appearances to his name, Zagar has built an army of Slovenian fans and regularly brings them across the border to Donji Kraljevec’s biggest events. The five-time Speedway GP winner will be determined to give them a night to remember.Zagar is joined in Croatia by track reserves Matic Ivacic and Marius Hillebrand. Slovenian international Ivacic lines up in the No.17 race jacket, with German youngster Hillebrand at No.18.Boll FIM Croatian Speedway GP local organiser Darija Pavlic looks forward to welcoming the world’s top riders to Speedway Stadium Milenium.She said: “This will be the sixth time Speedway GP has visited Croatia and it’s always a pleasure to host riders and fans from all over the world as we stage the opening round of the championship for the third consecutive year.“We have had some great nights of racing, and I am sure this year will be no exception. Bartosz Zmarzlik has won the past two FIM Croatian Speedway GPs and his rivals will be hungry to stop him winning No.3.“A number of riders and teams have visited us in recent weeks as they get ready for the season and excitement is already building. We thank everyone who makes this event possible and can’t wait to see you in Croatia on April 27.”Tickets for the Boll FIM Speedway GP of Croatia on April 27, staged in Donji Kraljevec – close to the Croatian-Hungarian border – are available online. Book your tickets HERE NOW.The Boll FIM Speedway GP of Croatia will be live on SPTV in Croatia. To find out where you can tune in wherever you are in the world, visit our Where to Watch section HERE. 

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LAMBERT: SPRINT RACE UPS THE INTENSITY IN WARSAW AND CARDIFF

IVERSEN: FIGHTING BACK AFTER INJURY BATTLES

DUDEK LEADS POLAND TO EUROPEAN TEAM GOLD IN GRUDZIADZ

ZMARZLIK WINS FIFTH EKSTRALIGA INDIVIDUAL TITLE IN LODZ

ZAGAR SET FOR SPEEDWAY GP SEASON OPENER AS BOLL FIM CROATIAN SPEEDWAY GP WILD CARD