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BRITISH HERO BEWLEY STORMS TO GLORY IN CARDIFF’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY SPEEDWAY GP

British hero Dan Bewley hopes he can inspire the nation’s next generation of speedway heroes after ending the country’s 15-year wait for an FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Cardiff winner on Saturday night. Bewley blew the roof off the iconic Principality Stadium when he stormed to his first-ever SGP win ahead of Speedway GP World Championship leader Bartosz Zmarzlik and his fellow Polish star Patryk Dudek, with Leon Madsen taking fourth place. The Cumbrian ace, competing in his first Speedway GP season, made a lightning start in the biggest race of his life to top the podium in Cardiff’s 20th-anniversary SGP event. He did it in front of a galaxy of Speedway GP stars as previous Cardiff winners including former world champions Tony Rickardsson, Greg Hancock, Jason Crump and Chris Holder watched on from trackside, along with Britain’s 2007 FIM British Speedway GP winner Chris Harris. While he showed huge composure throughout the night, Bewley admits he had to work hard to hold his focus as he closed on victory. He said: “It was pretty crazy. It was only the last lap of the final where I really noticed the crowd. “I could hear them for the last couple of laps and it was pretty cool. You have to remain focused and not let the bike get ahead of you on these tracks. I was just thinking ‘we’re here, we’re here – don’t throw it away.’ It all worked out well. “I stayed cool and this gives me a taste of what it’s like to win. It only makes me want to have more wins now.” Racing in his first Speedway GP final, Bewley thrived under the weight of expectation from the Cardiff crowd. It was a weight he was only too happy to carry. He said: “People were saying about the pressure, but I feel good under pressure. I feel like you have to earn pressure. If you have pressure on you, it’s a good thing. You don’t get it for no reason.” Having followed in British triple world champion Tai Woffinden’s footsteps in becoming a Speedway GP star, Bewley hopes he can now lead a new generation of Brits on to the world stage. He said: “Coming from Britain, you don’t have to do a lot and people big you up a little bit too much. You have to go through some tough times to try and make it in Poland and really try and progress. Me and Robert Lambert have followed on from Tai. Tai is one of the best in the world. “I feel like Tai has been the inspiration for us to make this step and get to that level. Hopefully we can be the inspiration for some British riders to not only focus on racing in Britain, but to take that next step and do what it takes. If you do, you can be here too.” Bewley caught up with 2007 Cardiff hero Harris in the pits after ending his run as the sole winner of Britain’s biggest indoor motorsport event. “Bomber is a hell of a rider,” Bewley said. “In the generation before Tai, he was the inspiration for so many British riders. He had and is still having an awesome career. I saw him in the pits and gave him a hug. I really do like Bomber and it was pretty cool having him here.” Runner-up Zmarzlik was pleased to extend his Speedway GP World Championship lead to 22 points after reaching his fifth Cardiff final in as many appearances. He said: “I am very happy when I look back at my history and what I have done in Cardiff. I have reached the final every time and I am very happy and proud about this. “This is good because I was not so happy with my bikes after practice. But today was a new day and I am very happy tonight. I scored the points and that is most important. I must now focus on scoring the points in the remaining rounds. That is my job.” After starting the season by scoring five points in each of the first three rounds of 2022, third-placed Dudek was delighted with a third straight Speedway GP final. He said: “The start of the season in Speedway GP was not good for me, but now it is much better. Now we have four more rounds. I will stay focused all the time on fighting for a medal or the top six.” Next up is the Betard FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Wroclaw on Saturday, August 27, with the first-ever SGP3 event – the revamped FIM Speedway Youth World Championship for the sport’s 250cc under-16 riders on Friday, August 26. SPEEDWAY GP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Bartosz Zmarzlik 96, 2 Leon Madsen 74, 3 Patryk Dudek 65, 4 Dan Bewley 64, 5 Fredrik Lindgren 62, 6 Maciej Janowski 60, 7 Tai Woffinden 54, 8 Martin Vaculik 53, 9 Jason Doyle 53, 10 Mikkel Michelsen 52, 11 Robert Lambert 52, 12 Anders Thomsen 51, 13 Jack Holder 44, 14 Max Fricke 41, 15 Pawel Przedpelski 22, 16 Matej Zagar 11, 17 Kai Huckenbeck 7, 18 Andzejs Lebedevs 6, 19 Maksym Drabik 4, 20 Szymon Wozniak 3, 21 Jan Kvech 1, 22 Tom Brennan 1. FIM SPEEDWAY GP OF GREAT BRITAIN – CARDIFF SCORES: 1 Dan Bewley 20, 2 Bartosz Zmarzlik 18, 3 Patryk Dudek 16, 4 Leon Madsen 14, 5 Jack Holder 12, 6 Fredrik Lindgren 11, 7 Mikkel Michelsen 10, 8 Jason Doyle 9, 9 Max Fricke 8, 10 Maciej Janowski 7, 11 Andzejs Lebedevs 6, 12 Robert Lambert 5, 13 Tai Woffinden 4, 14 Pawel Przedpelski 3, 15 Anders Thomsen 2, 16 Tom Brennan 1, 17 Leon Flint 0, 18 Adam Ellis 0.

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MADSEN: NOW OR NEVER IN SPEEDWAY GP TITLE RACE

Reigning Cardiff champion Leon Madsen admits it’s now or never if he is going to reel in Speedway GP frontrunner Bartosz Zmarzlik. Madsen heads into tonight’s FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Cardiff at 5pm BST determined to close the 18-point gap between him and Zmarzlik at the Speedway GP summit. The Dane topped the podium last time Speedway GP visited Cardiff’s Principality Stadium in September 2019. A similar result in Cardiff’s 20th anniversary event would do Madsen’s world-title hopes the world of good, and he admits time is running out if he is to close the gap on Zmarzlik. He said: “I think it has to be now if we are going to catch Bartek. His bottom level is so high that if you’re 15 or 20 points behind with two or three meetings left, you are not going to catch him. If we are going to catch him, we have to pull back those points now. “With this new points system, if you are outside of the semi-final, you can maybe end up with eight points. Then another guy can win the final with 20 points and that’s 12 points you have caught up in one night. The standings can easily change in every meeting, but like I say, 18 points is still a lot. With five meetings left, it has to be now. “I believe I can do it. I am in better shape now and feeling good, fit and healthy. I haven’t felt like that in the first five meetings this year in the GPs. The tracks are also going to suit me better. “I feel everything is on my side compared to the beginning of the season. I really believe I can do well. But at the same time, I will have to make a few finals to catch Bartek.” Madsen has emerged as a real specialist on Speedway GP’s big-stadium circuits in Warsaw and Cardiff. He won the 2019 FIM Warsaw Speedway GP on his full-time series debut and also finished second there in this year’s PGE Narodowy event. “I have good memories of the indoor tracks,” he said “I have raced on them three times – twice in Warsaw and once in Cardiff. I have been on the podium every time. These are tracks I feel very confident on. I have managed to find a setup with my bikes that really works very well on those tracks. Going into Cardiff, I feel very confident, but also I know I have to work very hard and it doesn’t come easy.” Asked the secret to his Warsaw and Cardiff success, Madsen admitted: “It’s the whole setup on the bike we use. We obviously have a few different engines – and we have some that work better on slick tracks or grippy tracks. I have used the same engine every time on those indoor tracks and it seems to be working very well.” Celebrate 20 years of Speedway GP in Cardiff on Saturday with all tickets including entry to Sunday’s FIM SGP2 of Great Britain, featuring the sport’s under-21 stars. Tickets are still available from the WRU Shop at the Principality Stadium, between gates three and four on Westgate Street today until 5.30pm.

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GERMAN SHOOTING STAR BLODORN GETS CARDIFF SGP2 CALL

German racer Norick Blodorn has been handed a dream call-up for the FIM SGP2 of Great Britain at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Sunday at 1pm. Polish racer Wiktor Przyjemski has withdrawn from the event due to injury, handing Blodorn a huge chance to shine in the biggest FIM Speedway Under-21 round ever staged. With first reserve Tom Brennan already replacing Timi Salonen and second series stand-in Keynan Rew unable to make it to Cardiff at short notice, third substitute star Blodorn steps in. The Belle Vue rider has bikes in the UK and will keen to make the most of his British experience when he takes on the sport’s top under-21s in the Welsh capital. He recently scored a very solid 12 points as Germany took fourth place in FIM Speedway of Nations Semi-Final 1 at Vojens on July 27 and he will be keen to build on that performance in Cardiff. All tickets for today’s FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain include entry to Sunday’s SGP2 event. Tickets are still available from the WRU Store at Principality Stadium until 5.30pm today.

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LINDGREN UP FOR CARDIFF COMEBACK

Swedish star Freddie Lindgren admits you have to think fast in Cardiff as he gets ready for his first UK appearance in three years at the FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain tonight. Fast Freddie became a club legend at British side Wolverhampton, representing the Monmore Green side in every season but one from 2003 until 2017, winning league titles in 2009 and 2016. Lindgren, who was runner-up in Cardiff in 2009, cannot wait to see some familiar faces as he returns to Britain’s biggest arena motorsport event. He said: “I’m looking forward to Cardiff. I haven’t been in the UK since before the pandemic in 2019. “Cardiff is one of the best GPs. I have always enjoyed racing there. I still have a lot of fans in the UK after racing for Wolverhampton for so many years. I spent a lot of time there. I am really looking forward to it. “I really enjoy these big stadiums – both Warsaw and Cardiff. I wish we could go back to the biggest stadiums in other countries as well. It’s something different in speedway and I really enjoy that.” Lindgren became a master of Wolves’ tight and technical track and will hope to thrive on the 272-metre Cardiff oval tonight. While the two circuits are very different, the Swede admits you have to react fast on both. He said: “Cardiff is not as tight as Wolverhampton. But you definitely have to think quickly there. Things can happen very fast. I will try and use the knowledge I have to be successful there. “If your form is good and you are going well, you can perform on any track. I don’t really think too much about the track. I am just going to suck in the atmosphere. I am very happy to be part of these events. They don’t happen every day. I am happy to be part of it and will try to do everything I can to be successful in it as well.” Lindgren is determined to find some consistency in the second half of the 2022 Speedway GP series, having finished second in Warsaw and Teterow, but fallen short of the semi-finals in Croatia, Prague and Gorzow. The Orebro-born ace, who is currently fifth in the standings on 51 points, said: “I haven’t been consistent enough this year. I’ve had two podiums, which has been great. But the rest of the meetings haven’t gone my way. “I feel my form is coming along a bit better now. I really do feel I can do something in the later part of the season. We are still only halfway and there are a lot of points to play for. “I feel this year’s series has been so competitive. It has been very even and there have been different winners at every round. It’s only really Zmarzlik who has found some sort of consistency. That’s why he is top at the moment. “For the rest of us, it has been a battle. We have one good round and one worse one. Everyone is in a similar boat and anything can happen. It is all up for grabs for anyone. It is very close from third place down to 12th, so it’s all to play for.” Lindgren is delighted to be back on track after taking a three-week break following the 3W FIM Gorzow Speedway GP due to his ongoing fight against long Covid. The Swede was hit with the virus in the early days of the pandemic in March 2020 and again in the winter of 2020/21 and has endured breathing difficulties since then. But Lindgren is fighting back following his short rest. He said: “It’s going better. I wouldn’t say my health is 100 percent back to normal just yet. But I have seen over the past three weeks that I am making steady progress and it’s a lot better now than it was in Gorzow. “I have been training very easy. If I go cycling, I take it at a very steady pace and maybe do longer runs, but at a steadier pace. I have also had some new supplements and new medicine I am using. That is helping as well.” Celebrate 20 years of Speedway GP in Cardiff on Saturday with all tickets including entry to Sunday’s FIM SGP2 of Great Britain, featuring the sport’s under-21 stars. Tickets are still available from the WRU Shop at the Principality Stadium, between gates three and four on Westgate Street today until 5.30pm.

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HOLDER TOPS CARDIFF QUALIFYING PRACTICE CHARTS

FIM Speedway of Nations winner Jack Holder continued his red-hot run of form after inspiring Australia to world-title gold by topping the FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Cardiff Qualifying Practice charts on Friday. The Sheffield and Torun star clocked a fastest lap of 12.809 seconds to earn first pick of starting positions for Cardiff’s 20th anniversary FIM British Speedway GP on Saturday (5pm BST). Holder’s older brother Chris won the 10th anniversary event in 2010, as well as the 2012 FIM British Speedway GP on his way to world-title glory. Jack starts his own quest for Cardiff victory in race two from gate one, taking on 2019 winner Leon Madsen, GB star Robert Lambert and wild card Adam Ellis. Holder comes up against his fellow FIM SON winner Max Fricke in race 15, taking on Polish duo Bartosz Zmarzlik and Pawel Przedpelski. Speedway GP World Championship leader Zmarzlik finished ninth on the timing charts with 13.010 seconds as he bids to improve on his 18-point lead at the top of the standings. He comes up against second-placed Leon Madsen in a strong heat six, which pits them against Teterow winner Patryk Dudek and European champion Mikkel Michelsen. Dan Bewley was the fastest home rider in Qualifying Practice, taking second place on 12.810 seconds. His night gets underway in race four against Freddie Lindgren, Fricke and Michelsen. Lambert took fourth place on 12.909 seconds, while triple world champion Tai Woffinden was placed 11th on 13.029 seconds. The Brits face off in heat eight, with Aussie duo Jason Doyle and Max Fricke joining them at the tapes. There will be three Brits on track in heat 12, which sees Woffinden meet Wroclaw team mate Bewley and Ellis, with 2018 Cardiff winner Zmarzlik completing a blockbuster line-up. Celebrate 20 years of Speedway GP in Cardiff on Saturday with all tickets including entry to Sunday’s FIM SGP2 of Great Britain, featuring the sport’s under-21 stars. Tickets are still available from the WRU Shop at the Principality Stadium, between gates three and four on Westgate Street on Saturday from 9.30am until 5.30pm.

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BRITISH HERO BEWLEY STORMS TO GLORY IN CARDIFF’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY SPEEDWAY GP

MADSEN: NOW OR NEVER IN SPEEDWAY GP TITLE RACE

GERMAN SHOOTING STAR BLODORN GETS CARDIFF SGP2 CALL

LINDGREN UP FOR CARDIFF COMEBACK

HOLDER TOPS CARDIFF QUALIFYING PRACTICE CHARTS