FIM SPEEDWAY TOP 5 MOMENTS | TORUN

As speedway toasts its 100th anniversary season, FIMSpeedway.com looks back at the top five moments celebrated at each of our 2023 FIM Speedway venues. Today, we feature the Marian Rose Motoarena, stage of the final round of 2023 – the FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Torun on September 30.   1. GOLLOB GRABS A MAX IN 2010 When Speedway GP first came to the Marian Rose Motoarena in 2010, Polish fans were treated to a night they will never forget. National icon Tomasz Gollob didn’t just top the podium, he did it with a seven-ride, 24-point maximum that put him firmly in the driver’s seat to end Poland’s 37-year wait for a world champion. But it wasn’t just Gollob’s glorious victory the Poles celebrated; Norwegian-born Polish international Rune Holta took second place, while Jaroslaw Hampel finished third – meaning it was the first time in Speedway GP history that three riders from one nation had packed the podium.   2. HOLDER’S HEROICS IN 2012 Aussie icon Chris Holder became a firm favourite with the Torun crowd following his arrival in 2008, and he wrote his name in Marian Rose Motoarena folklore with an unforgettable Speedway GP world title win in 2012. Holding just a two-point lead over triple world champion Nicki Pedersen going into the event, the Sydneysider’s nerves were tested to breaking point, especially after a first-turn clash between the pair in their semi-final. A verbal altercation nearly saw them come to blows, but Australian legend Jason Crump – in his final act as a Speedway GP rider – promptly stepped in to remove Holder from the chaos, taking him into a quiet corridor under the stand to help him regain his composure. Holder returned to the track to clinch the world title and join triple world champion Crump in Australian speedway’s most elite club as the torch was passed and JC brought his illustrious career on the SGP stage to a fitting end.   3. WOFFY WORLD CHAMP IN 2013 Some Speedway GP title wins are predictable, some are a bit of a surprise, but no-one lifts the World Championship at odds of 500/1. That was until Great Britain hero Tai Woffinden made his Speedway GP comeback in 2013. He left the series at the end of a nightmare 2010 campaign, which came just months after he lost his father and mentor Rob to cancer. He bounced back in the most incredible style, with his sensational 2013 season culminating in God Save the Queen ringing out across the Marian Rose Motoarena to herald Britain’s first world champion since 2000. Woffinden sealed the Speedway GP trophy in Torun again in 2015 and 2018, but there’s no doubt the first one remains the most incredible chapter in Woffinden’s epic speedway story.   4. DUDEK’S DELIGHT IN 2017 Aussie racer Jason Doyle was expected to seal the 2017 Speedway GP World Championship with a round to race at Torun in 2017. But his nearest rival Patryk Dudek had other ideas and decided to write his own piece of Speedway GP history. After battling hard to keep pace with Doyle all year, Dudek kept himself in the title race with his first Speedway GP victory in Torun. It was a potentially key psychological blow as it meant Doyle had to fight for gold at the final round in Melbourne, rather than just head Down Under for a coronation. The Newcastle-born racer got the job done with a sensational FIM Australian Speedway GP win, but Dudek still become the first rider in the series’ history to finish in the world’s top two in their debut season.   5. ZMARZLIK ZOOMS TO GOLD IN 2019 Following Gollob’s Speedway GP heroics over nearly two decades, a new generation of Polish stars emerged as the 2010s progressed. But only one of them has followed Mr G and 1973 FIM Speedway World Final winner Jerzy Szczakiel into the elite club of Polish world champions. Bartosz Zmarzlik’s nerves were tested to breaking point at the 2019 FIM Torun Speedway GP as nearest rival Leon Madsen launched a ferocious challenge, winning the event with a 21-point, seven-ride maximum. Fortunately for the home fans, Zmarzlik did enough, sealing gold by two points for his first Speedway GP world title. He followed it up with another in 2020, before regaining his crown in 2022 after falling just three points short of Artem Laguta in an epic title duel in 2021. All three of Zmarzlik’s Speedway GP trophies have been lifted in Torun and he will be bidding to make it No.4 on September 30.   Tickets for this year’s title-decider in Torun’s Marian Rose Motoarena are on sale now. Book your FIM Torun Speedway GP tickets HERE.

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EKSTRALIGA | MAX MAN LAGUTA LEADS WROCLAW TO VICTORY AT TORUN

Former world champion Artem Laguta raced to a 14 paid 15-point maximum as Wroclaw triumphed 52-38 away to Torun in the PGE Ekstraliga on Sunday. After sitting out the 2022 season due to suspension, Laguta has picked up where he left off with Wroclaw, starting the meeting with a paid win, before reeling off four straight victories. He was well supported by 11 paid 13 from Great Britain star Dan Bewley, with Poland’s Piotr Pawlicki tallying 10 paid 11 and triple world champion Tai Woffinden adding eight paid 11. World No.3 Maciej Janowski recorded just two after hitting the tapes in his opening race. Former world No.3 Emil Sayfutdinov was Torun’s top performer on 10 paid 11, with Speedway GP star Robert Lambert collecting eight paid nine and Polish duo Patryk Dudek and Pawel Przedpelski scoring seven each. In the day’s other meeting, former Polish champion Janusz Kolodziej raced to a 15-point maximum as Leszno won 50-40 away to Grudziadz. Kolodziej was helped by an 11 paid 13-point haul from fellow countryman Grzegorz Zengota, with Bartosz Smektala adding eight paid 10. Triple world champion Nicki Pedersen starred on 11 points for the hosts, with fellow Danish racer Frederik Jakobsen notching nine and Gleb Chugunov collecting eight. Max Fricke scored three points. Speedway GP newcomer Kim Nilsson got his Polish First Division home season started with German club Landshut. After scoring six at Poznan in their opening match on April 9, he raced to eight points in Bavaria as they lost 52-38 at home to Ostrow. For full details of the day’s PGE Ekstraliga results, scorers and the latest league table, click HERE (website in Polish).

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ZMARZLIK LEADS POLES TO EUROPEAN TEAM GOLD IN GERMANY

Triple world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik led a powerful Polish side to the European Team Championship at German track Stralsund on Saturday. Poland topped the podium on 49 points to take gold, with Denmark claiming silver on 35 and Great Britain picking up bronze on 22. Germany ended the afternoon in fourth place on 14. All four of the Poles who took to the track ended the meeting in double figures, with Zmarzlik and former Gorzow teammate Szymon Wozniak racing to 13 points apiece from five rides. Orlen FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Warsaw wild card Dominik Kubera collected 12 points, with former world No.2 Jaroslaw Hampel scoring 11. Speedway GP star Mikkel Michelsen was Denmark’s top man on 12 points, with Frederik Jakobsen and Rasmus Jensen notching nine each. Great Britain’s Dan Bewley led their scorechart on 11 points, while Kai Huckenbeck was Germany’s leading scorer on eight.

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FIM SGP CARES TROPHY LAUNCHED TO ENCOURAGE SUSTAINABLE SPEEDWAY IN 2023

The race for sustainability is on as Warner Bros. Discovery Sports launches the first-ever FIM SGP Cares trophy for both riders and local organisers in 2023. As we celebrate Earth Day today, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports is preparing to crown its first FIM SGP Cares champions this season – as part of its commitment to deliver sustainable speedway and promote green and community initiatives throughout all FIM Speedway events. There will be one award for riders and teams, who demonstrate their commitment to sustainability or environmental causes over the course of 2023 or who take part in community projects – perhaps raising money for a good cause or engaging in charity work. There will also be a prize for FIM Speedway local organisers, with each venue set to be ranked as part of the FIM’s Environment Evaluation, which is carried out before each event. Other local actions will also be taken into consideration, including green, environmental, community and charity initiatives. The winners in both categories will be honoured at the annual FIM Awards, which are set to take place in Liverpool, UK this year. Winners will also receive coverage of their actions on all FIM Speedway online channels. Gautier de Stoppani, sustainability director for FIM Speedway GP, commented: “We cannot achieve our sustainability goals without the support of all our FIM Speedway stakeholders. “In offering the FIM SGP Cares trophies, we hope this will inspire both riders and local organisers to work on ideas to deliver both sustainable speedway and initiatives that support the communities where we race. “We will be inviting everyone to submit their ideas so that we can monitor each project throughout the season, and whoever carries off the trophies, every SGP Cares initiative put into practice will ensure our world and communities will be the ultimate winners. “As a signatory of the UN Sports for Climate Action group, we have committed to reduce emissions across our championships by 50 percent by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2040.” Warner Bros. Discovery Sports also commits to measuring and disclosing its annual carbon footprint and progress with reducing emissions, as well as submitting a plan as to how it will achieve its emission-reducing goals. The group is working to obtain ISO 20121 certification, which guarantees that all FIM Speedway events are run with sustainability at their heart, with a minimal impact on the local environment and community, while strengthening relationships with all stakeholders.  Warner Bros. Discovery Sports is also seeking B Corp certification – an award that verifies the organisation meets high standards in social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. Speedway’s environmental impact is mitigated by the fact bikes run on pure methanol, a clean-burning fuel which delivers breathtaking performance. Pure methanol is used in many different motorsport championships due to its increased thermal efficiency, low cost and low risk of flammability. The combustion of pure methanol does not produce nitrogen oxide or sulphur oxide emissions and has very low particulate matter and carbon dioxide emissions compared to gasoline or diesel. FIM Speedway also stands by its community across the globe. Speedway fans in Warsaw in 2022 delivered a glorious display of solidarity with their Ukrainian neighbours as tifos of the Polish and Ukrainian flags flew side-by-side in the PGE Narodowy stands during the Polish national anthem. The tifos were unveiled and a crowd of over 52,000 fans joined the FIM Speedway family in calling for peace and standing with Ukraine. In addition, more than 100 kids, both Polish and Ukrainian students in Polish state schools, were invited with their parents to attend a unique experience at the Orlen FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Warsaw in May 2022. They were given a special behind-the-scenes tour, meeting the riders and enjoying VIP treatment, before watching the racing together, as part of a day to aid the integration of the Ukrainian children through the power of sport. The full Corporate and Social Responsibility Report for 2022 can be viewed in full HERE.

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MEDAL FOR MICHELSEN?

Danish racer Mikkel Michelsen has a Speedway GP medal in his sights as he prepares for the Tehnix FIM Speedway GP of Croatia next Saturday. The Czestochowa and Slangerup star raced to a career-best third place in the Donji Kraljevec event last year, before finishing fourth at the Orlen FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Warsaw two weeks later. But after scoring just three championship points across the following two rounds in Prague and Teterow, Michelsen’s rostrum bid stalled, before he ended the season by scoring at least eight points in the final five rounds he raced. Having missed the FIM Speedway GP of Sweden – Malilla due to a broken ankle, Michelsen finished the 2022 season in 11th place. But he is determined to fire himself up the standings in 2023. “I definitely want to be fighting for medals,” he said. “That is the ultimate goal. Will I be satisfied if I fail in that and finish in the top six? Absolutely. Reaching the top six is the bare minimum for all of us. “It might sound boring, but we all want to make the top six and my own goal is fighting for the medals.” Michelsen reached at least the semi-finals in six of the nine rounds he raced in 2022. It’s a level of consistency that could give him the basis to reach the rostrum. Asked if there’s anything he plans to change in his push for the podium, he admitted keeping things simple makes all the difference. Michelsen said: “Last season we were maybe mixing things up a little too much with equipment when it came to the GPs, instead of keeping it stupid simple. “A GP is just like a league meeting and if you treat it any differently, it’s going to add pressure to the team and yourself. We are trying to approach the GPs a little more relaxed – calm, cool and collected – this season. Hopefully that will be the key to having a better season in the GP.”

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