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TWIST THE THROTTLE | ONE GOAL FOR WOFFINDEN

Great Britain icon Tai Woffinden admits being a triple Speedway GP world champion means he only has one goal on the sport’s biggest stage as he goes for gold in 2024.Speaking in the first episode of Monster Energy’s Twist the Throttle series, which premieres on the Speedway GP YouTube channel tonight from 19:00 CET, Woffinden insists he has no intention of lowering his expectations after winning the sport’s biggest prize in 2013, 2015 and 2018.

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KURTZ CLAIMS PETER CRAVEN CROWN IN MANCHESTER

Former Aussie champion Brady Kurtz kicked off his European season with “a very special moment” after topping the podium at the Peter Craven Memorial meeting in Manchester on Monday.The Belle Vue skipper came out on top in the six-rider final, seeing off Speedway GP star and Aces teammate Dan Bewley in second, third-placed Max Fricke, world No.2 Fredrik Lindgren in fourth place, Aussie rising star Ben Cook in fifth and sixth-placed Jason Doyle, who retired from the race after appearing to clash with Lindgren in the first turn.Against a top international field, Kurtz blazed through to the final by topping the heat scorechart on 14 points, beaten only by Speedway GP first reserve Fricke over five rides, before crowning an astonishing night with victory in one of British speedway’s most prestigious individual events.He said: “It was almost as if the stars aligned for me! In past years, I’ve been close. I’ve made it into the final or at least on to the podium, but I’ve never been able to get the win.“This is a very special moment for me. This meeting is probably one of the most high-profile individual events in British speedway, and definitely one of the most prestigious.“It’s surreal to think that my name is on the same trophy that riders like Ivan Mauger and Ove Fundin have won, and it means a lot to me to win, especially here at Belle Vue.”Kurtz was joined in qualifying automatically for the final by Fricke and Bewley, who bagged 12 points apiece. Cook just missed out on 11 but took third place in the five-rider semi-final behind Doyle and Lindgren to join the final six, with Danish star Niels-Kristian Iversen and Germany’s Norick Blodorn missing out in fourth and fifth place respectively.Doyle, Iversen and Blodorn all qualified for the semi on nine points apiece, with Lindgren taking the last spot on eight.Former SGP2 wild card Celina Liebmann became the first female rider to race in the Peter Craven Memorial – undoubtedly the biggest test of her career so far. While she gained speed throughout the night and finished all five heats, she failed to score as she warms up for her British debut season with Workington in the Cab Direct Championship.

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FOUR SPEEDWAY GP STARS IN STELLAR PETER CRAVEN MEMORIAL LINE-UP

Speedway GP quartet Dan Bewley, Fredrik Lindgren, Jason Doyle and Robert Lambert face a strong early-season test when they line up at tonight’s Peter Craven Memorial meeting in Manchester.The annual event at the National Speedway Stadium – home of the 2024 FIM Speedway of Nations – features a stellar field, with Speedway GP substitutes Max Fricke and Maciej Janowski also in action, while 2022 SGP2 wild card Celina Liebmann makes history as the first female rider to compete against undoubtedly the strongest line-up she has faced so far.FIM North America champion Luke Becker, four-time FIM Speedway World Cup winner Niels-Kristian Iversen and triple British champion Chris Harris also compete, along with Belle Vue Aces favourites Brady Kurtz, Jaimon Lidsey, Norick Blodorn, Ben Cook, Connor Bailey and Connor Mountain.The event gives SGP riders a golden opportunity to warm up for the Speedway GP World Championship season, which gets underway with the FIM Speedway GP of Croatia in Donji Kraljevec on April 27.A host of the stars on show will also be hoping to stake their claim for places in their country’s FIM SON three-rider starting line-up as 15 countries battle it out for the sport’s world team title in Manchester from July 9-13.Lindgren got his season underway with victory in Charles Wright’s testimonial meeting at Redcar on Sunday and will hope to build on that, while reigning Peter Craven champion Doyle bids to win a record fifth title. But Belle Vue No.1 Bewley and former Belle Vue riders Lambert and Fricke will be keen to make the most of their Manchester track knowledge.Looking ahead to the event, Belle Vue CEO Mark Lemon said: “Over the years, we’ve been proud to witness how the Peter Craven Memorial has evolved into such a prestigious event, attracting some of the best riders in the world to race in it. “I think this is the first time we’ve had such a strong Grand Prix presence in the field, including the world No.2 Freddie Lindgren. “It’s fantastic to feature all our current Belle Vue Aces, which supporters would naturally expect, and I strongly believe each one of them has plenty to contribute to the evening. “When we put this line-up together, we wanted to see fierce competition, but we also pride ourselves on inclusivity and we recognise that this event is an excellent opportunity for young riders. “The inclusion of the first female speedway racer to compete in this prestigious event has caught the attention of many. Celina Liebmann is not too different to our young German Ace Norick Blodorn. The likes of Norick, Drew Kemp and Fredrik Jacobsen were relative unknowns when they first raced in the Peter Craven Memorial and look at them now! “Norick has developed into a Premiership-calibre rider at the tender age of 19 and for Celina and Connor Bailey, they too can also benefit, not just from the experience of racing in this meeting but racing alongside some of the best in the world.“This line-up is one of the best we’ve ever had at the National Speedway Stadium and ticket sales so far certainly speak volumes to that, and we hope everyone is as excited as we are.”PETER CRAVEN MEMORIAL LINE-UP: Fredrik Lindgren, Max Fricke, Dan Bewley, Luke Becker, Brady Kurtz, Jaimon Lidsey, Jason Doyle, Celina Liebmann, Connor Mountain, Norick Blodorn, Robert Lambert, Maciej Janowski, Connor Bailey, Ben Cook, Chris Harris, Niels-Kristian Iversen.

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PRESTIGIOUS CRYSTAL WING AWARD FOR SLOVAKIAN HERO VACULIK

Speedway GP star Martin Vaculik has been honoured among the best of the best in Slovakia after picking up the prestigious Crystal Wing (Krištáľové krídlo) sports award in Bratislava on Saturday.Vaculik was nominated for the prize after racing to a career-best third place in the 2023 Speedway GP World Championship, becoming the first Slovakian rider in history to reach the rostrum.The Crystal Wing awards, presented live on national TV channel RTVS, honour Slovakian people who put themselves and their country in the spotlight in a wide range of fields. These include philanthropy, economics, journalism and literature, theatre and audiovisual arts, fine arts, music, popular music, sports, medicine and science, innovation and startups, extraordinary success abroad or another significant achievement.With Speedway GP televised live and free-to-air on RTVS throughout 2023, Vaculik took the sport to new heights in his homeland, winning Speedway GP rounds in Prague and Cardiff along the way.Vaculik was elated to be recognised with the Crystal Wing award. He said: “I would like to thank you very much for awarding me the Crystal Wing in the sports category. “This award is very prestigious, just to be nominated among so many amazing personalities I have had the chance to see is also something special to me. “Certainly, it is a great honour and a great motivation for me to continue working hard. I'll keep doing what I'm doing the best I know how. “Thank you very much to my family and the people who gave me this wonderful award. I promise to give it my all on the track. Thank you very much.”

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