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MADSEN: WE JUST HAVE TO BE BETTER

Danish star Leon Madsen is determined to close the gap on triple Speedway GP world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik in 2023, insisting “we just have to be better.” The Czestochowa star stormed to his second Speedway GP World Championship medal in a season when he reached the semi-finals at every round – a record only matched by Zmarzlik. But Madsen reached five finals to Zmarzlik’s seven, while the Pole won three rounds in Croatia, Vojens and Malilla and the world No.2’s best performances came when he finished second in both Warsaw and Wroclaw. Madsen has every reason to look back with pride on a season, which also saw him land his second Speedway European Championship. But he heads into 2023, determined to close the gap on Zmarzlik after finishing 33 points short of the Gorzow man in the Speedway GP title race. Asked what it will take to reel Zmarzlik in, Madsen admitted: “We just have to be better – it’s as simple as that. Bartek is very good, and he had a tremendous season. Hats off to him for that and congratulations. “But I am sure that if I can keep progressing like I have done in the second half of the season, I can get closer to beating him next season.” Madsen is more than happy with one of his best seasons to date. He said: “It was a very, very fine end of the season. I am very happy and proud of what I have achieved this year – a European Championship gold medal and now a World Championship silver medal. “It has been a very good season for me – probably my best season. It has been a whirlwind in the second half of the season. I have been improving and hopefully we can continue that progress going into next season, be better and hopefully fight harder for that gold medal.”

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ELITSERIEN | LAMBERT AND BEWLEY INSPIRE SMEDERNA TITLE TRIUMPH

British duo Robert Lambert and Dan Bewley inspired Swedish side Smederna to the sixth Bauhaus Elitserien title in their history as they saw off Lejonen on Tuesday night. The Blacksmiths won both legs of the final, triumphing 48-42 in Gislaved to follow up last Wednesday’s 47-42 victory in Eskilstuna for a 95-84 aggregate win against the Lions. Lambert led the charge on 12 points, with Bewley bagging 11 paid 12 – just days after the pair secured places in the Speedway GP top six and automatic qualification for the 2023 series. They were well supported by nine paid 11 from Torun wild card Kacper Woryna, while Grzegorz Zengota added nine paid 10. Polish racer Dominik Kubera starred for the Lions on 14 points, while triple world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik bagged 12 paid 13. Swedish champion Oliver Berntzon tallied 10 paid 11 and Patryk Dudek endured a tough night on two.

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2023 SPEEDWAY GP LINE-UP CONFIRMED AS WILD CARDS AND SUBSTITUTES LIST REVEALED

The 2023 FIM Speedway Grand Prix line-up has been finalised with 14 of this year’s stars returning and a reserve revolution as substitute stars from seven different nations are nominated. Great Britain’s triple world champion Tai Woffinden and 2017 Speedway GP world champion Jason Doyle return for 2023 after being selected by the SGP Commission. They are joined by Polish former world No.2 Patryk Dudek, Denmark’s two-time European champion Mikkel Michelsen, Slovakia’s former European champion Martin Vaculik and double Danish champion Anders Thomsen. The top six riders in the 2022 Speedway GP series all gain automatic qualification. Poland’s Bartosz Zmarzlik led the list of qualifiers after winning his third SGP world title in four years. He is joined by two-time Speedway GP silver medallist Leon Madsen of Denmark and third-placed Maciej Janowski of Poland, who won his first-ever SGP World Championship medal at the For Nature Solutions FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Torun on Saturday. The automatic qualifiers are completed by fourth-placed Fredrik Lindgren of Sweden and Great Britain duo Robert Lambert and Dan Bewley. Lindgren continues to defy his fight with long Covid to remain one of the sport’s top riders, while Lambert and Bewley reached the top six for the very first time, taking fifth and sixth place respectively in a year Bewley won back-to-back Speedway GP rounds in Cardiff and Wroclaw and Lambert reached his first-ever SGP podiums, finishing second in Vojens and third in Wroclaw. The 15-rider line-up also features Sweden’s Kim Nilsson, who won the FIM GP Challenge in Glasgow on August 20, and he’s joined by third-placed Jack Holder of Australia and fourth-placed Aussie champion Max Fricke. Despite just missing out on the top three in the qualifying rounds when he lost an FIM GP Challenge run-off to Holder, Fricke is promoted into the 2023 Speedway GP line-up automatically after runner-up Bewley qualified by finishing sixth in this year’s Speedway GP World Championship. As part of their joint vision to raise the visibility of Speedway GP around the world and bring more nations on to the sport’s biggest stage, the FIM and SGP global promoter Discovery Sports Events have offered all seven series substitute positions to riders from nations without a representative in the main 15-rider line-up. Following his surge to the For Nature Solutions FIM Torun Speedway GP semi-finals on Saturday, Latvia’s Andzejs Lebedevs is handed the first reserve spot for 2023, and he will be the first rider called up if one of the 15 regular stars are forced out of a round due to injury, illness or other reasons. Next on the list is Czech shooting star Jan Kvech after he won silver medals in both the SGP2 FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship and the SON2 FIM Team Speedway Under-21 World Championship in a sensational season. Germany’s Kai Huckenbeck is the third substitute, with American prospect Luke Becker the fourth man on the list. Both regularly pile up the points for their country in the FIM Speedway of Nations. French former World Long Track champion Dimitri Berge is the fifth reserve, with Finnish sensation Timi Salonen No.6 after helping Finland reach their first world team final of the 21st century at the FIM SON. Ukrainian rising star Marko Levishyn named as the seventh reserve, having famously beat Zmarzlik in an epic race in FIM SON Semi-Final 1 at Vojens in July. The full FIM Speedway calendar will be announced in due course. Visit FIMSpeedway.com and @SpeedwayGP social media for all the latest news throughout the off-season.   2023 FIM SPEEDWAY GRAND PRIX LINE-UP (in FIM ranking order – rider numbers to be confirmed) 1. Bartosz Zmarzlik (Poland) 2. Leon Madsen (Denmark) 3. Maciej Janowski (Poland) 4. Fredrik Lindgren (Sweden) 5. Robert Lambert (Great Britain) 6. Dan Bewley (Great Britain) 7. Patryk Dudek (Poland) 8. Tai Woffinden (Great Britain) 9. Martin Vaculik (Slovakia) 10. Jason Doyle (Australia) 11. Mikkel Michelsen (Denmark) 12. Jack Holder (Australia) 13. Max Fricke (Australia) 14. Anders Thomsen (Denmark) 15. Kim Nilsson (Sweden)   SUBSTITUTES 1. Andzejs Lebedevs (Latvia) 2. Jan Kvech (Czech Republic) 3. Kai Huckenbeck (Germany) 4. Luke Becker (USA) 5. Dimitri Berge (France) 6. Timi Salonen (Finland) 7. Marko Levishyn (Ukraine)

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SGB PREMIERSHIP | DEBUT MAX FROM LAMBERT FIRES ACES INTO FINAL

Great Britain racer Robert Lambert announced his SGB Premiership comeback with a fantastic 15-point maximum as Belle Vue booked their place in next week’s play-off Grand Final. The Aces thumped Ipswich 55-35 in the semi-final, second leg, winning the tie 107-73 on aggregate to set up a Grand Final showdown with either Sheffield or Wolverhampton. Lambert had not raced in the UK since 2019 and the former King’s Lynn star’s move was initially blocked by British Speedway Promoters Ltd. Rival clubs may now be wishing the governing body didn’t reverse that decision after he delivered a sublime display to lead the Aces into the final. He was well supported by 12 paid 14 from Slovenian star Matej Zagar, while Brady Kurtz added eight. Aussie racer Jason Doyle was Ipswich’s top former on nine paid 10. In the other semi-final, table-topping Sheffield made themselves firm favourites to reach the Grand Final after British champion Adam Ellis racked up 11 paid 12 to lead them to a 47-43 first-leg win away to Wolverhampton. Ellis was aided by an eight-point haul from Speedway GP rider Jack Holder and seven paid eight from Lewis Kerr. Aussie star Nick Morris was Wolverhampton’s top scorer on 14, with Sam Masters accruing eight paid 11 and Steve Worrall collecting eight. The second leg takes place at Owlerton on Thursday. Photo: Taylor Lanning

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LAMBERT BACK IN BRITAIN WITH BELLE VUE AFTER DRAMATIC U-TURN

Great Britain racer Robert Lambert is set for a blockbuster return to the UK tonight after British Speedway bosses gave his move to Belle Vue the green light – days after blocking the deal. The new world No.5 is set to replace Aussie champion Max Fricke, whose season has been ended by the catalogue of injuries he suffered in Zielona Gora’s Polish First Division play-off final match with Krosno on September 25. While the move takes place outside of the transfer window, signings to replace riders with long-term injuries are permitted. But posting on Twitter last Friday, Lambert revealed the move was originally rejected by British Speedway Promoters Ltd, whose board of directors has the right to reject any team declaration that it doesn’t believe is in the best interests of British speedway. After an outcry from fans in the UK, Lambert has now been given clearance to race, with Danish star Nicolai Klindt, who was due to replace him, stood down. Posting on Facebook, the rider said: “I’m happy to announce that I’ll be joining Belle Vue Speedway for the rest of the season. It means I will see you all at the National Speedway Stadium tonight! Get well soon buddy, Max Fricke.” Lambert joins the likes of former Speedway GP rival Matej Zagar and ex-Australian champion Brady Kurtz in a stellar Aces side to take on an Ipswich team led by 2017 world champion Jason Doyle. The Manchester club holds a 52-38 advantage from the first leg at Foxhall last Thursday as they bid to earn a date with Wolverhampton or Sheffield, who race their first leg at Monmore Green tonight. Belle Vue CEO Mark Lemon will hope signing one of the world’s top stars can help the Aces land their first league title since 1993. He said: “We are thrilled to welcome Robert to Belle Vue Speedway and look forward to seeing him in action for the team in Monday’s play-off meeting. “The injury to Max was a huge blow for us on the eve of the play-offs, especially as we know how well Max goes around the National Speedway Stadium, and we will miss him and his track craft. “However, we are delighted to be able to bring our team back to a full one to seven by bringing in Robert under the long-term injury rule. “It has been a tough few days working towards making this possible and we are happy to have finally been able to secured his services and equally looking forward having Robert with joining us at Belle Vue Speedway.”

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MADSEN: WE JUST HAVE TO BE BETTER

ELITSERIEN | LAMBERT AND BEWLEY INSPIRE SMEDERNA TITLE TRIUMPH

2023 SPEEDWAY GP LINE-UP CONFIRMED AS WILD CARDS AND SUBSTITUTES LIST REVEALED

SGB PREMIERSHIP | DEBUT MAX FROM LAMBERT FIRES ACES INTO FINAL

LAMBERT BACK IN BRITAIN WITH BELLE VUE AFTER DRAMATIC U-TURN