BEWLEY CHASES CONSECUTIVE CARDIFF VICTORIES

Great Britain racer Dan Bewley is determined to make more FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Cardiff memories as he bids to make it back-to-back wins in the Principality Stadium on Saturday.

The Cumbrian ace sent the fans wild at Britain’s biggest indoor motorsport event in 2022, when he made a lightning start to beat Bartosz Zmarzlik, Patryk Dudek and Leon Madsen and claim his first Speedway GP win on one of world sport’s most famous stages.

Bewley has built on that historic night to establish himself as one of the world’s top riders alongside fellow Brits and Speedway GP rivals, triple world champion Tai Woffinden and former European champion Robert Lambert.

They face off against the sport’s best riders at Principality Stadium, including Polish icon Zmarzlik, who won the 2018 Cardiff event and will hope for a repeat performance as he bids to extend his 22-point championship lead over nearest rival Fredrik Lindgren. The Swede topped the timing charts in Friday’s Qualifying Practice session with a 13.243-second lap, finishing ahead of Lambert, who clocked 13.339.

All of the Speedway GP riders will be appearing in an action-packed fanzone on Cardiff’s City Hall Lawn from 10am until 3pm on Saturday, which features an autograph session with all 18 FIM British Speedway GP stars at 2.15pm, a Monster Energy Rig Riot, Woffinden’s trademark Cardiff burnout, BMX Flatland action from Adam Kun, Battle Bikes and plenty of entertainment for the whole family.

There’s no doubt Bewley’s 2022 triumph and the celebrations that followed will live long in his memory, but just being part of the FIM British Speedway GP has always been special to the 24-year-old. 

He said: “I have a few memories that will stick with me from this place. One of them is actually when I first came here as a track reserve in 2018. 

“I did a practice start and did a wheelie down the back straight, looked into the crowd and realised where I was. That was one of the coolest memories I have had here, and then of course winning. There was the noise of the crowd and all the burnouts I did; it was everything last year. It was just pretty cool. I have had some great memories here.

“In a stadium like that, you can hear everything. I feel like you can feel and hear the atmosphere more. It’s pretty cool and it’s as big as speedway gets. I am just looking forward to it.

“It’s cool to go back; it’s a cool stadium and a cool event. The track wasn’t ideal last year, but the track in Warsaw is pretty much the same size and I think they nailed that this time around. There was some awesome racing. I think the racing here should be good too.

“When it comes to the racing, I don’t really think about it as being any different to any other meeting. I will just go there and enjoy the ride really and see where I am at the end of the night.”

Bewley built his reputation for high-flying passes around some of Europe’s biggest and widest tracks in Manchester and Wroclaw. But his FIM British Speedway GP win underlined his class on small and more technical tracks too as he negotiated the circa 272-metre circuit in style.

He said: “I think I am a lot better on small tracks than people think. I actually quite like any track. Cardiff is small, but it rides big. At the same time, you have to turn the bike pretty hard. All the indoor tracks are a little bit special. They are a different beast, and I am looking forward to it.

“I am looking forward to going back to Cardiff the second time around. I’ll have a bit of an idea of what to do this time around.”

Bewley has an incredible 100 percent record in Speedway GP finals, having won all three he has contested in Cardiff and the FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Wroclaw last year, plus the Holmgrens Bil FIM Speedway GP of Sweden – Malilla this season.

The Belle Vue star has reached six Speedway GP semi-finals from seven rounds this year, but his Malilla win remains his sole final appearance so far.

As much as Bewley is rightly proud of his record in Speedway GP finals, he admits he wants to reach more of them – even if he doesn’t win them all. He said: “I have won three out of three and that’s pretty good. But at the same time, I would have rather made more finals than not.

“There are a few finals I wish I had been in. I will keep plugging away and try and get into the semis here in Cardiff first of all, and then on to the final after that if I can.”

It’s not too late to secure your spot at Saturday’s event! Tickets for the FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Cardiff are still available from the WRU Ticket Office between gates three and four at Principality Stadium. Be part of an unforgettable night of racing and buy direct from the venue!

British icon Woffinden makes his 11th Cardiff appearance, bidding to add a famous Principality Stadium win to one of the sport’s most storied CVs after finishing second in 2014, 2016 and 2018.

“It would be special,” he said. “I will go out there and treat it as any other Speedway GP. It’s no different – I try and win them all. Some days it happens; some days it doesn’t.

“But I always enjoy coming here. It’s the British Grand Prix and for me, it is the biggest one on the calendar. There is always something special about being here with the atmosphere. I just like the whole build-up to the event. I am looking forward to getting out there and having fun.”

Lambert heads to Cardiff chasing his first semi-final and final appearance in the FIM British Speedway GP. 

He admits the occasion may have affected him in his earliest visits. But having established himself as one of the sport’s most consistent performers, the world No.5 is determined to thrive in Cardiff’s cauldron of noise.

He said: “It’s more familiar now, this stadium. The buzz always hits you. It’s a special place to come and race. But I know my way around here. Hopefully I can go out, do some good and enjoy the racing.

“The first couple of times racing here, it overwhelmed me a little bit. But you learn to absorb it, take it in as energy, soak up the atmosphere and just enjoy it. It’s a bonus to be able to come into such a stadium and perform in front of so many fans.

“The goal is to get into the semis and final at every Grand Prix. We will ride the bike, enjoy it and see what comes.”

2023 FIM SPEEDWAY GP OF GREAT BRITAIN – CARDIFF LINE-UP (in FIM ranking order with rider numbers): 95 Bartosz Zmarzlik (Poland), 30 Leon Madsen (Denmark), 71 Maciej Janowski (Poland), 66 Fredrik Lindgren (Sweden), 505 Robert Lambert (Great Britain), 99 Dan Bewley (Great Britain), 692 Patryk Dudek (Poland), 108 Tai Woffinden (Great Britain), 54 Martin Vaculik (Slovakia), 69 Jason Doyle (Australia), 155 Mikkel Michelsen (Denmark), 25 Jack Holder (Australia), 46 Max Fricke (Australia), 29 Andzejs Lebedevs (Latvia – substitute for 105 Anders Thomsen), 233 Kim Nilsson (Sweden), 16 Steve Worrall (Great Britain – wild card), 17 Anders Rowe (Great Britain – first track reserve), 18 Jason Edwards (Great Britain – second track reserve).