TENSE TIME FOR ZMARZLIK
Feature photo by: Taylor Lanning… Bartosz Zmarzlik In the thick of the action.
Polish icon Bartosz Zmarzlik admits he was counting the hours as he held his nerve to become a four-time Speedway GP World Champion at the DeWalt FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Torun on Saturday.
Zmarzlik becomes only the seventh rider in the sport’s history to win four or more FIM Speedway world titles, joining six-time champions Tony Rickardsson and Ivan Mauger, five-time winner Ove Fundin and fellow four-time champions Barry Briggs, Hans Nielsen and Greg Hancock in a very elite club.
The 28-year-old is the fastest rider in history to win his fourth world title, and Zmarzlik made more history in Torun as his victory in the DeWalt FIM Torun Speedway GP saw him match Aussie legend Jason Crump’s series record of 23 SGP wins – a mark Zmarzlik will bid to surpass in 2024.
The three-time Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup winner went into the title decider at the Marian Rose Motoarena with just a six-point advantage over Swedish rival Fredrik Lindgren.
Roared on by a partisan Polish crowd, Zmarzlik bounced back by reaching the final in Torun, where he faced off with Lindgren, who needed to win the race with Zmarzlik last – just to force a run-off for the gold medal.
But Poland’s greatest-ever speedway rider made the start of a lifetime in the final, sending the Torun crowd into a frenzy with every turn of the wheel as he triumphed ahead of Lindgren, Danish racer Leon Madsen and Poland’s Patryk Dudek to write another glorious chapter in his storied career.
(Speedwayillustratednews comment: Zmarzlik made it clear following his stunning victory, it was a world title he “must win” after he was disqualified from the previous round. It’s taken as a bitter/sweet reference to being outed after wearing a race suit which did not conform to regulations.)
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