BARTOSZ ZMARZLIK WINS FIFTH WORLD INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

Poland’s five-time Speedway GP World Champion Bartosz Zmarzlik cemented his spot among FIM Speedway’s greats – and immediately braced himself for questions about chasing world title number six.

Zmarzlik finished second in the Deluxe Homeart FIM Speedway GP of Denmark – Vojens on Saturday, September 14, with Great Britain racer Robert Lambert powering to his first-ever SGP victory at Denmark’s national speedway stadium.

With a 22-point lead over Lambert in the Speedway GP standings, Zmarzlik heads to the final round at Polish track Torun on September 28 to collect an historic fifth World Championship gold medal and his third in as many years.

The 29-year-old became only the second rider in speedway history to win three FIM Speedway World Championships on the trot, matching New Zealand legend Ivan Mauger’s World Final hat-trick, achieved between 1968 and 1970.

Zmarzlik is now tied on five world titles with Swedish icon Ove Fundin and stands just one short of the record haul of six, shared by Mauger and Swedish legend Tony Rickardsson.

The Pole now has plenty of time to celebrate title number five. But asked about the prospect of taking his place in FIM Speedway’s most elite club alongside Mauger and Rickardsson, Zmarzlik admits speculation about his next historic achievement is nothing new to him. 

“I knew this question will be coming up again!” he smiled. “I had it after my second one, third one and fourth one. I will 100 percent get it again after winning five. For me, this is nothing new. I understand how life is.

“But I am not thinking, ‘I must do it,’ only ‘I can do it.’ I love racing on the bike and what I do in the future, nobody knows. Of course I want the title again, but we will see.

“I am still young. I am 29 years old, and I always want the title next year. But, of course, a lot of other riders want to win this.

“Today was one example – big congratulations to Robert [Lambert]. It was his first time winning a Speedway GP round. I know the feeling and I say to him that the first time is always the best feeling.” 

Zmarzlik’s triumph comes just 12 months after he was disqualified from the 2023 Deluxe Homeart FIM Speedway GP of Denmark – Vojens for wearing a race suit that did not comply with the rules during Qualifying Practice. The Pole is understandably much happier to be hitting the road with a fifth world title to celebrate this time around.

He added: “This is an unbelievable night after what happened last season in this place. I couldn’t compete. 

“But now I have taken this championship before the last round and that’s very good for me because now I have a bit of an easier life until March.

“I am very happy because I am the first rider to win three world titles in a row in the history of the Speedway GP series. I love to do something different in the sport. For the moment, I don’t know what more to say. I am feeling a lot of emotions.”

Lambert (centre) topped the Speedway GP podium for the first time, with Zmarzlik second (left) and Janowski third (right). PHOTO: Jarek Pabijan

Denmark’s biggest motorsport event was raced in front of a sizeable 15,378-strong crowd, which is the club’s highest attendance since Jacob Olsen took over leadership of the storied Vojens Speedway Center from his three-time FIM Speedway world champion father Ole. The venue celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025.

All eyes were on Zmarzlik as he lined up alongside Lambert, needing at least first or second place in the final. The Brit produced a sublime start to get the better of his rival going into bend one. While Zmarzlik was left with work to do, he got the better of third-placed Maciej Janowski and fourth-placed Andzejs Lebedevs, who also made history as Latvia’s first-ever Speedway GP finalist.

But it was Zmarzlik who had the most to celebrate as he delivered another moment of glory. He said: “My brother Pawel said it didn’t matter what place I got today, but he also told me that if I finished one position behind Robert, this would be the most important plan for the final.

“I made a little bit of a mistake from the start, but I felt good over the four laps, and I was okay. I took the second position, and I felt the title was coming to me.”

Zmarzlik leads Fredrik Lindgren. PHOTO: Jarek Pabijan

Deluxe Homeart FIM Danish Speedway GP winner Lambert is now guaranteed at least a Speedway GP World Championship bronze medal – his first-ever podium finish in the series.

He goes into the season-closing DeWalt FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Torun on September 28 placed second in the overall standings on 137 points – putting him 10 clear of third-placed Swedish star Fredrik Lindgren on 127, who scored three championship points in Vojens.

A top-six finish in Torun would guarantee Lambert the silver medal and he admits there were tears of joy as he sealed his first-ever SGP victory on his 10th final appearance. 

He said: “It hasn’t really sunk in as yet, but it’s an incredible feeling. After the finish line, there were a few tears under my goggles. It has been a long time coming.

“I have put in a lot of hard work and there has been a lot of disappointment at coming so close so often before and not getting it. It comes as a relief to finally get it done and stop the talk going around about it. It was a hot topic about me not winning one. Now it’s finally done. I am so happy at the moment and this trophy is going nowhere. It’s going to be sticking with me for a long time.

“I battled all night, but I progressed and went in the right direction with the bike. We got it perfect for the final, and that’s what we have been missing a few times. In previous GPs, we had the bike setup for most of the night, made a few changes, went a few steps back and then not enough steps forward to make it happen in the final.

“I am really happy with the way we all worked as a team. I am super happy. I am sure I will be lying in the bed in the van, not getting much sleep after all of this excitement.”

Lambert stepped up his silver-medal surge in Vojens. PHOTO: Jarek Pabijan

Polish star Janowski continued his strong finish to 2024 by celebrating his first Speedway GP final since 2022 after never previously making even the semi-finals in Vojens.

He said: “The end of the season has been pretty good for me. I am very happy about that. It’s very good to be back on the podium in Speedway GP. That’s always a great feeling. But when you get to the final, you always want to win.

“I am very happy because Vojens never used to be a good place for me. I am happy that I have finally scored good points here. I am feeling great. It was a good night.”

Lebedevs made history as Latvia’s first-ever SGP finalist. PHOTO: Jarek Pabijan

Fourth-placed Lebedevs could seal his spot in the 2025 Speedway GP series next Saturday, when he defends a six-point lead at the final Speedway European Championship round in Chorzow, Poland.

The continental champion is guaranteed a spot in the following season’s SGP series. And, having broken new ground in his debut year on the sport’s biggest stage, Latvia’s trailblazing first-ever Speedway GP finalist is determined to extend his stay at this level.

He said: “I had some goals. The first step was to make a lot of semis, and that has come. The next goal was to make my first final before the end of the season.

“I couldn’t do it at my home round in Riga last weekend, but it’s like Robert [Lambert]. He has been in Speedway GP for a long time, and you can see the finals and podiums he has achieved in his career have been very hard coming. 

“I am living my dream, and I am very happy that I am here. I am looking forward and hopefully I can keep my place in Speedway GP for next season and have good results from the beginning in 2025.”