AUSSIE STAR KURTZ: TAKING THE LONG ROAD

Australian racer Brady Kurtz admits his charge to the Speedway GP World Championship summit has taken much longer than two rounds as he prepares for the FIM Speedway GP of Czech Republic – Prague this Saturday, May 31.

The 28-year-old is in his first season as a full-time Speedway GP rider, having only previously competed as a wild card and track reserve at the 2016 and 2017 FIM Speedway GP of Australia – Melbourne events.

But Kurtz has taken the Speedway GP World Championship by storm, finishing fourth at the opening round in Landshut, Germany on May 3, before taking second place at Warsaw’s PGE Narodowy in front of 48,000 fans in the Polish capital on May 17.

Added to an extra six points earned for finishing second in both the Landshut and Warsaw sprint races, Kurtz is on 38 in top spot – five ahead of Poland’s five-time world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik, who has 33.

Kurtz achieved his goal of qualifying for Speedway GP by winning the 2024 FIM SGP Challenge at Czech track Pardubice on October 4. 

As he returns to Czechia for the nation’s biggest speedway event at Prague’s Marketa Stadium, he knows even making it into the SGP series has been some mission – let alone capturing the championship lead. 

He said: “You wouldn’t know how long we have been building to this. The team I have has been together for a long time – my mechanics, Ash (tuner Ashley Holloway) and the boys in Britain.

“We have been building and building and building and figuring out problems – why we couldn’t be in the GP and why we couldn’t be at the top. We fixed the problems one by one and here we are.

“It’s wild to think that I am leading the whole thing. I’m not going to get carried away with it. It has only been two rounds, and we have a long way to go yet. It’s definitely where you want to be, so it’s a nice feeling for sure.” 

Asked what he has changed and worked on to transform himself into a Speedway GP rider, Kurtz replied: “It’s a long list! Over the last few years, I think I have made improvements everywhere there can possibly be improvements. Now I am finally seeing the outcome and the results we could have had all along.

“I think I have always been able to ride the bike as well as the top guys. But I have definitely made a lot of mistakes on the track with the bikes, with the setup, with everything. We really worked at it and now the results are here.”

Not every rider reaches the Speedway GP series in their teens or early 20s. Latvia’s Andzejs Lebedevs was 29 when he made his full-time SGP debut in 2024. He won last year’s Speedway European Championship and is now third in the Speedway GP standings going into the Prague event on 29 points.

“Everyone has their own path,” Kurtz said. “I have never managed to get into the series before, although not through lack of effort – that’s for sure. I was obviously not good enough to qualify in previous years.

“The last two or three years seem to have gone a lot better for me. We have worked hard to turn it around and it feels really nice to finally qualify and be here. It’s pretty cool that it has gone well so far.” 

Asked what he would now consider a successful season after such a fine start to 2025, Belle Vue and Wroclaw rider Kurtz insists he isn’t looking too far ahead.

He said: “I think that’s probably something I would think about after the year – whether it was successful or not. At the moment, I want to win every GP I am in. I want to keep making finals and I want to keep having good results. At the end of the year, we will see where we are.

“We are all here to win. I came into the series wanting to be world champion – just as the other guys did. I have put in a lot of work and things have been going well. I am winning after two GPs. I am sure there will be some tough ones to follow, and that’s something I will have to navigate when the time comes.”

The local Czech fans and travelling Slovak supporters look set to get behind Slovakia’s Martin Vaculik as he bids to win a record-breaking fourth straight FIM Speedway GP of Czech Republic – Prague on Saturday.

The Zarnovica-born racer is a big crowd favourite at Marketa Stadium, where he has topped the podium every season since 2022.

Prague rider Jan Kvech heads into his home event chasing his first Speedway GP final appearance, boosted by taking victory in the sprint race at the Orlen Oil FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Warsaw two weeks ago. He is joined in flying the home flag by Prague teammate Daniel Klima, who serves as wild card for the event.

Two-time FIM Czech Speedway GP winner Jason Doyle sits out due to a hip injury. His place in the line-up is taken by first series substitute Leon Madsen from Denmark. 

2025 FIM SPEEDWAY GP OF CZECH REPUBLIC – PRAGUE LINE-UP:

95. Bartosz Zmarzlik (Poland)

505. Robert Lambert (Great Britain)

66. Fredrik Lindgren (Sweden)

99. Dan Bewley (Great Britain)

54. Martin Vaculik (Slovakia)

25. Jack Holder (Australia)

155. Mikkel Michelsen (Denmark)

415. Dominik Kubera (Poland)

29. Andzejs Lebedevs (Latvia)

46. Max Fricke (Australia)

744. Kai Huckenbeck (Germany)

201. Jan Kvech (Czechia)

30. Leon Madsen (Denmark – substitute for Jason Doyle)

105. Anders Thomsen (Denmark)

101. Brady Kurtz (Australia)

16. Daniel Klima (Czechia – wild card)

17. Jan Macek (Czechia – first track reserve)

18. Jaroslav Vanicek (Czechia – second track reserve) 

PRAGUE FANZONE

The action at Prague’s Marketa Stadium gets underway from 13:30 CEST when the FIM Czech Speedway GP fanzone opens, featuring a packed programme of entertainment.

Located in the area behind bend one – next to the main grandstand building – the fanzone features the official Speedway GP autograph session, where fans can meet all 18 riders from 16:30 CEST and grab a signature or selfie.

Pick up some exclusive freebies from Monster Energy athletes Fredrik Lindgren, Dan Bewley and Jack Holder at the Monster Energy Rig Riot from 17:00. The Monster Energy area will be open throughout the afternoon.

Win Speedway GP prizes with our quiz on the big screen at 15:15. Fans can also pose for a photo with the Speedway GP trophy throughout the afternoon and the best of the 2024 SGP action will be playing on the big screen.

All the action from Qualifying will be live on the big screen at 14:00 and we will have interviews with some VIP guests at 17:35.

Meet FIM Speedway mascot Speedy, who will be in the fanzone at 13:45, 15:30 and 18:00.

There will be a vintage speedway bikes exhibition, other photo opportunities, the We Love Speedway sign, food and drink stalls, the Speedway GP merchandise shop and much, much more.

The fanzone closes at 18:30 ahead of the opening ceremony at 18:45, with racing getting underway at around 19:00. 

Latvian star Andzejs Lebedevs meets his fans. PHOTO: Taylor Lanning

WHERE TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND: TUNE INTO MAX

FIM Speedway GP of Czech Republic – Prague – Saturday, May 31 at 19:00 CEST

Fans can catch every moment of FIM Speedway action live on Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming platforms Max, HBO Max or discovery+. Coverage of all 10 Speedway GP Qualifying sessions, featuring a brand-new knockout format for 2025, will also be available on these platforms.

Max is available in Europe in France, Iberia, the Nordics, Turkey and Central and Eastern Europe. HBO Max is WBD’s streaming platform in Belgium and the Netherlands. And discovery+ is the streaming platform for Germany, Austria, Italy and the United Kingdom ahead of Max launching in these countries in 2026.

Coverage of Speedway GP is available worldwide with digital and linear coverage – see below for more details of where to watch.

ACROSS EUROPE: Live on Max, HBO Max and discovery+

BRITAIN: Live on discovery+ and TNT Sports

POLAND: Live on Max

SWEDEN: Live on Max

DENMARK: Live on 6’eren and Max

AUSTRALIA: Live on Fox Sports

GERMANY: Live on discovery+

ACROSS THE BALTICS: Live on Go3 and TV3 Sport channels

CZECHIA: Live on Max and CT Sport

SLOVAKIA: Live on STVR Sport and Max

CROATIA: Live on Max

USA/Canada: Live on Racer Network

AUSTRIA: Live on discovery+

NORWAY: Live on Max

FINLAND: Live on Max

REST OF THE WORLD: Live on Racer Network