ZMARZLIK READY FOR RIGA TEST

Polish icon Bartosz Zmarzlik admits he can take nothing for granted as he bids to complete a hat-trick of wins in the OlyBet FIM Speedway GP of Latvia – Riga on August 2.

The five-time Speedway GP world champion battled his way to second place at the Virkvarn FIM Speedway GP of Sweden – Malilla on July 5.

Title rival Brady Kurtz raced to victory at the Skrotfrag Arena to cut the Lublin rider’s Speedway GP World Championship lead from 11 points to nine.

But the Aussie champion has never raced in Riga, where Zmarzlik has topped the box twice, winning at Bikernieki in 2023 and 2024.

Zmarzlik would love to make it a third straight victory in Latvia’s biggest speedway event. “Why not?” he said. “But in this sport, every year is different. I must be fully focused again and do everything I can do the best I can in every round. I am always focused on myself and I doing everything I can do to get the good results.”

Zmarzlik had to win his last-chance qualifier with a breathtaking first lap to join Kurtz in the Malilla final. While he was unable to add to his four SGP wins at the venue, he left content with second spot.

He said: “This was not a bad night, but for me and my team, this was really hard work. I’m happy that I got on the podium and second place; it’s a really nice feeling. I didn’t have the best day, but I was still on the podium.”