FIM SPEEDWAY: KURTZ LOVES WEARING AUSTRALIAN COLOURS
New world number two Brady Kurtz cannot wait to swap his Speedway GP kevlars for the green and yellow (gold) of Australia as the ‘Roos go for FIM Speedway of Nations gold in Torun next week.
Kurtz delivered the greatest debut season in Speedway GP history this year, winning a record five straight SGP rounds and storming within a point of snatching the sport’s biggest prize from Polish great Bartosz Zmarzlik.
But the Wroclaw racer, who leads his side into the second leg of their PGE Ekstraliga bronze-medal play-off in Grudziadz tonight, still has the chance to end 2025 with an FIM Speedway gold medal.
Following Tuesday’s FIM SON Semi-Final 1, Australia lines up in Semi-Final 2 on Wednesday evening, taking on Denmark, Czech Republic, France, Ukraine, Finland and tournament debutants Argentina, with Kurtz joined in a powerful side by world number five Jack Holder and 2017 Speedway GP World Champion Jason Doyle.
The top three sides in each Semi-Final join hosts Poland in the Final, with the winners not just being crowned 2025 World Champions; they also earn a guaranteed place at the 2026 FIM Speedway World Cup Final in Warsaw alongside hosts Poland.
Kurtz has his sights set on SON success in 2025 and a shot at SWC glory at PGE Narodowy next year – a track where where Holder, Doyle and Max Fricke have all topped the podium and Kurtz finished second this season.
He said: “It’s kind of cool that the SON is at the end of the year when everything else is finished and we can all kind of relax a bit and feel into the team. It’s a cool event and a different atmosphere.
“It will be nice to put the yellow and green suit on. It’s always an honour to put your country’s suit on. I am looking forward to that.
“I think we have a great chance in Torun. We have a really good line-up, and we definitely have for Warsaw for the SWC next year. I think we have a very strong line-up for the track that it’s on. I think that will be really special. Hopefully I am there for that and it’ll be a nice event.”
Once this season’s SON is complete, Kurtz is looking forward to some downtime Down Under as he prepares for the 2026 Speedway GP series.
With the line-up strengthened by the return of riders like former Speedway GP silver medallists Leon Madsen and Patryk Dudek, former SWC winner Michael Jepsen Jensen and the debut of FIM SGP Challenge runner-up Kacper Woryna, the fight for SGP gold looks set to get tougher.
“It won’t be any easier – that’s for sure,” Kurtz said. “I think we will be looking at a strong line-up, which is great for the sport. With the way it is at the moment, we needed a stronger line-up, and I think that’s what we are going to get, so I am looking forward to it.
“For now, I am looking forward to a well-earned off-season. It has been a long season. Of course I am looking forward to next year. Hopefully I can work hard, get everything in order again and get back into it.”
