FIM SPEEDWAY: WOFFINDEN HOPES FOR INJURY-FREE SHOT AT SPEEDWAY GP SUCCESS
Great Britain hero Tai Woffinden insisted “if I get an injury-free season, I’ll be there or thereabouts” after receiving an FIM Speedway Grand Prix wild card for 2026.
The triple Speedway GP world champion – Britain’s most successful speedway rider – returns to the series after a year out after being selected alongside Aussie duo Max Fricke and Jason Doyle by the SGP Commission, which includes representatives from the FIM and incoming FIM Speedway global promoter Mayfield Sports Events Ltd.
Woffinden has endured rotten luck with injuries after his 2024 season was ended by a broken elbow, before his 2025 campaign was halted before it even began after he suffered multiple injuries in a crash at Polish track Krosno in March.
After undergoing a lengthy recovery from his latest fall, Woffinden hopes he will finally get a shot at Speedway GP success – unhindered by injury.
He said: “I’m honoured to be given the opportunity to be back in the World Championship. The only reason I haven’t been there is because I’ve been injured every year.
“They obviously see where my level is at and what I’ve achieved. They and I believe I can do it again. It’s nice to have that support from whoever makes these decisions.
“I’m just looking forward to getting out there. My last World Championship win was in 2018. Every single year since then I’ve been injured. I know that if I get an injury-free season, I’ll be there or thereabouts.”
Woffinden was airlifted to hospital after his Krosno crash after suffering multiple fractures and requiring a blood transfusion. He was also placed into an induced coma.
Despite the trials he has faced this year, Woffinden says he remains mentally resolute. He added: “The people close to me saw what I went through when I was in a coma. But to me it was just another injury. I don’t feel it was different to any other injury.
“Mentally I’m probably stronger than last year. That’s all that matters now. It’s just one of those things – physically it takes time. I’ve ridden a bike. But obviously there’s riding and there’s racing.
“The body is doing everything that it should do, everything is on track and healing as it should be healing. Thankfully I didn’t need another operation on my elbow, which was a huge positive.
“I just need a bit more time because I got a lot of injuries all at once. The surgeons had to work overtime to get me right. I’m not 100 percent healed yet but I’m fairly close to being that way.”
