FIM SPEEDWAY: FRICKE WINS TO LEAD AUSSIE-AUSSIE-AUSSIE PODIUM IN MANCHESTER
Australian racer Max Fricke admitted “it has been a long time between drinks” after he led lifelong rivals Brady Kurtz and Jack Holder to an iconic Aussie one-two-three at ATPI FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Manchester R3 on Friday night, June 5.
Fricke ended his four-year wait for a Speedway GP win as he defied the Manchester rain to win the final ahead of Kurtz in second and Holder in third, as three riders who have raced together since they were nine years old celebrated one of Australia’s greatest SGP nights.
It was a third Speedway GP win for Fricke, having previously won 2020 FIM Torun Speedway GP R7 and the 2022 FIM Warsaw Speedway GP.
He was elated to end his drought and share the podium with two riders he has competed against for over 20 years as Australia became only the second nation after Poland to claim all three spots on a Speedway GP podium.
He said: “I feel good. It has been a long time between drinks – that’s for sure. I am happy to be up here. I just kept my head down the whole night and didn’t get too ahead of myself. My whole team has done a great job, and I felt good.
“Racing with Brady and Jack goes all the way back to riding in junior support races on 125cc bikes at the Australian Championship rounds. We have been racing each other bar-to-bar for our whole lives since we were nine years old and first started speedway. We would have started around the same time, and we have just been racing each other ever since.
“It’s really cool to see how all of us have progressed over the years and we have got to the pinnacle of the sport. To be standing on the podium together at a GP round is really, really cool.”
Team Fricke. PHOTO: Marcin Karczewski
Fricke bounced back from a last place in his opener to go unbeaten in his final five rides, even as the rain clouds closed in. “I made a change after the first heat,” he said. “This really worked, and afterwards we had good speed. I was able to carry that on, build with confidence and just continue to improve over the course of the night.
“It got tricky in the end when it started raining. It was a little bit of a guessing game as to how it was going to play out. But overall, we kind of stuck to what we knew. I just wanted to get myself in front for that final.
“We all knew that the first person to that dirt line was going to probably end up in front, especially after that rain. I made sure that I made a good start and got there first. After that, it was just high concentration and riding it home. It was pretty close to the fence, but I was just tiptoeing around the edge there with full concentration for the whole race.
“It was a really good job from my whole team, and I am grateful that I have been able to reward everyone who has been working super hard for me. It was a good win.”
Aussie one-two-three. PHOTO: Taylor Lanning
Fricke’s victory saw him surge from 14th place in the Speedway GP World Championship at the start of the night to sixth on 30 points – 16 behind leader Bartosz Zmarzlik, who retains the series lead, despite crashing out of the final and suffering a disqualification.
Fricke is determined to maintain his momentum, having bounced back from the crash that ended his LCQ at round two in Prague on May 23.
He said: “In Prague towards the end, I had good speed and threw it away. I am still feeling that now. It was good to be able to bounce back after a rough first two rounds and show some of the potential I think I have, and where I deserve to be in the championship.
“We know tomorrow is a new day. I will try and keep focused on that, keep the same mindset, keep my head down and take it one race at a time.”
Kurtz closed on top spot in the standings. PHOTO: Taylor Lanning
Kurtz’s second place saw him move within one point of leader Zmarzlik and he was delighted with his third straight podium in a Manchester SGP round.
He said: “I am stoked with it. I am really happy to get up on the podium. Well done to Max – he really deserved it.
“I don’t think anyone has done more battles than us three have for our entire lives. It’s really sick that we’re all here on the podium. That’s 21 years we have been going at it. We’re really happy with it. The rain was a bit out of the blue really. We all chose the gates for the LCQ. Then suddenly it rained hard. I didn’t know if gate one was the right choice, but I made it work, as Max did in the final.
“I would just be happy with another good night on Saturday. Another final would be absolutely perfect. It will be a whole new battle and a different day.”
Jack Holder (centre) battled his way to third place. PHOTO: Marcin Karczewski
Holder is now just five points behind leader Zmarzlik, having collected 20 points in Manchester on Friday – 16 for third place in the SGP and another four for winning the afternoon sprint race ahead of Great Britain star Robert Lambert, wild card Tom Brennan and Kurtz, who was disqualified for touching the tapes.
The Appin-born star was delighted to complete an all-Aussie podium. He said: “We have been battling for many, many years, and this is cool to see. We’re taking over!
“I knew we had to get to that dirt line first. We were picking the gates for the LCQ, and the rain was coming down. I wasn’t making good starts in the last couple of races, but I took a gamble. I just wanted gate two in the LCQ. I went straight for that dirt line. For the final, it was the same plan again. If I was in the position to go for that dirt line on the first corner, I would have. But that gap closed up pretty quickly in the first turn.
“We are almost halfway through the series with two GPs back to back this weekend. Hopefully I can have another good one tomorrow. We’ll see where I end up.”
There will be more SGP action at the National Speedway Stadium on Saturday as ATPI FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Manchester R4 rounds off the weekend.
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