FIM SPEEDWAY: TUNGATE: PATIENCE PAID OFF
Feature photo courtesy: FIM and Mark Neale
Double Aussie champion Rohan Tungate admits patience has paid off as he makes his debut in the BOLL FIM Speedway World Cup Final – Warsaw on Saturday, August 29.
The 36-year-old is enjoying the season of his career so far after finishing second at the FIM SGP Challenge in Terenzano on July 25 to qualify for the 2027 Speedway GP series.
Tungate has never raced in the SWC or FIM Speedway of Nations, but Aussie boss Mark Lemon has named the fast-starting Czestochowa star at No.5 as the Roos tackle hosts Poland, Denmark and Great Britain at PGE Narodowy in the biggest world team final for generations.
Tungate started his European career in 2012 after making the move into the sport from road racing. While he has had to wait patiently for his chance to shine for his country, he admits it has been worth it. He said: “I have always kind of been around the squad and in contention to possibly be in it. But I have always fallen a bit short, and it hasn’t really worked out.
“I think you have to be patient with everything, especially in speedway. Sometimes it takes people longer than others. I have definitely been frustrated in the past, but sometimes it’s good to be patient. I feel good, and I think I can go there and do a good job.”
Lining up at No.5, Tungate does not have an allocated sequence of rides, but can be called into action at any time by Lemon, taking up to five rides, plus possibly a sixth as a tactical substitute if Australia falls six points behind the leading nation.
While not knowing when the chance to race will come can be a challenge for some riders, it doesn’t concern Tungate. He said: “You just have to be mentally ready, follow the boys with the setup and just try to stay focused.
“It’s such a big event. You just have to put it all on the line and go for it. I have enough experience with pressure and stuff like that. It’s just up to me to put everything together and do the best job I can. I have good equipment, and I have good mechanics. It’s just up to me to deal with everything in the right way.”
Australia started 2026 as red-hot favourites, but there is no doubt the loss of Jack Holder to injury has been a blow to their chances.
The Roos still track world No.2 Brady Kurtz, two FIM Warsaw Speedway GP winners in Jason Doyle and Max Fricke and Ryan Douglas, who leads the Metalkas 2. Ekstraliga average charts for Poznan.
Assessing his side’s hopes, Tungate said: “All the teams are pretty strong, and we all have a lot of potential. I guess the pressure is on Poland.
“We know what to do and we have a good, solid team all the way through, who have had success on that track in Warsaw.
“As a team, we all get on well and we are all pretty close. That helps a lot. It’s just up to us to go and do our job. I don’t think there is massive pressure on us like Poland. We just have to put our heads down and focus on ourselves.”
