HISTORY-MAKER DOYLE HAILS AUSSIE HEROES AS ROOS WIN 2026 FIM SPEEDWAY WORLD CUP
Australian icon Jason Doyle hailed his side’s steel under the ultimate pressure as the Roos raced to an historic victory at the 2026 BOLL FIM Speedway World Cup Final – Warsaw on Saturday, August 29.
In the biggest FIM Speedway world team final for generations, raced in front of over 40,000 fans at the iconic PGE Narodowy, the team from Down Under ended the country’s 24-year wait for SWC gold, having last topped the podium in the 2002 Final at British track Peterborough.
It was also a famous night for Doyle individually as he became the first rider in the sport’s history to complete a modern-day grand slam as he added SWC success to his 2017 Speedway GP World Championship and his 2022 and 2025 FIM Speedway of Nations triumphs.
The Roos ended the night on 38 points – 12 of them scored in an astonishing opening round of races, which saw the Aussies rack up four straight wins.
But the pre-meeting favourites were under pressure as Denmark raced their way back into contention, ultimately sealing silver on 30 points – pipping hosts Poland, who finished on 29 as they claimed the bronze medals. Great Britain took fourth place on 23.
First-ever grand slam world champion Jason Doyle. PHOTO: Taylor Lanning
The night belonged to Australia’s golden generation and its elder statesman Doyle, 40, was elated to carve his name into the sport’s history books as the 21st century’s first and only grand-slam champion.
He said: “I am letting it sink in. It’s unbelievable. I have tried for years with Team Australia and to see us do this is something special. I have got goosebumps, and I am trying to process these emotions. It’s amazing.
“Being part of this team and to do what we have done after 24 years … I feel very proud.
“We got off to an unbelievable start and I was thinking, ‘This is going to be easy tonight!’ We had four straight wins, but the third round went tits up. We thought it was going to be tough, and we just worked hard. The boys knew we were going to battle. We weren’t going to throw the towel in. It was going to be our night.
“Max (Fricke) had a couple of tough rides, but he came out, blew (Bartosz) Zmarzlik away and won his last race. Everyone scored good points and that’s how you win the world title.”
Despite starting with a win, Fricke managed just one point from his next three heats. But he roared back into the contest with a huge victory over Poland’s six-time Speedway GP world champion Zmarzlik in heat 18.
Now an SWC, 2022 SON and 2016 FIM Speedway Under-21 world champion, Fricke hailed his teammates for helping him fight his way back into form when it mattered most.
He said: “Obviously things started okay with a win, but after that, I was struggling a little bit. I was able to lean on the boys a little bit to try and change a few things with my bikes and make it work for this last one.
“My last race was an important heat and Lemo put a lot of faith in me to try and pull out a fast ride. I knew the pressure was on, and I am just grateful that I was able to deliver.
“Racing in Australian team colours gives me a lot of pride and to bring home gold for Australia this year is unbelievable. It’s something that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
“The SWC is definitely a favourite event of mine. It doesn’t come around very often. It is always an honour to be able to represent Australia and give it my very best.”
Aussie skipper Brady Kurtz. PHOTO: Taylor Lanning
Skipper Brady Kurtz admits the bond in the Aussie camp gave his side the edge as they triumphed in Warsaw. Kurtz, who raced in an SWC Final for the first time, said: “When I saw the boys come running out after we won, I was pumped. It was something really special. I am so happy to be a part of it. I feel like it has been such a long wait for me to be a part of an SWC team. To get this across the line is pretty cool.
“I think Australia is by far the country that is proudest to race in the World Cup. There is no question about it. I think we all bonded a little bit better than the rest of the countries. It is a cool weekend to be a part of, and I think that definitely helped us.”
Aussie debutant Ryan Douglas was proud to have delivered a terrific 10 points in the biggest meeting of his career so far as he announced his arrival on the world stage by winning his opening three races. He said: “It’s a great feeling. This is unbelievable. I just treated it like any other meeting. I have probably raced most of these riders in some sort of league.
“When you look around the stadium and see a crowd like that, racing in a place like this is on another level. But at the same time, it is just four blokes at the tapes, and I have just as good a chance as anyone.”
Aussie boss Mark Lemon. PHOTO: Taylor Lanning
Team manager Mark Lemon was delighted to see Australia’s class of 2026 claim the SWC crown for the third time, adding to their 2001 and 2002 victories in the competition’s first two seasons to join the legendary generation of a quarter of a century ago.
He said: “It’s an amazing feeling. I am so proud of what these boys have done and delivered.
“I grew up in an era when Australian speedway dominated, with the likes of Jason Crump, Leigh Adams, Todd Wiltshire, Craig Boyce, Jason Lyons and Ryan Sullivan. I am so happy that these guys have had the same feeling. We are on top of the world.
“These boys have grafted from a young age through the junior ranks. In Australia, we have a great junior programme producing great riders. After all the hard work and dedication of the volunteers in Australia, they should also take a bow.”
Danish top scorer Mikkel Michelsen. PHOTO: Taylor Lanning
Danish racer Mikkel Michelsen led his side’s scoring with an impressive 12 points and was pleased with how they fought their way back into the meeting, having managed just eight points in the first nine races.
He said: “We didn’t get off to the best start. After eight heats, it didn’t look like we were going home with anything. I think to come away with a silver medal is a great accomplishment.
“Obviously we wanted more, but in these events, consistency wins gold, and the Aussies showed that. I would like to say a massive congrats to them. They really deserved it. If it wasn’t going to be the Danish team, I am happy the Aussie riders got it done.
“On a personal note, I had a great night apart from my last heat. We had a few guys struggling, and then they kind of got going later in the meeting. We just stuck together and kept fighting. In the end, it paid off.”
Michelsen’s final ride saw him crash after he was dive bombed by Zmarzlik, before the triple European chased the Pole furiously down the pits tunnel, with mechanics and officials moving in to keep the Danish star away from the Speedway GP champion, with the PGE Narodowy crowd furiously booing the evening’s pantomime villain, who was disqualified.
Doyle and Dudek battle in Warsaw. PHOTO: Taylor Lanning
Giving his side of the incident, a self-effacing Michelsen said: “I think that was the adrenaline pumping. I think I was angrier with myself than anything else, to be honest.
“We all know that Bartek races hard and I left the gate open for him. I knew that he was going to divebomb me into that corner and I knew if I had kept my line, he would have clipped my front wheel. But I think I chickened out at the last second and then I jumped off the bike. The decision is fair enough. I can’t say anything about that.
“I definitely made a bit of a fool of myself out there and I am probably the most hated person in Poland tonight, but it is what it is.”
Polish team manager Stanislaw Chomski paid tribute to his side for overcoming some challenges to bag bronze as the hosts fell short of a fourth straight SWC gold. He said: “Of course, we wanted to win and of course we wanted gold. This is what we came here to do at PGE Narodowy.
“Maybe you wouldn’t have noticed but Patryk Dudek wasn’t able to come to the podium to collect his medal because he has stomach flu, and he was sick almost through all of the competition.
“Kacper Woryna was our joker and he stepped in at the right moment. He also scored some points for the Polish team.
“Australia was the strongest team. In the first round when they won every race possible, it was very impressive. Then Denmark woke up in the middle of the competition.
“We have the bronze medals. We are very happy, and I think we really promoted speedway because this event was the most interesting for a couple of years here in Warsaw.”
A very Aussie SWC trophy. PHOTO: Taylor Lanning
Attention now turns to an epic FIM Speedway Grand Prix title race as Zmarzlik, Kurtz and Britain’s Robert Lambert resume their rivalry at the Deluxe Homeart FIM Speedway GP of Denmark – Vojens on Saturday, September 12.
Denmark’s best motorsport event also features the Deluxe Homeart FIM SGP2 of Denmark – Vojens on Friday, September 11 – the final round of the FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship.
