AUSSIES RECAPTURE FIM SPEEDWAY OF NATIONS CROWN IN TORUN
Australian icon Brady Kurtz feared he had blown his final shot at a 2025 FIM Speedway World Championship gold medal before joining Jack Holder at the front to win an epic FIM Speedway of Nations Final in Torun on Saturday, October 4.
The Roos lifted their second FIM SON world title in three years – following up their victory at Danish track Vojens in 2022 – after Holder made a sublime start, with world No.2 Kurtz riding one of the opening laps of the season to round Speedway GP world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik and join his partner for a 7-2 victory over Poland in the Grand Final. Denmark picked up the bronze medals.
After falling a point short of Zmarzlik in the race for Speedway GP World Championship gold this year, Kurtz was elated to win his first FIM Speedway World Championships gold medal in the FIM SON. But he thought he had blown it at the start of the Grand Final.
He said: “I actually thought it was all over when the tapes went up. I didn’t make the best start at all. But I squeezed in there somehow and got to the outside. I knew I had to get to the fence.
“Jack was so solid all night. He made every start, looked for me and gave me the run through. Sure enough, when the straight came in the Grand Final, Jack was in front, looking over his shoulder and waiting for me to come past.
“Once we hit the front, I was checking the big screen every lap and we were solid all race. We were so good together. Once we hit the front, I was pretty confident that we could get it done, and I am really happy with this one.
“I am relieved. I was a little bit nervous. It’s a big deal to represent your country. I tried not to let the boys down and I am glad we didn’t. It’s a real honour to put this suit on.”
Holder and Kurtz, both 29, have spent two decades racing as teammates and rivals Down Under and in Europe. Having won SON silver in Manchester last season, Kurtz was elated that they could go one better at Torun’s iconic Marian Rose Motoarena.
He said: “It’s definitely a full-circle moment, I guess you could say. Jack and I have done more races together than anyone in the history of speedway probably. We have done team events together since we were nine, 10 or 11. Finally, we got it done on the big stage.”
FIM SON top three Australia, Poland and Denmark. PHOTO: Jarek Pabijan
Team manager Mark Lemon hailed his stars for delivering on the track and admits he also had a tough job on his hands.
He said: “By comparison, my part in it has been easy. These guys have been amazing. The hardest job in Team Australia at the moment is selecting the riders because we have so many of them performing very well. We have four riders in the GP, and I had some tough decisions to make. We worked together as a team, and I am super proud of them all. Jack has done it before, and Brady has been in such good form in the GPs. He is probably the best rider in the world currently.
“To win gold here in Poland … we could have only dreamed of that some years ago. We got a taste for success in Vojens and that has rolled on into 2025.
“We were a little unlucky not to manage this last year. Team GB was just too good on the night in the Grand Final. I just love working with these guys and I am so happy and proud of them.
“We work really well as a team and all of our mechanics behind the scenes and engine builders helped us to get us to this point. It’s a feather in the cap for Motorcycling Australia, our federation, and all the sponsors who backed us. For me, it is great that a lot of Aussies get up in the middle of the night to support these guys in the GPs, SON and SWC. I’m sure there will be some sore heads Down Under, but they got to see a nice victory.”
Celebrating SON gold – Aussie stars Brady Kurtz (left) and Jack Holder (right). PHOTO: Taylor Lanning
Australia’s FIM SON title win comes with the added gloss of a guaranteed place in the 2026 FIM Speedway World Cup Final, which will be staged at Warsaw’s PGE Narodowy. Lemon is delighted to see his side confirm their place alongside hosts Poland in the biggest FIM Speedway world team final for generations.
He said: “We discussed that on the podium. It’s fantastic that we get a chance to go straight through to the Final. Australia never gets seeded through to a Final – this is the first time for the seniors. We have really good riders to choose from and it will be another tough decision to pick five. We are in a very fortunate position – we have plenty of riders at the moment. Next year is another time, but for now, we are going to celebrate this one.”
Skipper Holder was pleased to come out on top in a hard-fought first turn against in-form Polish stars Zmarzlik and Patryk Dudek. He said: “It was all happening! I knew I needed to watch my back, and that first corner was pretty tight. I just held on, pushed and shoved, showed some Aussie grit, looked for BK and there he was – rocket man! I just kept looking up at the big screen to see where the Poles were and rode it home.”
Kurtz leads Holder to a 7-2 win for the Aussies. PHOTO: Taylor Lanning
Australian No.3 reserve Jason Doyle may not have taken a ride, but the 2017 Speedway GP world champion was only too happy to support Holder and Kurtz from trackside.
He said: “I’m not disappointed at all, to be honest, that I didn’t get a ride. In Vojens, I was. I felt like I should have got into the Final with the boys and had a couple of rides.
“But tonight showed how strong our No.1 and No.2 boys are for Australia. I cannot say just how amazingly they rode together. That’s what team racing is about, and they proved a point that they are two of the best riders in the world.”
Polish team manager Rafal Dobrucki was magnanimous in defeat following the Grand Final as his side collected their fourth SON silver medal. He said: “First of all, congratulations to the Aussie guys. They did a really good job. In history, there was never a better silver medal. We wanted gold but that was tough because the Aussie guys were too fast – in the end especially.
“We did what we could and that was enough for the silver. We are a little bit disappointed, but we still have a silver medal, so it’s not so bad.”
Poland defeated Australia 7-2 in their opening race. PHOTO: Jarek Pabijan
The Danes missed out on the Grand Final after 2026 Speedway GP qualifier Leon Madsen was disqualified from the race after a collision with Dudek.
Team manager Nicki Pedersen knew his side was in for quite a battle. He said: “We knew we had to fight against Australia and Poland. They are two very good teams and congratulations to them. It’s always tough. This system works very well for the teams that go directly to the Final, which I think is good and fair. We knew anything could happen in the Grand Final Qualifier.
“Of course we are disappointed to miss out. We wanted to get into the Grand Final and we wanted to have a shot at the Australians. They were fast. But once you come to the Final, anything can happen.
“We had an exclusion in the Grand Final Qualifier, and we had third place. We were in the picture, though, and I am glad to see Michael and Leon do well. I am quite happy compared to last year.”
FIM SPEEDWAY OF NATIONS FINAL SCORES:
1. AUSTRALIA 37: 1. Brady Kurtz 20, 2. Jack Holder 17, 3. Jason Doyle DNR.
2. POLAND 35: 1. Patryk Dudek 17, 2. Bartosz Zmarzlik 18, 3. Piotr Pawlicki DNR.
3. DENMARK 34: 1. Leon Madsen 18, 2. Michael Jepsen Jensen 16, 3. Mikkel Michelsen DNR.
4. SWEDEN 27: 1. Jacob Thorssell 6, 2. Fredrik Lindgren 21, 3. Timo Lahti DNR.
5. GREAT BRITAIN 24: 1. Robert Lambert 16, 2. Dan Bewley 6, 3. Tom Brennan 2.
6. LATVIA 18: 1. Andzejs Lebedevs 14, 2. Jevgenijs Kostigovs 0, 3. Daniils Kolodinskis 4.
7. CZECH REPUBLIC 14: 1. Vaclav Milik 2, 2. Jan Jenicek 12, 3. Jaroslav Vanicek 0.
