FIM SPEEDWAY: KURTZ: TOUGH ACT TO FOLLOW AHEAD OF WROCLAW ROUND

Aussie icon Brady Kurtz admits it has been no easy task to follow up his famous five wins in 2025 as he lines up in the DEWALT FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Wroclaw on Saturday evening, June 20.

The iconic Olympic Stadium’s Speedway GP history comes full circle as it stages the 300th SGP event – 31 years after it staged the first on May 20, 1995 – won by Polish great and former world champion Tomasz Gollob.
It’s an Aussie leading the way in 2026, after Kurtz topped the podium in ATPI FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Manchester R4 to overhaul Poland’s six-time world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik for top spot.

Kurtz starts the event on his Polish PGE Ekstraliga home track with a three-point advantage on 65 points, with three-time FIM Wroclaw Speedway GP winner Zmarzlik chasing on 62.
Despite winning a record-equalling sixth Speedway GP world title in 2025, Zmarzlik has now gone over a year and nine rounds without an SGP victory, with Kurtz chiefly responsible for this run after winning a record-breaking five Speedway GPs at the end of last season, as well as 2026 round four two weeks ago.
He said: “Hopefully I can get a few more in. I was quite happy to get the win in Manchester to say, ‘Yes, I can win again.’
“Obviously getting the five last year was incredible, but to actually come back and show I can win again, and it wasn’t just a one-year thing, is pretty cool. I am looking forward to all the rounds now. We have a lot of good tracks coming up.”

All smiles for Kurtz. PHOTO: Taylor Lanning

Kurtz came within one point of World Championship gold in 2025.
He said: “We have been pushing hard to stay here. After last year, I really didn’t know what to do. Do I just turn up as I was? Do I try and make improvements? Which direction do I go in?

“It has been quite the tough year. It hasn’t actually gone as smoothly as I would have liked. The Polish league has been really tough for me. We have been making changes back and forward, trying to figure out where I am.
“But in the past weeks, we really narrowed in on where we need to be. I have felt like myself again and I feel like I am back.”

Kurtz is expecting another tense title showdown with Zmarzlik and others as the Speedway GP series reaches its halfway point in Wroclaw, adding: “He’s definitely not going to let me have it – that’s for sure. He’s going to be fired up for Wroclaw and will probably come out better than ever. We’re going to have to make sure everything is good, and I’ll just keep doing my normal thing, and keep trying to get into the final.
“That’s the only goal for the year – to keep making the finals. That’s what Bartek has done for six or seven years in a row now, and that’s how he gets the title. I will keep chipping away.”

This is Kurtz’s third straight Speedway GP on a home track after he raced the rounds three and four in Manchester – home of his British club Belle Vue.
Kurtz finished second in round three, before winning round four, and the 2025 Wroclaw winner admits he cannot wait to return to the Olympic Stadium in Speedway GP action.
He revealed: “I actually prefer to race in Wroclaw than Manchester. I wouldn’t say I prefer the track, but I feel like I am better in Wroclaw than I am in Manchester. We will see. The GP is always different. I can say it’s my home track, but Bartek has still probably done twice the number of laps around Wroclaw that I have. He has raced around 15 years in the Ekstraliga.
“I like the track there. It’s quite similar to Manchester. It has really good racing, and I am looking forward to it. On the day, it doesn’t really matter if it’s your track or not. You still have to do the business, make the starts, have speed and put all the pieces together.”

2026 DEWALT FIM SPEEDWAY GP OF POLAND – WROCLAW LINE-UP:
95. Bartosz Zmarzlik (Poland)
101. Brady Kurtz (Australia)
105. Anders Thomsen (Denmark – substitute for Dan Bewley)
201. Jan Kvech (Czech Republic – substitute for Fredrik Lindgren)
25. Jack Holder (Australia)
29. Andzejs Lebedevs (Latvia)
505. Robert Lambert (Great Britain)
46. Max Fricke (Australia)
69. Jason Doyle (Australia)
415. Dominik Kubera (Poland)
30. Leon Madsen (Denmark)
52. Michael Jepsen Jensen (Denmark)
692. Patryk Dudek (Poland)
223. Kacper Woryna (Poland)
785. Nazar Parnitskyi (Ukraine)
16. Maciej Janowski (Poland – wild card)
17. Nikodem Mikolajczyk (Poland – first track reserve)
18. Marcel Kowolik (Poland – second track reserve)

WROCLAW FANZONE

Soak up the pre-SGP atmosphere in the DEWALT FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Wroclaw fanzone on Saturday afternoon.

Fans can battle it for top prizes in the first leg of the Monster Energy Triple Crown. Test your starting skills on the Monster Energy bike and the fan that sets the fastest reaction time wins a custom Wroclaw helmet, as well as a pair of tickets for the FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Torun on September 26.

The fans with the fastest reaction times in Wroclaw, Lodz and Torun will compete in a final showdown at the Marian Rose Motoarena, with the winner earning a trip to a world-class weekend of motorsport in Valencia this November, courtesy of Monster Energy.

The fanzone will be open in the pergola area behind bend one at the Olympic Stadium from 13:30 CEST, and it features the official Speedway GP autograph session, where fans can meet all 18 riders from 16:30 and get some signatures or selfies.

Grab some goodies and meet Jack Holder and Patryk Dudek at the Monster Energy Rig Riot from 17:00 – featuring a special Wroclaw burnout.

There will be more two-wheeled action with Monster Energy FMX shows at both 16:00 and 18:00 ahead of the evening’s main event.

We will have an interview with special VIP guests from 16:15 and 17:30, and fans can win Speedway GP prizes in our quiz at 15:30.

Pose for a photo with the Speedway GP trophy throughout the afternoon. Meet the Monster Energy Girls for a photo and grab a selfie with FIM Speedway mascot Speedy. There will be a vintage speedway bikes exhibition, other photo opportunities, the We Love Speedway sign, food and drink stalls, the Speedway GP merchandise shop and much, much more.

The fanzone closes at 18:30 ahead of the opening ceremony at 18:45, with racing getting underway at around 19:00.

Local hero Maciej Janowski. PHOTO: Taylor Lanning

WHERE TO WATCH
Fans can catch every moment of 2026 Speedway GP and SWC action live on global broadcaster Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming platforms HBO Max or discovery+. Coverage of every Speedway GP Qualifying session is also available on these platforms.

HBO Max is available across Europe, with FIM-MOTO TV providing coverage around the world.

ACROSS EUROPE: Live on HBO Max and discovery+
REST OF THE WORLD: Live on FIM-MOTO TV
BRITAIN: Live on HBO Max and TNT Sports
POLAND: Live on Eurosport 3, HBO Max and Player
SWEDEN: Live on Kanal 9 and HBO Max
DENMARK: Live on 6’eren and HBO Max
AUSTRALIA: Live on Fox Sports
GERMANY: Live on HBO Max and discovery+
ACROSS THE BALTICS: Live on Go3, TV3 Sport and HBO Max
CZECH REPUBLIC: Live on HBO Max
SLOVAKIA: Live on STVR Sport and HBO Max
USA/Canada: Live on Racer