SPEEDWAY GP WORLD TITLE RACE REACHES EPIC CLIMAX AS LAMBERT, ZMARZLIK & KURTZ GO FOR GOLD
Great Britain star Robert Lambert insists he has time on his side in his quest for Speedway GP World Championship gold as he bids to win an epic title race at the DEWALT FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Torun on Saturday, September 26.
Lambert stormed top of the Speedway GP standings with victory at the Deluxe Homeart FIM Speedway GP of Denmark – Vojens on September 12, despite starting the day 10 points short of top spot. He now leads the way on 142 points, with reigning champion Bartosz Zmarzlik of Poland on 141 and Australian racer Brady Kurtz on 139 in third place. All three riders are guaranteed a Speedway GP World Championship medal, but the battle for gold is set to be tense.
Zmarzlik bids to become the first rider in the sport’s history to win seven FIM Speedway individual world titles, as well as a record-extending fifth on the bounce. Meanwhile, Kurtz aims to swap 2025 silver for gold, having missed out on last season’s top prize by one point, despite winning a record-breaking five SGP rounds on the bounce to end the season.
Torun club captain Lambert, who bids to seal gold in the city he calls home, has the chance to become Britain’s ninth FIM Speedway individual world champion and the nation’s first since Tai Woffinden lifted his third and final title in 2018.
But the 28-year-old believes his best is still to come in the sport. He said: “It would be nice to bring home the gold, but I also have a long career ahead of me. Hopefully I haven’t peaked yet, so whatever Saturday brings, I am looking forward to it and I’ll just go for the ride.
“I’m in a great position, but this is speedway, and anything can happen. I have already ticked off my goal of getting a medal of some kind.
“We will just go with the flow and see what colour that will be in the end. I’m sure there will be some suspense, but I can’t wait to see what Saturday brings.”
Lambert has never scored more than 11 championship points in an FIM Torun Speedway GP, and he pledges to approach his Polish home track with an open mind on Saturday.
He said: “It’s always an open playing field when it comes to the Polish league tracks, especially when the GP comes. The track is always much different to how it is for the leagues.
“We can only go there, treat it as a fresh day and make the decisions as to what to do on that day. You have a baseline with the setup, but I need to go there almost as an away rider – one who has some good fans cheering me on.”
In which order will the Speedway GP top trio stand? PHOTO: Marcin Karczewski
Lambert suffered a fall during Torun’s PGE Ekstraliga play-off semi-final decider against Lublin on September 13 – 24 hours after his Vojens victory. It left him undergoing physiotherapy to ensure he is in the best shape possible for the Speedway GP finale.
But after racing to 11 paid 13 points in the PGE Ekstraliga play-off final, first leg at home to Wroclaw last Sunday, Lambert insists he’s nearly back to full fitness.
He said: “I’m in pretty good shape. There is nothing really serious to worry about, which is great. It’s nothing that a little bit of physio isn’t going to fix. I have been working hard on that and I feel awesome on the bike, which is super important.
“I had some stretched shoulder ligaments, but it seems to be good after a week off the bike. I have just been having constant physio and trying to get it rested up and ready to go. Last Sunday, it seemed about 95 percent. After another week, I am sure it’s going to be 100 percent.”
Norfolk-born Lambert has truly settled in Torun, where he lives with wife Julia. The couple is expecting their first child, a daughter, shortly after the end of the season – opening a new period in their lives that Robert bids to start as Speedway GP world champion.
He said: “Our baby is supposed to be coming in November, so that’s going to be super exciting. I’m really looking forward to it. We are starting a new chapter in our lives, and we have been super excited all year about it.
“Things seem to be working for me on the career side and also my private life is pretty great at the moment. Sometimes you have different stages in life, and this is the right time for me.”
The competition for places in the 2027 Speedway GP series is also tense, with only the top seven guaranteed spots for next year. Fifth-placed Leon Madsen on 90 points is battling with Max Fricke, Kacper Woryna and Patryk Dudek, who are tied on 89 in sixth, seventh and eighth respectively in the race for qualification.
Along with the top four Lambert, Zmarzlik, Kurtz and Denmark’s Michael Jepsen Jensen, Woryna has already confirmed his spot in the 2027 series after finishing third at the FIM SGP Challenge in Terenzano on July 25.
They are joined by three more FIM SGP Challenge qualifiers in Rohan Tungate, Kim Nilsson and Andzejs Lebedevs. Should both Jepsen Jensen and Woryna finish in the 2026 Speedway GP top seven, Denmark’s Frederik Jakobsen – seventh in the Challenge – will also qualify.
The line-up will be completed by the winner of the Speedway European Championship and three permanent wild cards, selected by the SGP Commission – or four if the SEC winner has already qualified via the Speedway GP top seven or FIM SGP Challenge.
2026 DEWALT FIM SPEEDWAY GP OF POLAND – TORUN LINE-UP:
95. Bartosz Zmarzlik (Poland)
101. Brady Kurtz (Australia)
99. Dan Bewley (Great Britain)
66. Fredrik Lindgren (Sweden)
105. Anders Thomsen (Denmark – substitute for Jack Holder)
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. Maksymilian Pawelczak (Poland – wild card)
17. Antoni Kawczynski (Poland – first track reserve)
18. Mikolaj Duchinski (Poland – second track reserve)
TORUN FANZONE
Enjoy an afternoon packed with entertainment in the DEWALT FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Torun fanzone on Saturday.
The fanzone will be open in the area behind bends three and four from 13:30 local time, 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.
Meet Monster Energy athletes Fredrik Lindgren and Patryk Dudek and grab some goodies at the Monster Energy Rig Riot from 17:00.
Ahead of this, as part of Monster Energy’s Triple Crown series, fans can test their reactions on Monster Energy’s starting machine throughout the afternoon for the chance to win a custom Torun helmet. The winner also takes on the fastest fans from Wroclaw and Lodz in a Triple Crown showdown at 17:30 for the chance to win a trip to a world-class weekend of motorsport in Valencia this November, courtesy of Monster Energy.
Win exclusive Speedway GP prizes in our quiz on the big screen at 15:15. There will also be live coverage of Qualifying from 14:00 – with vital Speedway GP World Championship points on the line in the sprint race.
We will have an interview with special VIP guests from 16:15 and 17:30. 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 the Monster Energy Rig, face painting, other photo opportunities, the We Love Speedway sign, food and drink stalls, Speedway GP and rider merchandise shops 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.
Lambert will meet the fans in his adopted home city. PHOTO: Wojciech Tarchalski
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
LATVIA/THE BALTICS: Live on Go3 and HBO Max
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
