Zmarzlik strikes back in Riga as Kurtz keeps the pressure on
A week after Brady Kurtz took possession of the Speedway GP championship lead in Lodz, Bartosz Zmarzlik has wrestled it back – but the Australian remains just four points adrift as an increasingly intriguing three-way world title battle heads towards its final two rounds.
Elation for Zmarzlik in Riga – Image by Marcin Karczewski
Riga’s revamped Bikernieki circuit hosted two nights of major international Speedway action, with Denmark first securing the final place in the FIM Speedway World Cup Final on Friday before Zmarzlik defeated Robert Lambert and Kurtz in Saturday’s DEWALT FIM Speedway GP of Latvia.
Kurtz had arrived in Latvia wearing the Golden Race Jacket after moving to the top of the standings in last weekend’s Lodz Speedway GP, where Lambert won and Zmarzlik missed the final.
Riga swung the advantage back towards the six-time World Champion, but with Zmarzlik on 129 points, Kurtz on 125 and Lambert now on 119, only 10 points cover the leading three with 48 points still available.
Zmarzlik takes his 31st Speedway GP victory
Zmarzlik bounced straight back from his Lodz disappointment with a record-extending 31st Speedway GP victory and his third triumph from just four Grand Prix visits to Bikernieki.
The Polish superstar was quickly into his stride with victory in Heat Two. Kacper Woryna beat Kurtz and Zmarzlik in Heat Five, but from there Zmarzlik reeled off wins in Heats 10, 15 and 20 to finish the qualifying heats on 13 points.
Zmarzlik and Lambert go wheel to wheel in Riga – Image by Taylor Lanning
That was enough to put him directly into the final, along with Lambert.
Kurtz and Woryna were forced to take the longer route through the Last Chance Qualifiers before joining them in the decider.
Zmarzlik then made the most of the inside gate in the final to defeat Lambert, with Kurtz third from gate four and Woryna fourth.
The victory extended Zmarzlik’s extraordinary record in the Latvian capital. He won the first two Riga Speedway GPs in 2023 and 2024 before Kurtz claimed victory there in 2025.
Bikernieki is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026 and underwent a significant overhaul ahead of this year’s event, with the corners widened, additional banking introduced and the track resurfaced.
Zmarzlik is attempting to become Speedway’s first seven-time individual World Champion, having already equalled Ivan Mauger and Tony Rickardsson with six crowns.
Rather than viewing the increasingly intense championship battle as an unwelcome complication, Zmarzlik appears to be enjoying having Kurtz and Lambert applying the pressure.
“The boys push me all the time, but I got into the final again. This is exciting.”
Kurtz came within a single point of denying Zmarzlik the 2025 championship and has again emerged as his closest rival this season, while Lambert’s recent surge has turned the contest into a genuine three-way affair.
Zmarzlik is trying not to frame the remaining two rounds in terms of what he must achieve.
“I don’t think ‘I must’, only ‘I can.’ I am super happy after Riga because I had the problem in Lodz. This was better and now we have two more rounds – let’s go!”
Kurtz makes it seven straight Speedway GP finals
Brady Kurtz might have surrendered the Golden Race Jacket, but another podium represented a valuable points haul on a night that did not entirely go his way.
Brady Kurtz took third spot in Riga – Image by Taylor Lanning
The Australian opened strongly by winning Heat Four ahead of Lambert, then followed Woryna home in Heat Five.
Kurtz added victories in Heats 12 and 14 and looked well positioned before finishing last in Heat 19, leaving him on 11 heat points and sending him into LCQ1.
He responded by winning the Last Chance Qualifier ahead of home hero Andzejs Lebedevs, fellow Australian Jason Doyle and Leon Madsen, extending Kurtz’s sequence to seven consecutive Speedway GP finals.
Gate four proved a tougher proposition in the decider and Kurtz eventually completed the podium behind Zmarzlik and Lambert.
Kurtz was not dwelling on the four-point championship swing.
“It’s only one final away from being back to exactly where we were before Saturday. I am not really too concerned about that.”
The Australian acknowledged that navigating the LCQ was not ideal but was happy to salvage another strong finish.
“I was just grateful to get through that and get into the final. It wasn’t my best. I made a decent start off four and thought I might have had a chance. Gate one was just way too good, but congratulations to Bartek.”
The title battle now pauses while the Speedway World Cup takes centre stage later this month.
Lambert now only 10 points from the lead
Robert Lambert’s late-season charge continued in Riga as the British rider reached his fourth consecutive Speedway GP podium.
Lambert reached his fourth straight Speedway GP podium – Image by Taylor Lanning
Even more significantly, all four of those results have been top-two finishes.
Lambert followed consecutive second places in Wroclaw and Malilla by winning in Lodz and taking another runner-up finish in Riga.
He scored 12 points through Saturday’s five heats to advance directly into the final alongside Zmarzlik, and the 18 championship points he collected for second place took him to 119.
That leaves Lambert six points behind Kurtz and 10 behind Zmarzlik.
“It’s a great thing for people to be talking about – there’s some excitement around the top three,” Lambert said.
“I’ll just ride my bike and do the best I can, and we’ll see where it leaves me at the end of the season.”
With Zmarzlik, Kurtz and Lambert having now shared three of the last four Speedway GP finals, there is precious little separating the championship contenders heading towards Vojens and Torun.
Doyle and Fricke also make the LCQs
Australia’s other two starters in Riga, Jason Doyle and Max Fricke, both progressed from the heats into the Last Chance Qualifiers.
Doyle recovered from a scoreless opening ride with consecutive second places in Heats Seven, Nine and 14 before adding another point behind Zmarzlik and Lambert in Heat 20.
His seven-point tally put him into LCQ1 alongside Kurtz, where he finished third and missed the final.
Fricke also accumulated seven points, highlighted by second place behind Zmarzlik in Heat Two and another runner-up result behind Lambert in Heat 11.
Fricke finished third behind Woryna and Patryk Dudek in LCQ2.
Doyle was consequently classified seventh overall and collected 10 championship points, with Fricke eighth and earning nine.
Jack Holder remained sidelined through injury, with Jan Kvech replacing him in the Riga field.
Riga top trio Robert Lambert, Bartosz Zmarzlik, Brady Kurtz – Image by Marcin Karczewski
2026 FIM Speedway GP of Latvia – Riga Results
Pos
Rider
Nation
Champ. Pts
1
Bartosz Zmarzlik
POL
20
2
Robert Lambert
GBR
18
3
Brady Kurtz
AUS
16
4
Kacper Woryna
POL
14
5
Patryk Dudek
POL
12
6
Andzejs Lebedevs
LAT
11
7
Jason Doyle
AUS
10
8
Max Fricke
AUS
9
9
Michael Jepsen Jensen
DEN
8
10
Leon Madsen
DEN
7
11
Jan Kvech
CZE
6
12
Kai Huckenbeck
GER
5
13
Fredrik Lindgren
SWE
4
14
Nazar Parnitskyi
UKR
3
15
Daniils Kolodinskis
LAT
2
16
Anders Thomsen
DEN
1
17
Olegs Mihailovs
LAT
0
18
Jevgenijs Kostigovs
LAT
0
2026 FIM Speedway GP Championship Standings after Round Eight
Pos
Rider
Nation
Pts
1
Bartosz Zmarzlik
POL
129
2
Brady Kurtz
AUS
125
3
Robert Lambert
GBR
119
4
Michael Jepsen Jensen
DEN
88
5
Patryk Dudek
POL
81
6
Kacper Woryna
POL
78
7
Leon Madsen
DEN
72
8
Max Fricke
AUS
71
9
Andzejs Lebedevs
LAT
60
10
Jason Doyle
AUS
59
11
Anders Thomsen
DEN
55
12
Jack Holder
AUS
55
13
Jan Kvech
CZE
52
14
Dominik Kubera
POL
31
15
Nazar Parnitskyi
UKR
20
16
Dan Bewley
GBR
18
17
Kai Huckenbeck
GER
18
18
Fredrik Lindgren
SWE
16
19
Maciej Janowski
POL
11
20
Kim Nilsson
SWE
9
Denmark fights back to book Warsaw World Cup berth
The Grand Prix followed another major night of Speedway at Bikernieki on Friday, when Denmark secured the fourth and final place in the 2026 FIM Speedway World Cup Final.
The Danes claim the last ticket to Warsaw – Image by Marcin Karczewski
It was far from straightforward.
Denmark managed just three points from the opening four heats of Semi-Final 2 and initially looked a long way from the team that had arrived as favourite to progress.
Team manager Nicki Pedersen gathered his riders after the nightmare opening and the Danes subsequently transformed their evening, eventually running out convincing winners with 40 points.
Leon Madsen led Denmark with 14 points, Mikkel Michelsen added 10 and captain Michael Jepsen Jensen contributed nine. Frederik Jakobsen scored four and Anders Thomsen three.
Sweden and Latvia both finished on 32 points, with Sweden awarded second place on countback after recording five heat wins to Latvia’s three.
Kim Nilsson led Sweden with 11 points, while Andzejs Lebedevs delivered 14 for the home nation.
Norway scored 15 points on its Speedway World Cup Semi-Final debut, headed by Mathias Pollestad with six.
Michelsen expects a Warsaw thriller
Denmark’s victory sets up a formidable four-team showdown at Warsaw’s PGE Narodowy on August 29.
The Danes join host nation and reigning Speedway World Cup champion Poland, 2025 FIM Speedway of Nations World Champion Australia and Semi-Final 1 winner Great Britain.
It is a repeat of the four countries that contested the 2023 Speedway World Cup Final at Wroclaw, when only six points separated the entire field.
Michelsen believes this year’s Warsaw meeting has all the ingredients to be another classic.
“I think it’s going to be a thriller in Warsaw. I think it’s going to be the most exciting SWC to watch in many years.”
Denmark will need to avoid repeating its Riga start against opposition of that calibre, something Michelsen freely acknowledged after Friday’s comeback.
The Polish side will have Zmarzlik carrying enormous momentum into its home Final, while Great Britain brings a Lambert currently in the form of his career.
Australia, meanwhile, arrives as the reigning Speedway of Nations World Champion and has four riders inside the top 12 of the individual World Championship despite Holder’s current injury absence – Kurtz second, Fricke eighth, Doyle 10th and Holder 12th.
2026 FIM Speedway World Cup Semi-Final 2 – Riga Results
Pos
Nation / Riders
Pts
1
Denmark
Leon Madsen 14, Mikkel Michelsen 10, Michael Jepsen Jensen 9, Frederik Jakobsen 4, Anders Thomsen 3
40
2
Sweden
Kim Nilsson 11, Jacob Thorssell 9, Timo Lahti 6, Fredrik Lindgren 6, Oliver Berntzon 0
32
3
Latvia
Andzejs Lebedevs 14, Daniils Kolodinskis 8, Jevgenijs Kostigovs 4, Francis Gusts 4, Olegs Mihailovs 2
32
4
Norway
Mathias Pollestad 6, Lasse Fredriksen 4, Glenn Moi 3, Truls Kamhaug 2, Magnus Klipper 0
15
Speedway World Cup Final – Warsaw
Nation
Qualification
Poland
Host / reigning champion
Australia
2025 Speedway of Nations World Champion
Great Britain
Semi-Final 1 winner
Denmark
Semi-Final 2 winner
Up next
The individual title contenders now have a break from Speedway GP competition while attention switches to the BOLL FIM Speedway World Cup Final at Warsaw’s PGE Narodowy on August 29.
Zmarzlik and Poland will attempt to defend their World Cup crown on home soil against Australia, Great Britain and Denmark.
The Speedway GP World Championship resumes with the Deluxe Homeart FIM Speedway GP of Denmark at Vojens on September 12.
Zmarzlik will arrive with 129 points, Kurtz with 125, and Lambert with 119 before the championship, then head to Torun for the final round on September 26.
With 48 championship points still available and only 10 separating the leading three, the 2026 title remains very much alive.