Speedway GP in Wrocław: Bartosz Zmarzlik triumphed after weather chaos

Anyone who had planned to watch the first of three Grand Prix events in Poland, held in Breslau (Wroclaw), before the German football team’s match against the Ivory Coast in Toronto had their plans thoroughly thwarted by the weather. When the TV broadcast began, both the riders’ pits and the track were under water following heavy rainfall. Just as the race was finally due to start, the power supply failed and the officials even prepared for a flag start. Fortunately, the power came back on and, at 9.50 pm, the Wrocław Grand Prix finally got underway.

Once the race got under way, it became clear that postponing the start had been the right decision, as the work carried out on the track paid off and an entertaining Grand Prix unfolded, although in the first eight heats all the winners started from the outermost grid position and only Maciej Janowski fought his way to the front rather than leading from the start. World Championship rivals Bartosz Zmarzlik and Brady Kurtz were also able to capitalise on the yellow starting position in the second heat, each securing their first victory on their second outing. The day’s racing came to a premature end in the second heat for the Australians Jason Doyle and Jack Holder, who were forced to retire injured following a crash in the first corner involving Kacper Woryna.

Kurtz caught Zmarzlik off guard

In the 16th heat, Bartosz Zmarzlik and Brady Kurtz faced each other for the first time; initially, the Pole was in the lead, but Kurtz moved onto the outside line as early as the starting bend and was able to overtake the World Champion as they exited the final bend, winning the clash in the heats. This gave the World Championship leader an advantage over Zmarzlik in the battle for direct qualification to the final, particularly as the Australian also had to start from the yellow grid position in his final heat, although the other grid positions proved more advantageous as the race progressed.

Both Kurtz and Zmarzlik won their final heats, thereby securing direct qualification for the final. In the last-chance qualifiers, Robert Lambert initially came out on top, having claimed two heat victories towards the end of the race, and he continued this run of form by reaching the final. In the second Last-Chance Qualifier, three Danes faced off against wildcard rider Maciej Janowski, who had won the sprint race that afternoon and bagged four extra World Championship points. After a dramatic first lap, in which the lead changed hands three times, Michael Jepsen Jensen came out on top, securing his place in the final.

Kurtz drops down the overall standings

With the first pick, Kurtz secured the inside starting position in the final, but multi-champion Zmarzlik came up from the outside and overtook the Australian. Kurtz fell even further back over the course of the four laps, losing not only second place in the day’s standings but also the lead in the World Championship, which Zmarzlik now holds, three points ahead of him.

Die Top-3 (v.l.) von Breslau: Lambert, Zmarzlik und Jensen

Foto: jarek pabijan

Results: Speedway Grand Prix, Wrocław/PL: