Speedway World Cup in Warsaw live stream: What the captains are predicting

The last Speedway World Cup final could hardly have been more dramatic; the tension reached its peak in the final heat of the evening in Wrocław, when Maciej Janowski secured the title for Poland. Apart from Janusz Kolodziej, who is replaced by Kacper Woryna, Poland are fielding the same team as in 2023; captain Bartosz Zmarzlik spoke on behalf of the host nation after training in Warsaw. “I’m delighted to be back at the PGE Narodowy; it’s a privilege to be here and to ride for Poland in red and white. I want to make this evening something very special,” said Zmarzlik, who made his World Cup debut for his country in 2015 and won gold with Poland for the first time in 2016. “We have a great history in the World Cup and will do everything we can to make our dream of gold come true. There are a whole host of important speedway decisions this year, but this one is the most important.”

A debut for Brady Kurtz

Whilst Zmarzlik has already won gold three times in the World Cup, Brady Kurtz will be competing in his first World Cup final, having been a reserve in 2016 but not featuring in the race. “It’s brilliant to be here. It’s my first time, and as captain too – that’s a very special moment,” he said, expressing his excitement ahead of the race in Warsaw, where the Australian team will be without Jack Holder, one of the heroes of last year’s triumph at the Speedway of Nations. “It’s a shame Jack isn’t with us. He helped lead us here, alongside me, with our victory at the Nations. It’s a bit of a blow for us.”

Alongside GP riders Max Fricke and Jason Doyle, Ryan Douglas and next year’s GP rider Rohan Tungate complete the line-up for the men from Down Under. Kurtz: “I remain very confident that we have a strong team. I believe both Ryan and Rohan have enormous potential. Ryan is one of the four regular riders and has had two good seasons. I’m confident that both of them can put in a good performance.”

There is also great anticipation in the Danish camp, as captain Michael Jepsen Jensen emphasises. “It’s going to be brilliant – it’ll be one of the best events in many years and the venue makes it even better,” says the 34-year-old. “I think the atmosphere in the team is good; we’re working well together and it’ll be exciting to see what lies ahead. It’ll be a very close contest, and we’ll have to give it our all. We’ve got a strong line-up, so anything could happen.”

Great Britain is significantly weakened

The British team, which secured its place in the World Cup final with a victory in the semi-final in Landshut, has been hit by injuries and a retirement. “At the start of the season, we were confident that, if everyone was fit, we could challenge for gold. But it’s going to be very tough for us, and we need to set realistic targets. If we can compete for a medal, we’d be very happy with how the weekend goes. These are very unfortunate circumstances for us. We’d hoped that Tai Woffinden would be fully fit again, but he’s picked up another injury and has since retired. On top of that, we’ve had the misfortune of losing Dan Bewley to injury as well,” said captain Robert Lambert. “When it comes to the World Cup, it’s the highlight of our sport, and every rider wants to be in the team. Competing in this stadium is going to be incredible, and leading the team is always a pleasure. We’ve now brought in a few young riders, which is good for the future. It’ll be a great experience for them, and it’ll be exciting to see what they’re capable of. We’re all excited and keen to see where we stand. We’re in high spirits.”

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The World Cup final will be broadcast on Saturday evening from 6.40 pm via a pay-per-view livestream on Discovery+. The competition, comprising 20 heats, will start at 7 pm.

Speedway World Cup line-up, Final, Warsaw/PL: