Australian champion Brady Kurtz describes it as “pretty crazy” to achieve a hat trick of wins at the FIM Speedway Grand Prix, following his victory in the OlyBet FIM Speedway GP of Latvia in Riga on Saturday, August 2.
Kurtz narrowed five-time Speedway GP World Champion Bartosz Zmarzlik’s lead in the World Championship from nine to three points after his win in Latvia. He finished ahead of Swedish star Fredrik Lindgren in second place and Latvian standout Andzejs Lebedevs, who took third and thrilled the home crowd with his second podium of 2025. Zmarzlik finished the race in fourth.
Victory on his first-ever visit to Bikernieki Speedway Stadium allowed Kurtz to build on his Speedway GP victories in Gorzow, Poland, on June 21, and Malilla, Sweden, on July 5, intensifying the fight for the SGP World title.
Kurtz heads to his Polish home track, Wroclaw, for the penultimate round of the series on August 30 with an opportunity to capture the series lead going into the final round at the Deluxe Homeart FIM Speedway GP of Denmark-Vojens on September 13.
The 28-year-old was elated to win his third Speedway GP after bouncing back from a last-place finish in his opening race before fighting his way through a last-chance qualifier for the first time to reach his seventh final in eight rounds this season.
“Three in a row is pretty crazy, really,” Kurtz said. “It was a tough night. It started off terribly, but we got the bike working, and I started making good starts, which was super important. I made two good starts at the end. I didn’t know which gate to choose for the last-chance race. I went with gate one, and no one else really seemed to want gate one. I am not sure why.
“I made it work, and it was nice to hit the front. I was actually happy to make the final. After the way the night started, I was super happy just to be in the final. To make another start then win it was cool.”
With just two rounds left in the 2025 season, Zmarzlik leads the championship with 145 points, followed by Kurtz with 142. Lindgren is a distant third with 117 points, nine points ahead of Dan Bewley.CN
2025 FIM Speedway GP Round 8 Results
Final (Top 5)
- Brady Kurtz
- Fredrik Lindgren
- Andzejs Lebedevs
- Bartosz Zmarzlik
- Jack Holder
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