Polish racer Bartosz Zmarzlik emerged victorious after battling Brady Kurtz and Robert Lambert, recapturing the SpeedwayGP World Championship lead at the FIM SpeedwayGP of Latvia in Riga on Saturday, August 8.
Zmarzlik stormed to a record-extending 31st SpeedwayGP victory and an incredible third win in just four visits to Riga’s Bikernieki Speedway Stadium.
The 31-year-old topped the podium ahead of title rival Robert Lambert of Great Britain, who finished second, with Australia’s Brady Kurtz third and Poland’s Kacper Woryna fourth.
Zmarzlik now holds a four-point lead at the top of the SpeedwayGP standings with 129 points, while Kurtz is second with 125 and Lambert third with 119. With just 10 points separating the trio and 48 still on the table across the final two rounds in Vojens on September 12 and Torun on September 26, the series is set for an interesting finale.
The top trio has faced each other in three of the last four SGP finals, and Zmarzlik is enjoying a contest from which he hopes to emerge as speedway’s first-ever seven-time World Champion. He said, “The boys push me all the time, but I got into the final again. This is exciting because I was asking Brady and Robert before the final, ‘Hey boys, how many times have we raced in the final? How many good races have we had together?’
“I am happy about this one,” he added. “It was a super good day for me. I have many good memories from this place. I am very proud and happy again.”
Kurtz came within a point of denying Zmarzlik SpeedwayGP World Championship gold in 2025 and now the Pole is facing a huge challenge from Lambert too this season.
While claiming the 2026 crown could be Zmarzlik’s toughest challenge yet, the Lublin and Lejonen man insisted, “For the last 10 years, I have had a big challenge every year. I treat them the same all the time. I just do my job and give full focus all the time. Every year is a different story, but I must put in a good performance.”
Runner-up Lambert said, “It’s a great thing for people to be talking about. There’s some excitement around the top three. 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. It seems to be going well at the moment. I am happy with that, and I am in a nice, comfortable position going into the last two.”CN
2026 FIM SpeedwayGP Round 8 Results
FINAL
- Bartosz Zmarzlik
- Robert Lambert
- Brady Kurtz
- Kacper Woryna
