Vaculik wins in Wroclaw – FIM Speedway GP Round Eight

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Vaculik wins in Wroclaw - FIM Speedway GP Round Eight

2024 FIM Speedway GP World Championship
Round Eight – FIM Speedway GP Poland – Wroclaw

Slovakian star Martin Vaculik admitted a small gap made a big difference in the race for the podium at the FIM Speedway Grand Prix as he quickly secured a medal with victory at the DeWalt FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Wroclaw on Saturday.

Vaculik topped the podium on a spectacular night of racing at the sold-out Olympic Stadium, taking the overall win ahead of Swede Fredrik Lindgren in second, Britain’s Robert Lambert in third and Denmark’s Mikkel Michelsen in fourth.

With Speedway GP World Championship leader Bartosz Zmarzlik suffering a mechanical failure in the second semi-final, ending the night with 10 championship points to move up to 121st overall, Lindgren and Lambert are now just 15 points behind the Pole – level on 106, with the Swede in second and the Briton third thanks to Lindgren’s Speedway GP win in Gorzow on 29 June.

Silver and bronze are highly anticipated, with Vaculik’s win moving him up to fifth on 95 points – six points behind Michelsen, who is on 101 in fourth. Australian star Jack Holder is also in contention for a medal in sixth on 93 points, despite leaving the Wroclaw event with a modest six championship points.

As the race for the podium warms up ahead of the final three rounds in Latvia’s capital Riga next Saturday, before moving on to Denmark’s famous Vojens venue on September 14 and Poland’s iconic Torun club on September 28, Vaculik is delighted to have found the winning formula in Wroclaw.

Vaculik became the first rider to win a second Speedway GP this season – following his victory at his home event, the Czech Republic’s Orlen FIM Speedway GP – Prague on June 1.

His success at Speedway GP has taken the sport to unprecedented heights in his homeland, with every race televised on Slovakian national television RTVS and media and fans in both Slovakia and the Czech Republic inspired by his success, which saw him take bronze at the 2023 Speedway GP World Championship.

Vaculik is delighted to bring Slovakia back to the limelight of world motorsport in Wroclaw and is proud to see the sport develop in his homeland.

Martin Vaculik

“This championship just shows how close things are this season. The difference between winning and losing can be just a small mistake or something like that. Speedway racing is so close at the moment and everyone can win. This is what makes this series so exciting for the fans. It makes it harder for us, so I am very happy to win in Wroclaw. Everything went very well. My team did a great job. They read the track conditions very well. All the changes they made on the bike were correct. Even if we had a bad run, in the next run we knew what to do to get back up to speed, and this is very important in speedway racing. I am very happy with this result and I am very happy right now. But I am also keeping calm and focused on the rest of the season. I really enjoyed it, but there are still a few races left this season. I want to work hard and be fast. I also want to congratulate Freddie and Robert. They are very fast, and I am happy that I can be faster.

Martin Vaculik – Image by Jarek Pabijan

“Speedway racing in my country is growing and that is great news for me and for speedway racing in my country. Right now, we have about eight or 10 teenagers – young men racing. When I started and even a few years ago, there were hardly any. It doesn’t seem like much, but for us, it’s a lot of people racing. This is a big success and we can really help young men who want to race – and girls too. We have a girl racing. This is really my goal in Slovakia. One day when I finish, I want the sport to continue and I hope we will have more and more people racing. This is my big dream and I will do my best to make a name for speedway racing in my country.”

World number two Lindgren is determined to win every single race in his quest for a Speedway GP World Championship medal. Despite trailing leader Zmarzlik by just 15 points, the Orebro-born driver admits denying Poland’s best rider a fifth Speedway GP gold will not be an easy task.

Fredrik Lindgren

“Fifteen points is still a lot of points. It’s hard to get points in this championship. I’ll just take it one round at a time. Rob [Lambert] and I am fighting with Michelsen, Martin and Jack. The race for the medal is very tight. Every point is very important. Racing three rounds in three weeks is a big challenge and very stressful for us. You need to be in good shape in these last few weeks to be able to fight for the silver medal.”

Lambert, who finished third, suffered a minor but costly incident on the starting line, charging forward just before the tape was pulled up, forcing him to be content with a second successive third place in Wroclaw – repeating his performance in the 2022 event.

Regardless, Lambert remains optimistic as he continues his quest for a maiden Speedway GP win and a world championship medal.

Robert Lambert

“It’s great to be on the podium and in the final – that’s where the points come from. If you miss the final it’s a struggle. I’m happy with the result. Obviously, I’m a little disappointed with my mistake, but that’s not a problem because it makes me hungry and determined to build on this. I think the important thing for me is to keep growing. I’m still very young in this GP series and I have many years left. As long as I keep learning at every lap, I’m happy with that. The win will come one day. I’m pretty sure. When it happens, it will be a great moment. I’m happy. We’re in a good position and we’ll keep focusing in the last few laps. It’s very difficult at the beginning and any little mistake by any rider will cost us dearly. We’ll keep focusing, I’ll keep enjoying my bike and that’s the most important thing for me.”

Victoria player Max Fricke only managed four points in Wroclaw after a crash left him behind.

The SGP action will come thick and fast in the coming weeks. Lambert will return to Denmark’s Deluxe Homeart FIM Speedway GP – Vojens on September 14, where he has reached the final on his previous two visits. The series concludes with Poland’s DeWalt FIM Speedway GP – Torun on September 28, where Lambert will race on his home track in Poland.

But first, he is determined to focus on the Latvian OlyBet FIM Speedway GP – Riga next Saturday. “I am looking forward to Riga,” he said. “It is a challenging track and I like challenges. Vojens and Torun are still a long way away. For now, I am focused on Riga. We will see what we can do there.”