LAMBERT'S SPEEDWAY GP VICTORY QUEST

Great Britain racer Robert Lambert admits he needs to “trust the process” in his quest for a maiden FIM Speedway Grand Prix victory.

The Norfolk ace has been GB’s top performer in the Speedway GP series for the past two seasons, finishing fifth in 2022 and sixth last year. But he is still battling to join the SGP winner’s club.

Lambert has reached five Speedway GP finals so far – achieving two seconds, a third and two fourth places. But as he prepares for the season-opening FIM Speedway GP of Croatia in Donji Kraljevec on April 27, he would love to end his wait for a victory.

He said: “I have been looking for that GP win. I want to get on top of the podium. But I think I need to trust the process that little bit more. I have confidence in myself. I will let it play out and within time, it is going to come.”

Lambert led GB to FIM Speedway of Nations gold in 2021 and also won the 2020 Speedway European Championship, so he has proved he can deliver when the stakes are high on the shale. Now he’s determined to bring that into Speedway GP.

He said: “You have your five heats and then it all starts again with the semi-finals. You need to get first or second in the semi and once that’s done, you’ve got the grand finale. Of course, it is just another race, and you need to look at it in that way. But there is definitely that little bit of extra pressure because you want to do well.

“I have really worked on some stuff in the winter to try and prepare myself in terms of taking it as it is – another race. I managed to pull it off many times in the SEC series and become European champion. I need to approach Speedway GP in the same way. I was looking back at my mental strategy and what I was doing in the meetings that gave me success. I just need to try and replicate that in Speedway GP.”

Lambert heads into 2024 at least hoping to earn automatic qualification for 2025 with a top-six finish. But after two rock-solid seasons, could a medal be on the cards for the Torun and Vastervik star?

“The main goal is to qualify myself for the following season,” he said. “That will stay the same this year. Obviously, medals are what I want to be collecting and the end goal is to be world champion. But we take one goal at a time, and we will see how things play out.”