LEBEDEVS: GOING FOR THE WIN

Latvian ace Andzejs Lebedevs is dreaming of his first Speedway GP victory after paying an emotional tribute to everyone who helped him reach his first SGP podium in Landshut last Saturday.

The two-time Speedway European Championship winner enjoyed an unforgettable WWK FIM Speedway GP of Germany – Landshut. 

First, he took fourth place in the sprint race to earn an extra championship point. He then ended his heats with two victories to finish third on the score chart, earning first choice of gates for the last-chance qualifier. 

Lebedevs won LCQ1 convincingly to reach only his second Speedway GP final, before taking third place, joining winner Bartosz Zmarzlik and runner-up Dan Bewley on the podium.

Lebedevs cried tears of joy as he celebrated the greatest SGP result of his career so far – building on his first final appearance in Vojens last season, when he took fourth place. 

And as Latvia’s first full-time Speedway GP rider hailed everyone who has helped him get this far, the Daugavpils-born racer underlined his determination to go further. 

He said: “I want to say a big thank you to Speedway Club Lokomotiv in Daugavpils. They gave me a chance to be a professional speedway rider. Without my city and my club, I would never be here. 

“I want to say a very special thank you to all the fans around Latvia and in my hometown Daugavpils for giving me a chance to be here. I also want to thank my beautiful wife and my kids.

“I am really satisfied with myself and my team. I am happy and I feel like I have won this GP round. Another wall has been broken and now the bank is open. This season I want to win my first round. Hopefully I can focus for the rest of the season, and I must be consistent.

“Now we have an extra qualification spot – the top seven stay in for 2026. That’s the main goal for me, but maybe we can go for something more.”

Lebedevs admits stepping up his schedule and racing for Vojens club Sønderjylland Elite Speedway in Denmark has made a real difference, in addition to his PGE Ekstraliga matches for Gorzow in Poland and Bauhaus Elitserien side Dackarna in Sweden.

“Two meetings in Denmark really helped me,” he said. “I scored 15 and paid 17 points in those meetings for Vojens and that’s key for my form. Racing two or three times a week is what I like.

“Last year I raced over 70 meetings without Britain and that shows how I like to do it. It really gives me a lot. If Sweden had as many meetings as the UK, it would be nice for me.”