FIM Speedway

AUSSIE FRONTRUNNER TUNGATE READY TO SWAP SGP UNBEATEN STREAK FOR FULL-TIME SPOT

Australian Championship leader Rohan Tungate admits he would love to lose his unbeaten FIM Speedway Grand Prix record as he fights for a place in this season’s Speedway GP qualifiers.Tungate heads to his home track at Kurri Kurri on Sunday for leg two of the five-round Australian Championship series.While he finished second to Speedway GP first reserve Max Fricke at the opener in Brisbane last Thursday, Tungate left with the most championship points – scoring 16, with Fricke and national team colleague Jaimon Lidsey tied on 15. Josh Pickering is chasing on 12, with brothers Chris and Jack Holder level on 10.The top four riders in the Aussie Championship series are guaranteed places in the Speedway GP qualifying rounds, giving them a chance to reach the FIM GP Challenge in Pardubice on October 4, where the top three riders will secure their spots in the 2025 Speedway GP series.Tungate made one Speedway GP appearance in 2017, collecting two heat wins as a track reserve at the Australian round in Melbourne. His lightning starts left the competition trailing and Tungate could have reached the semi-finals had he been afforded one or two more heat rides.Those victories leave Tungate with a 100 percent record in Speedway GP. But he admits he would much rather lose this tag and have the chance to test himself at that level regularly than cling on to his unbeaten streak.He said: “Hopefully I can get into the GPs and that record won’t exist anymore! At the moment, it’s a pretty nice thing to have, but I would much rather be in the GPs than have that.“I will do these Aussie rounds and try to qualify for the GP qualification and go down that road again. “I have done the SGP qualifiers a couple of times. You have to be on form, but you also have to have a bit of luck with the gate draw.“There’s a lot that goes into it and obviously form is the most important. You also have to have some luck here and there. It’s not an easy path. It’s the only way in, but it’s pretty difficult.”AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (AFTER ROUND 1/5): 1 Rohan Tungate 16, 2 Max Fricke 15, 3 Jaimon Lidsey 15, 4 Josh Pickering 12, 5 Chris Holder 10, 6 Jack Holder 10, 7 Brady Kurtz 8, 8 Ryan Douglas 8, 9 James Pearson 7, 10 Sam Masters 7, 11 Ben Cook 6, 12 Keynan Rew 5, 13 Tate Zischke 5, 14 Zach Cook 4, 15 Fraser Bowes 1, 16 Michael West 1. 

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CIESLAK: JANOWSKI'S BRITISH MOVE UNDERLINES HIS AMBITION

Former Polish team manager Marek Cieslak hailed former world No.3 Maciej Janowski’s decision to return to Britain for 2024, admitting “he could focus only on Poland and enjoy a comfortable life.”Janowski will spearhead Oxford Spires’ bid for Sports Insure Premiership glory as he rides regularly in the UK for the first time since winning a third straight Elite League title with the Poole Pirates in 2015.The Wroclaw hero lost his Speedway GP status for the first time since he joined the series in 2015 after finishing 14th in the 2023 Speedway GP World Championship – just a year after winning the bronze medal in 2022.But Cieslak believes Magic’s decision to take on the British top flight underlines his intention to fight his way back into the Speedway GP elite.Speaking to Sportowefakty.pl, he said: “His recent decisions show that he still wants to pursue serious racing. Returning to regular racing in the UK is a very positive sign that he still wants to. After all, after being eliminated from the GP, he could focus only on Poland and enjoy a comfortable life. “However, it is clear that he still has ambitions, and perhaps he just lacked new stimuli. Thanks to this, he should regain the joy of riding, but above all, it will be easier for him to ride in the PGE Ekstraliga.”While Cieslak admits riders get paid much more for racing in Poland, he believes the sporting benefits to Janowski could be huge.He said: “If it was just about sports, many other riders should follow in his footsteps. I remember from my career that when I returned to Poland from Great Britain, I could ride on our tracks with one hand.  There you can really work on your technical deficiencies and, above all, gain the right riding rhythm and self-confidence. “However, I realise that for financial reasons, this is not a particular attraction for anyone, so I appreciate Janowski's decision even more.”

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PRZEMEK PAWLICKI MAKES GRINDSTED RETURN

Polish star Przemyslaw Pawlicki is the latest former Speedway GP rider to take his place at Danish club Grindsted for 2024.The 2017 FIM GP Challenge winner joins triple world champion Nicki Pedersen and Kenneth Bjerre at the club, as well as French international David Bellego.Pawlicki impressed in Grindsted colours in 2023 and is delighted to be back. He told the club’s Facebook page: “I am very happy to be signing again in Grindsted. I like the track, the atmosphere and the fans. The plans for the season are to aim as high as possible.”Grindsted boss Chris Pedersen admits Pawlicki’s ability to win races when it mattered most persuaded him to retain a rider, who will also compete for PGE Ekstraliga newcomers Zielona Gora in Poland and Piraterna in Sweden.He said: “Przemyslaw was naturally a rider we would really like to continue with in Grindsted. He was the key rider for us last season, he is just super sharp on all types of tracks, and super skilful at closing the matches in the last, decisive heats. “Przemyslaw goes in with a relatively high average for the upcoming season of 1.970, so it has been a small puzzle we've had average limit-wise, but we've come up with some exciting opportunities with the composition of our team for the next season.”

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FINNISH RACER MUSTONEN ADDED TO GORZOW SQUAD

Finnish international Jesse Mustonen has been added to Polish club Gorzow’s squad for 2024.Mustonen, 28, was part of the Finnish squad which stunned the sport as it reached the 2022 FIM Speedway of Nations Final in Vojens – booking the team’s place at the 2023 Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup in Wroclaw.He was recommended to the club by former Gorzow rider Cezary Owiżyc, and the four-time Finnish national champion hopes to fight his way into the side.But with Gorzow boasting world No.3 Martin Vaculik and Danish racer Anders Thomsen as its foreign stars, it’s unlikely he will be called into action unless one of these two is sidelined by injury, with Ekstraliga teams limited to just two senior foreigners in their starting septet.Elsewhere, Czestochowa has added Swedish rider Anton Karlsson, French international Steven Goret and Australia’s Mitchell Cluff to its Under-24 Ekstraliga squad for this year.

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FRICKE WINS AUSSIE CHAMPIONSHIP OPENER AS TUNGATE TOPS STANDINGS

Triple Australian champion Max Fricke launched his bid for title No.4 with victory in round one at North Brisbane on Thursday, but second place was enough for Rohan Tungate to top the standings.Fricke won the final, passing former champion Tungate for victory, with 2020 World Under-21 champion Jaimon Lidsey third and Josh Pickering fourth.Victory in the final gave Fricke four points – added to the 11 he scored in the heats – as he left Mick Doohan Raceway with 15 in total. But with Tungate scoring 13 in the heats and three more for finishing second in the final, the Oxford signing leads the championship standings on 16 as he heads to home track Kurri Kurri for round two on Sunday. Lidsey also raced to 13 in the heats, meaning third place and two points in the final were enough to leave him tied on 15 overall with Fricke.Brothers Chris and Jack Holder both fell short of the final, leaving them joint fifth overall. Despite scoring 10 apiece in the heats, they both finished fourth in their respective semis, with Brady Kurtz and Ryan Douglas also missing out on the final, having tallied eight apiece in the heats, leaving them level in seventh.Speedway GP star Jack Holder now heads to his local event at Kurri Kurri determined to close the gap to top spot, as he bids to defend the national title that he won for the first time in 2023.After Sunday’s showdown at Kurri Kurri, the championship heads to Albury-Wodonga on Tuesday, before moving to Mildura next Thursday and concluding at Gillman on January 13.AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (AFTER ROUND 1/5): 1 Rohan Tungate 16, 2 Max Fricke 15, 3 Jaimon Lidsey 15, 4 Josh Pickering 12, 5 Chris Holder 10, 6 Jack Holder 10, 7 Brady Kurtz 8, 8 Ryan Douglas 8, 9 James Pearson 7, 10 Sam Masters 7, 11 Ben Cook 6, 12 Keynan Rew 5, 13 Tate Zischke 5, 14 Zach Cook 4, 15 Fraser Bowes 1, 16 Michael West 1. NORTH BRISBANE HEAT SCORES: 1 Jaimon Lidsey 13, 2 Rohan Tungate 13, 3 Max Fricke 11, 4 Josh Pickering 11, 5 Chris Holder 10, 6 Jack Holder 10, 7 Brady Kurtz 8, 8 Ryan Douglas 8, 9 James Pearson 7, 10 Sam Masters 7, 11 Ben Cook 6, 12 Keynan Rew 5, 13 Tate Zischke 5, 14 Zach Cook 4, 15 Fraser Bowes 1, 16 Michael West 1, 17 Declan Kennedy DNR, 18 Flynn Nicol DNR.SEMI-FINAL 1: Fricke, Lidsey, Kurtz, C Holder.SEMI-FINAL 2: Tungate, Pickering, J Holder, DouglasFINAL: Fricke, Tungate, Lidsey, Pickering.

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HOLDER: SEMI-FINAL HEARTBREAK SPURRED SPEEDWAY GP SURGE

World No.4 Jack Holder admits falling narrowly short of the FIM Speedway GP of Croatia semi-finals spurred him into top form as he bids to win a second straight Australian Championship – starting at North Brisbane on Thursday.The Appin-born star takes on the likes of his 2012 Speedway GP world title-winning brother Chris and triple Aussie champion Max Fricke for Aussie speedway’s biggest prize as he bids to make a flying start to 2024.Holder began 2023 on a huge high, winning the final Australian Championship round at the Mick Doohan Raceway to clinch his first national senior title and deny 2017 Speedway GP world champion Jason Doyle the prize.It was the start of an excellent season for the Sheffield and Lublin star, who went on to reach five Speedway GP finals, claiming seconds in Warsaw and Cardiff and third places in Prague, Teterow and Vojens. Had Holder not missed the round in Riga due to a broken wrist, there is every chance he could have pipped Martin Vaculik to the bronze medal, falling just two points short of the Slovak star.But another cruel moment came at the opening round in Croatia, where Holder tied on eight race points and also on countback with Fredrik Lindgren and Max Fricke for the last semi-final place. The Swede progressed by virtue of finishing higher in the 2022 championship and Holder had to settle for eight championship points, when he could have scored up to 20 had he won the final.It only added to the Aussie champion’s motivation as he reached the semis at all the other eight rounds he contested. Reflecting on his Croatian heartbreak, he said: “I was pretty annoyed about the whole situation. I promised myself I wouldn’t be in this situation again – I made sure of it. This year semi-finals came all the time, except for in the first one. It’s always a big relief when you get into the semi.”Holder could have left Warsaw with a couple more championship points and his first Speedway GP win as he was comfortably leading the first run of the final.The action was stopped when Doyle crashed as he battled Bartosz Zmarzlik for third place, and Holder was forced to make do with second behind Lindgren in the re-run.“I definitely think I should have won the Warsaw GP,” Holder said. “But I can’t dwell on that. It happens. I could have been in Freddie’s spot, got the luck of the green and won the re-run.“Everyone was thinking me getting to the final was a fluke and all this kind of stuff. But I backed it up with two podiums straight after that one and reached more podiums throughout the year.”Holder appears to be edging closer to his first Speedway GP victory, but knows points make prizes on the sport’s biggest stage.“Of course, I really want that win,” he said. “But I just want to take as many points as I can until the last Grand Prix next season, and then we will see where we are.”Before taking on the Speedway GP elite, Holder goes for Aussie title No.2 over five rounds, starting at North Brisbane on Thursday, with the event promoted by former SGP winner Darcy Ward.As well as facing off with older brother Chris and Fricke, Jack also comes up against former champions Rohan Tungate, Brady Kurtz and Sam Masters, along with 2020 FIM Speedway Under-21 world champion Jaimon Lidsey.The 2022 Australian Under-21 champion Keynan Rew, who finished fourth in the SGP2 series last year, could emerge as a medal contender, with Josh Pickering, Queensland ace Ryan Douglas and brothers Ben and Zach Cook also keen to make an impact.New Australian Under-21 champion Michael West takes his place in the series, along with Fraser Bowes and James Pearson, who have featured for Australia in the SON2 events. The line-up for each round will be completed by a wild card, with Workington newcomer and Ward protegee Tate Zischke selected for North Brisbane.After the North Brisbane showdown, the action moves to Kurri Kurri in New South Wales’ Hunter Valley region on Sunday.Albury-Wodonga on the NSW-Victorian border hosts round three on Tuesday, with Victoria’s famous Olympic Park in Mildura staging the penultimate meeting on January 11. The champion will be crowned at iconic Adelaide venue Gillman in South Australia on January 13.

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AUSSIE FRONTRUNNER TUNGATE READY TO SWAP SGP UNBEATEN STREAK FOR FULL-TIME SPOT

CIESLAK: JANOWSKI'S BRITISH MOVE UNDERLINES HIS AMBITION

PRZEMEK PAWLICKI MAKES GRINDSTED RETURN

FINNISH RACER MUSTONEN ADDED TO GORZOW SQUAD

FRICKE WINS AUSSIE CHAMPIONSHIP OPENER AS TUNGATE TOPS STANDINGS

HOLDER: SEMI-FINAL HEARTBREAK SPURRED SPEEDWAY GP SURGE