Zmarzlik wins rain-lashed Wrocław GP, reclaims Speedway Grand Prix lead after midnight finish
After a three-hour rain delay, a riders’ protest, and a power failure, Bartosz Zmarzlik swept past Brady Kurtz in the final of the 300th Speedway Grand Prix in Wrocław to regain the overall championship lead.
A wall of water
Forty minutes before the scheduled 19:00 start at the Olympic Stadium, a violent thunderstorm unloaded over Wrocław. The track turned into a lake within half an hour, and the pits flooded as mechanics rushed to move equipment. Rain warnings had been issued by RCB in the morning, but the sheer volume caught most by surprise. Organisers initially set a decision deadline for 20:00; at that moment the rain was still falling, and riders were visibly dismayed.
Riders unite, then a blackout
Phil Morris, the series director, told the riders that only a handful of Grand Prix rounds in history had ever been postponed and that today would not be one of them. The response was blunt. Patryk Dudek told the meeting the riders would not perform in such conditions, adding a sharp remark picked up by Polish broadcasts.
Let’s respect ourselves. We are not monkeys in a zoo.
With the pits still under water and the rain easing only sporadically, fire crews pumped out standing water while track staff swept the surface. At 21:30 the riders finally lined up for heat one, only for the starting gate to lose power. Morris announced the racing would begin under a green flag, but minutes later the electrical fault was fixed and the tapes rose at 21:50.
- Torrential rain begins, flooding the Olympic Stadium track and pits.
- Scheduled start time passes; deluge continues.
- Riders collectively refuse to race during a pit meeting with race director Phil Morris.
- Track crew resumes sweeping water; heavy machinery joins the effort.
- Riders line up for heat one but starting gate loses power.
- Electrical fault fixed; racing finally begins with tapes.
Two crashes and two hospital runs
Max Fricke clipped Jason Doyle’s rear wheel in heat three and hit the air fence hard, but he was able to continue. The more serious incident came in heat seven. Kacper Woryna tangled with Doyle, who then collected Jack Holder. Holder slammed into the air fence at speed and was treated trackside before being taken to hospital with a suspected broken arm. Doyle initially walked away but later had a neck collar fitted and was also transported for checks. Both Australians left the stadium in ambulances.
Lebiediew surprises, Kurtz leads
On the tricky circuit, the outside gate D produced the first eight race winners. After three rounds Andrzej Lebiediew topped the scorechart on eight points, having overtaken home favourite Maciej Janowski in his third outing. But the regular phase finished with Brady Kurtz on 12 points and Bartosz Zmarzlik on 11, securing the two direct spots in the final.
Midnight crown
At 23:59 Zmarzlik crossed the line first in the final, diving under Kurtz in what Polish media described as a spectacular repayment for a recent defeat. The win lifted the Pole to the top of the World Championship standings. In the stands, a crowd that had sat through a three-hour wait, a blackout and two ambulance exits roared under the floodlights.
I haven’t seen mechanics without shoes before.
