2022 FIM Speedway GP of Sweden Results
Press release | September 20, 2022
Polish history maker Bartosz Zmarzlik says it was a family and team effort that delivered FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship number three, as he secured his third Speedway GP World title in Mallila.
Zmarzlik zoomed to the top spot in the Kaeser FIM Speedway GP of Sweden in Malilla, but he took the world championship before even turning a wheel in semi-final two after nearest rival Leon Madsen suffered an engine failure in semi-final one. Despite the euphoria of the moment, Zmarzlik still regained his composure and won the Speedway GP ahead of Swedish home hero Fredrik Lindgren in second, Poland’s Maciej Janowski in third and Great Britain racer Tai Woffinden in fourth.
His 2022 triumph is also his sixth SGP World Championship medal in seven years since making his full-time debut on the sport’s biggest stage in 2016, as Zmarzlik becomes Poland’s first ever three-time speedway world champion.
“They are very important to me — my family and my sponsors,” Zmarzlik said. “From the beginning of my career, my whole family has been with me and in my head I feel that we are fighting together and I am not alone. It’s really good for me because I’m very close to my family in life and in my work. The whole family works really hard with me.”
Zmarzlik’s victory means he becomes the first Speedway GP World Champion to seal the title with one round remaining since Great Britain’s Tai Woffinden won his second World Championship title in 2015. He will now collect the trophy at the FIM Speedway GP of Poland in Torun on October 1.
Runner-up Lindgren has endured a heated battle with the ongoing effects of prolonged Covid over the past two seasons. This has caused him to continue racing with difficulty breathing at times. His health issues have not stopped him from delivering world-class performances in the Speedway GP and he was delighted to storm to his best result in 2022 in front of his home fans at the Skrotfrag Arena.
He is now sixth in the standings on 92 points – level with seventh Maciej Janowski but leading him on countback in the race for the final automatic qualifying spot for the 2023 Speedway GP Series.
“I’m over the moon,” Lindgren said. “I’ve been struggling a lot in the last few weeks in the GP series. I haven’t been performing very well and my league form has also been a bit down. I’ve been struggling with a lot of health problems off the track and it was very emotional for me tonight because I’ve been so down for a period now.”
Third-placed Janowski was pleased to bounce back from a nightmare Speedway GP in Vojens just a week ago. After two points in Denmark, he leaves Malilla – his Swedish home track – in a much better mood with 16 points.
“Finally we got a good result, especially after Vojens,” Janowski said. “I’m very proud.”
The Speedway GP season concludes in Torun, Poland on October 1st.
2022 FIM Speedway GP of Sweden Results
- Bartosz Zmarzlik
- Fredrik Lindgren
- Maciej Janowski
- Tai Woffinden
- Martin Vaculik
- Robert Lambert
- Patryk Dudek
- Leon Madsen
- Jason Doyle
- Mads Hansen
2022 FIM Speedway GP World Championship Standings
- Bartosz Zmarzlik (148)
- Leon Madsen (117)
- Patryk Dudek (100)
- Robert Lambert (97)
- Dan Bewley (93)
- Fredrik Lindgren (92)
- Maciej Janowski (92)
- Tai Woffinden (88)
- Jason Doyle (76)
- Martin Vaculik (71)
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