DEFENDING World Champion Bartosz Zmarzlik has regained the Speedway Grand Prix series lead after winning the Latvian GP in Riga on Saturday night.
The Pole's victory at the Bikernieki Stadium, his third triumph there in the last four rounds, edged him four points clear of Brady Kurtz in the standings. The Australian finished third in Saturday's final, behind Britain's Robert Lambert, which means Zmarzlik now leads the way with two rounds to go on 129 points, followed by Kurtz on 125 and Lambert on 119. With fourth-placed Michael Jepsen Jensen 31 points adrift of Lambert, the current top three are all but guaranteed to finish on this year's podium, although in which order remains to be seen. After claiming his 31st Grand Prix win, Zmarzlik said: “The boys push me all the time, but I got into the final again. This is exciting because I was asking Brady and Robert before the final, ‘Hey boys, how many times have we raced in the final?’ How many good races have we had together? “I am happy about this one. It was a super good day for me. I really have many good memories from this place. I am very proud and happy again.” • Reports and pictures from Riga in this week's Speedway Star – on sale on Thursday.
