Lindgren boosts Speedway World title bid

Freddie Lindgren took advantage of World championship leader Bartosz Zmarzlik’s absence from the FIM Speedway GP of Denmark to close the gap on the Polish rider going into the last Grand Prix of the 2023 season.

NGK-sponsored Lindgren finished second behind Denmark’s Leon Madsen after three-time World champion Zmarzlik was disqualified from the event and fined €600 having been “found to be wearing a race suit which did not conform to the FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship Regulations 2023 during the qualifying practice and the starting number selection for the meeting.”

As a result of Zmarzlik’s absence, Lindgren’s 18-point haul saw the gap at the top cut from 24 to six ahead of the title decider in Torun, Poland.

Lindgren said: “When I came back from the autograph sessions, I got the news that Bartosz was not going to ride. I really feel for him. I had to try and re-group and focus on tonight and what I had to do on the track. I managed to have a fairly strong GP.

“The lines were changing all the time. Bike set-up was crucial. It was a tricky evening in many ways, but I managed to get to the semi and the final. I was leading and I thought I could clinch it, but Leon was too fast in that final. Fair play to him and congratulations.

“I am just going to go to Torun and do the best I can. I am six points down and it’s not that easy to get that back. I can only do the best I can, and we will see where we end up.”

NGK pit-mate Robert Lambert made the final and finished fourth while Dan Bewley was fifth after reaching the semi-finals. Bewley is in fifth place in the championship standings on 98 points, one point and one place ahead of Lambert.

Becca Knight, marketing manager of Niterra UK Ltd, home of the NGK brand, said: “It will be a great finale to the season in Torun on September 30 with Freddie in with a fighting chance of taking the title. It was also tremendous to see Robert make the final in Denmark while Dan too picked up solid points by reaching the semi-final stage.”