Kurtz takes third win on the bounce to close in on...

2025 FIM Speedway GP

Spherical Eight – Speedway GP of Latvia – Riga

Australian champion Brady Kurtz admitted it felt “fairly loopy” to safe a 3rd consecutive FIM Speedway Grand Prix victory, taking prime honours on the OlyBet FIM Speedway GP of Latvia – Riga on Saturday.

In what has been a powerful debut full season in Speedway GP, Kurtz has diminished Bartosz Zmarzlik’s lead within the World Championship standings from 9 factors to 3 in a single day.

Zmarzlik, a five-time world champion, completed fourth in Riga, whereas Swedish rider Fredrik Lindgren claimed second and native favorite Andzejs Lebedevs took third, incomes his second podium of the 2025 season to the delight of the house crowd.

Kurtz’s win on the Bikernieki Speedway Stadium, his first look on the venue, follows earlier victories in Gorzow, Poland (June 21) and Malilla, Sweden (July 5), putting him firmly in rivalry for the title with simply two rounds remaining.

The 28-year-old heads subsequent to Wroclaw, his Polish house monitor, for the penultimate spherical on August 30 with a robust probability of taking the championship lead forward of the season finale in Vojens, Denmark, on September 13.

The Latvian GP didn’t begin easily for Kurtz, who completed final in his opening race. Nevertheless, he recovered to progress by means of a last-chance qualifier for the primary time this season and went on to achieve his seventh ultimate in eight rounds, finally securing his third win of the marketing campaign.

Brady Kurtz

Three in a row is fairly loopy actually. It was a troublesome night time. It began off terribly, however we received the bike working and I began making actually good begins, which was tremendous essential. I made two good begins on the finish.

“I didn’t actually know which gate to decide on for the last-chance race. I went with gate one and no-one else actually appeared to need gate one. I’m not positive why.

“I made it work and it was good to hit the entrance. I used to be really actually completely happy to make the ultimate. After the best way the night time began, I used to be tremendous completely happy simply to be within the ultimate. To make one other begin then and win it was cool.

“Wroclaw is a brilliant good monitor and hopefully I’ll have a bit little bit of house assist there. I’m actually wanting ahead to it. We now have two rounds to go, and I’m wanting ahead to each of them.”

Lindgren completed second in Riga for the third straight season and was delighted to achieve the podium, particularly after scoring only one level from his opening two rides. The Orebro-born ace overcame a crash in warmth seven in positive type as he moved on to 117 factors within the Speedway GP World Championship, 9 away from fourth-placed Nice Britain’s Dan Bewley, who has 108, within the battle for bronze.

A delighted Lebedevs whipped the Bikernieki crowd right into a frenzy after ending second on the warmth rating chart with 11 factors to storm straight by means of to the ultimate of his house occasion. The power within the stands was palpable as Lebedevs headed for the tapes, earlier than he fended off a decided Zmarzlik problem to say third place.

Jack Holder bagged 12 factors in Riga with fifth place in a single day, which additionally strengthens his present fifth place rating within the championship.

Countrymen Max Fricke and Jason Doyle carded eight and 6 factors respectively to complete ninth and eleventh in Latvia.

Fricke is at present seventh within the championship chase with two rounds remaining.

2025 FIM Speedway GP of Latvia – Riga Outcomes

FIM Speedway GP Standings

Photos Taylor Lanning and Jarek Pabijan