Australian racer Brady Kurtz insists he has plenty of work to do to secure a World Championship medal and says his only focus is going for gold ahead of the Virkvarn FIM Speedway GP of Sweden – Malilla this Saturday.
Kurtz returns to the Skrotfrag Arena, where he raced for Swedish giants Dackarna in 2024, bidding to close the 11-point gap between him and Speedway GP series leader Bartosz Zmarzlik, with the Pole on 113 and Kurtz on 102.
Swedish hero Fredrik Lindgren heads into round seven placed third in the championship on 87 points – buoyed by reaching four Speedway GP finals on the bounce as he seeks his first win of 2025 in front of a partisan home crowd in the forests of Malilla, where he is joined by Swedish wild card Kim Nilsson. Latvia’s Andzejs Lebedevs represents host club Dackarna in the event.
Last year’s FIM SGP Challenge winner Kurtz raced to his maiden Speedway GP victory in Gorzow, Poland on June 21 – beating second-placed Zmarzlik on his boyhood track.
Following that event, it was put to the Cowra-born racer that the silver medal was in his hands. But Kurtz scoffed at the suggestion, preferring to continue his quest to become the first rider in the series’ 30-year history to win the Speedway GP World Championship in their debut season.
He said: “Silver is very, very far away from being done! The thought of that hasn’t crossed my mind once. I’m still going to be pushing hard in every round for sure – and not only for silver; I am chasing Bartek.”
Kurtz has missed just one of the six Speedway GP finals so far this season, and that was only after he lost a chain on the final turn of his last-chance qualifier at round three in Czech capital Prague on May 31. Instead of a guaranteed 14 championship points for reaching the final, the 2024 FIM Speedway of Nations silver medallist was left with seven.
That underlines to Kurtz just how quickly an 11-point deficit in the Speedway GP title race could be closed and he’s determined to pile the pressure on Zmarzlik. He said: “One ninth or 10th place or if someone doesn’t make the final, and that’s an easy 10 points made up. It can happen on any night – as it did to me in Prague. I’m going to have to stay focused and keep doing what I am doing.”
Kurtz spent last season racing his Swedish home matches in Malilla. This season, as well as captaining British champions Belle Vue in Manchester, he competes for Polish club Wroclaw, host for round nine on August 30. However, the 28-year-old has never visited this season’s two other venues – Latvian capital club Riga and Danish venue Vojens.
So he’s determined to make his local knowledge count this weekend. He said: “For sure, Malilla and Wroclaw will be good. Riga and Vojens will probably be tough. They are both tracks I haven’t ridden at all. That will be about thinking fast and learning quick again.
“It is what it is. No matter what track you go to, you have to be on your game to beat Bartek. I’m going to have to find a way to do it again.”
Tickets for the Virkvarn FIM Speedway GP of Sweden – Malilla are still available online. Secure your spot at Sweden’s biggest and best weekend of racing HERE now.
2025 VIRKVARN FIM SPEEDWAY GP OF SWEDEN – MALILLA LINE-UP:
95. Bartosz Zmarzlik (Poland)
505. Robert Lambert (Great Britain)
66. Fredrik Lindgren (Sweden)
99. Dan Bewley (Great Britain)
54. Martin Vaculik (Slovakia)
25. Jack Holder (Australia)
155. Mikkel Michelsen (Denmark)
415. Dominik Kubera (Poland)
29. Andzejs Lebedevs (Latvia)
46. Max Fricke (Australia)
744. Kai Huckenbeck (Germany)
201. Jan Kvech (Czechia)
69. Jason Doyle (Australia)
105. Anders Thomsen (Denmark)
101. Brady Kurtz (Australia)
16. Kim Nilsson (Sweden – wild card)
17. Rasmus Karlsson (Sweden – first track reserve)
18. Sammy van Dyck (Sweden – second track reserve)
MALILLA FANZONE
Enjoy a packed programme of entertainment at the Skrotfrag Arena and visit the Virkvarn FIM Speedway GP of Sweden – Malilla fanzone, open from 12:00 CEST on Saturday.
Located near the main entrance to the stadium behind bend one, the fanzone features the official Speedway GP autograph session, where fans can meet all 18 riders from 16:30 and grab a signature or selfie.
Pick up some exclusive freebies from Monster Energy athletes Fredrik Lindgren, Dan Bewley and Jack Holder at the Monster Energy Rig Riot from 17:00. The Monster Energy area will be open from 12:15.
We will have an interview with a special VIP guest from 17:35, and fans can win Speedway GP prizes in our quiz at 15:15.
Pose for a photo with the Speedway GP trophy throughout the afternoon and the best of the 2024 SGP events will be playing on the big screen, where fans can also catch all the Qualifying action from 14:00.
Meet FIM Speedway mascot Speedy, who will be in the fanzone at 12:30 and 15:30. There will be a vintage speedway bikes exhibition, other photo opportunities, the We Love Speedway sign, food and drink stalls, the Speedway GP merchandise shop and much, much more.
The fanzone closes at 18:00 ahead of the opening ceremony at 18:45, with racing getting underway at around 19:00.
WHERE TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND: TUNE INTO MAX
Virkvarn FIM Speedway GP of Sweden – Malilla – Saturday, July 5 at 19:00 CEST
Fans can catch every moment of FIM Speedway action live on Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming platforms Max, HBO Max or discovery+. Coverage of all nine Speedway GP Qualifying sessions, featuring a brand-new knockout format for 2025, will also be available on these platforms.
Max is available in Europe in France, Iberia, the Nordics, Turkey and Central and Eastern Europe. HBO Max is WBD’s streaming platform in Belgium and the Netherlands. And discovery+ is the streaming platform for Germany, Austria, Italy and the United Kingdom ahead of Max launching in these countries in 2026.
Coverage of Speedway GP is available worldwide with digital and linear coverage – see below for more details of where to watch.
ACROSS EUROPE: Live on Max, HBO Max and discovery+
BRITAIN: Live on discovery+ and TNT Sports
POLAND: Live on Max
SWEDEN: Live on Kanal 9 and Max
DENMARK: Live on 6’eren and Max
AUSTRALIA: Live on Fox Sports
GERMANY: Live on discovery+
ACROSS THE BALTICS: Live on Go3 and TV3 Sport channels
CZECHIA: Live on Max and CT Sport
SLOVAKIA: Live on STVR Sport and Max
CROATIA: Live on Max
USA/Canada: Live on Racer Network
AUSTRIA: Live on discovery+
NORWAY: Live on Max
FINLAND: Live on Max
REST OF THE WORLD: Live on Racer Network
Words by SpeedwayGP – Feature Image by Taylor Lanning
