Great Britain skipper Robert Lambert is determined to cure the Lions’ travel sickness as he bids to end the reigning FIM Speedway of Nations world champions’ 41-year search for a world team title outside of the UK.
Fifteen countries compete at the 2025 FIM Speedway of Nations in Polish city Torun, which gets underway with Semi-Final 1 on Tuesday, as GB takes on Germany, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Slovenia and Sweden.
The ultimate test of team riding continues with Semi-Final 2 on Wednesday, as 2022 SON world champions Australia faces tournament debutants Argentina, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France and Ukraine.
The top three countries from each Semi-Final progress to the Final on Saturday night, where they join host nation Poland, and Lambert is determined to deliver a golden finish to 2025 on a Torun track that he has called home since 2021.
GB has not won an FIM Speedway world team title outside of the UK since Chris Morton and Peter Collins won the 1984 FIM Speedway World Pairs Championship at Italian track Lonigo, while representing England.
Lambert joined forces with Dan Bewley and Tom Brennan to win FIM SON gold in Manchester in 2021 – the country’s first world team title since 1989 – before regaining the crown at the National Speedway Stadium in 2024. Now they are determined to end GB’s quest for overseas gold, and Lambert would love to do it in Torun – the stunning city where he lives with wife Julia.
He said: “It’s going to be nice, being in Torun – a place where I have been racing for the last five seasons. Poland is going to be strong on home territory, but me and Dan know the Torun track pretty well and mostly go well there.
“We made history by getting the first gold in 32 years back in 2021 for GB. We have been rewriting the history books since then, so why not try and go one better and win one outside of the UK as well?
“It’s going to be a tough one, but we are up for the challenge. We have the Semi-Final on Tuesday, so we need to be focused on that, get the bikes dialled in as best as possible and make sure we get through. We need to get that first hurdle out of the way and then move on to the Final. It’s a strong line-up for the Semi-Final. Anyone can pop out, win races and do well. We just need to be on our A game – the same as we always are when we get the GB suits on.”
Sweden’s hopes of success have been massively lifted by the late return of their Speedway GP star Fredrik Lindgren to the team, joining 2024 partner Jacob Thorssell and No.3 Timo Lahti, who makes his Swedish SON debut, having previously represented Finland.
Team manager Linus Sundstrom, a coach making his debut SON appearance as Swedish boss this week, is delighted to have his 2015 FIM Speedway World Cup-winning teammate Lindgren back on board.
He said: “I’m very pleased that he’s back and it makes a huge difference for the team – both on and off the track. I would say it also makes a huge difference as well for the Swedish fans at the stadium in Torun or watching at home.
“Freddie has been a few levels above the other Swedish riders. He has been in the top three or four in the world for many years now. He’s one of the best riders in the world and the best Sweden has.
“We all know what Freddie is like. Freddie and Jacob have also done many heats together in Vastervik. They won the Swedish league together; they have been teammates there all year, and they spend a lot of time together. Both Jacob and Timo are also really good gaters, and it makes life easier if you are quick from the tapes.
“I definitely have high hopes for this week. But anything can happen in speedway. There are still many strong nations in the Semi-Finals, so we have to be on our toes to even get to the Final.”
Australian team manager Mark Lemon brings a stellar side to Torun for Semi-Final 2, featuring new world No.2 Brady Kurtz, who raced to the best debut season in Speedway GP history this year, coming within a point of the world title and winning a record five straight SGP rounds. He is partnered by world No.5 Jack Holder, with 2017 Speedway GP world champion Jason Doyle named as reserve at No.3.
Holder and Kurtz, both 29, have competed as teammates and rivals since their youth days Down Under and took Australia to FIM SON silver in Manchester last summer.
Having already won 2022 FIM SON gold with another childhood competitor in Speedway GP star Max Fricke, Holder says it’s special to see all three of them starring on the world stage two decades after they first started racing together.
He said: “It is pretty crazy. Back in our junior days, Max or Brady went over to Europe first. I had to stay and finish my carpentry apprenticeship, which kind of sucked at the time. I thought I was maybe a little bit behind, but when I got my chance, I soon caught up and it’s cool to see we’re all racing at the highest level. We started together at nine or 10 years old.
“All three of us were good riders. Back in the junior days, we were quite dominant. It was always us three in the finals. We all had our goals to get over here and do what we are doing. It is crazy when you think back and look at how many finals we have been in together.”
The Aussies have shown a real talent for team riding, and Holder admits their ability to put egos to the side makes all the difference in a format where avoiding last places is crucial.
“We’re just not too worried about the scoresheet,” he said. “Whatever is best for the team is what matters – whether we are first or second, it doesn’t matter who wins the race. We’re just as happy as each other. We are racing for our country and don’t really look into who beats who – as long as we are first and second. That’s the main goal.”
Danish champion Michael Jepsen Jensen makes his first FIM SON appearance since he partnered Kenneth Bjerre in 2018 – the competition’s inaugural year. The Danes have not won a world team title since they topped the FIM Speedway World Cup podium at Bydgoszcz in 2014 – over 11 years ago.
But MJJ, who teams up with fellow 2026 Speedway GP qualifier Leon Madsen and triple European champion Mikkel Michelsen, believes the Danes have what it takes to land their first FIM SON world title.
“One hundred percent we can do it,” he said. “We have strong riders. I think it’s like all the other teams; we need to do the work together and that’s the only way we can win it.
“A few of the other squads will also be very strong. We need to put in the work, and anything can happen. There’s a fine line between failure and this week being very good. What we do together will be very important to the outcome. Hopefully we will all be on the same page. I believe we will, and we can achieve something great.”
Tickets for FIM Speedway of Nations week in Torun are still available online. Secure your seat for speedway’s biggest team event of 2025 at the iconic Marian Rose Motoarena HERE now.
FIM SON SEMI-FINAL STARTING LINE-UPS
SEMI-FINAL 1 – TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
TEAM A – ITALY: 1. Nicolas Covatti (captain), 2. Nicolas Vicentin, 3. Nicolo Percotti. Team Manager: Alessandro Dalla Valle.
TEAM B – GERMANY: 1. Norick Blodorn, 2. Kai Huckenbeck (captain), 3. Valentin Grobauer. Team Manager: Mathias Bartz / Sascha Dorner
TEAM C – NORWAY: 1. Mathias Pollestad (captain), 2. Glenn Moi, 3. Lasse Fredriksen. Team Manager: Kenneth Klipper Smith.
TEAM D – LATVIA: 1. Andzejs Lebedevs (captain), 2. Jevgenijs Kostigovs, 3. Daniils Kolodinskis. Team Manager: Vladimirs Vagels.
TEAM E – SWEDEN: 1. Jacob Thorssell, 2. Fredrik Lindgren (captain), 3. Timo Lahti. Team Manager: Linus Sundstrom.
TEAM F – GREAT BRITAIN: 1. Robert Lambert (captain), 2. Dan Bewley, 3. Tom Brennan. Team Manager: Simon Stead / Oliver Allen.
TEAM G – SLOVENIA: 1. Matic Ivacic (captain), 2. Anze Grmek, 3. Luka Omerzel. Team Manager: Gregor Arnsek.
SEMI-FINAL 2 – WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1
TEAM A – CZECH REPUBLIC: 1. Vaclav Milik, 2. Jan Kvech (captain), 3. Adam Bubba Bednar. Team Manager: Zdenek Schneiderwind.
TEAM B – DENMARK: 1. Leon Madsen, 2. Michael Jepsen Jensen, 3. Mikkel Michelsen (captain). Team Manager: Nicki Pedersen.
TEAM C – ARGENTINA: 1. Fernando Garcia (captain), 2. Cristian Zubillaga, 3. Facundo Albin. Team Manager: Claudio Schmit.
TEAM D – AUSTRALIA: 1. Brady Kurtz, 2. Jack Holder (captain), 3. Jason Doyle. Team Manager: Mark Lemon.
TEAM E – UKRAINE: 1. Nazar Parnitskyi, 2. Marko Levishyn (captain), 3. Roman Kapustin. Team Manager: Sergii Golovnia.
TEAM F – FRANCE: 1. Dimitri Berge, 2. David Bellego (captain), 3. Mathias Tresarrieu. Team Manager: Laurent Sambarrey.
TEAM G – FINLAND: 1. Jesse Mustonen (captain), 2. Antti Vuolas, 3. Tero Aarnio. Team Manager: Aki-Pekka Mustonen.
Words by FIM Speedway – Feature Image courtesy of Jarek Pabijan
