Polish racer Kacper Woryna admits he has some way to go to match the achievements of legendary grandfather Antoni Woryna after racing to glory on his full-time Speedway GP debut in Germany on Saturday.
The 29-year-old stormed to an all-action victory at the WWK Schwaiger & Partner FIM Speedway GP of Germany – Landshut – months after winning his place on the sport’s biggest stage at the 2025 FIM SGP Challenge in Holsted, Denmark last August.
Woryna took the chequered flag in the final to prevent Great Britain racer Dan Bewley, winner of five straight heats, from becoming the first rider to go unbeaten in a Speedway GP since Leon Madsen raced to a seven-ride maximum in Torun on October 5, 2019. Six-time world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik finished third, with GB star Robert Lambert in fourth place.
It has been an incredible start to 2026 for Woryna, who completed a huge move to PGE Ekstraliga giants Lublin over the winter and recently won Poland’s prestigious Golden Helmet meeting in Opole on April 6.
That win saw him follow in the tyre treads of his grandfather Antoni, who won the event twice in 1967 and 1971. Woryna senior also became Poland’s first-ever FIM Speedway World Championship medallist, when he bagged bronze in Gothenburg in 1966 – a feat he repeated in Wroclaw in 1970.
While Kacper knows he has some way to go to follow in his idol’s footsteps, he was elated to honour his memory with a remarkable win in Landshut.
He said: “Obviously, it’s really something special for me. I knew I was competing in Speedway GP 60 years after that first bronze medal happened, and it’s special.
“My grandpa was a legend. You can’t really beat what he has achieved in speedway. I am not trying to compete with what he has achieved, but I have always said it is a privilege to have the same surname at least. I am going to try to maybe, maybe, in some percentage, level up with him with my achievements. I don’t think it is possible really, but I will definitely try.
“I was five when he died. The only memory I have of him was when he took the side wheels off my mini bicycle when I was learning to cycle at three or four. That’s one memory that has stuck with me – he just took the side wheels off and off I went.”
Kacper’s two-wheeled career started there, and it reached new heights on a dramatic night in Landshut. “I can’t explain how it feels to win on my debut like that,” he said. “I didn’t expect it to happen when I got there in the morning. Obviously, we work for things like this to happen, but speedway is a really dynamic sport, and you have to expect the unexpected at all times. That was one thing I didn’t expect.”
Woryna is elated with a strong start to 2026. He said: “It has been really, really good. These are all the things we have worked for – not only during the winter, but last season.
“For me, it has been a build-up over the past couple of years. With all the people that you don’t see behind the scenes, it’s all possible. This beginning of the season has been good for me. But it’s only the beginning and there are months to go. I will definitely be working hard to keep it up. I will keep my head down and do my best.”
Woryna became the first wearer of the Speedway GP Golden Race Jacket, which has been reintroduced for 2026, for the first time since Aussie great Jason Crump was crowned a triple SGP world champion in 2009.
“I have always liked the colour gold,” he smiled. “I wasn’t brave enough to have it on my race suit like Bartek. Maybe I can borrow some! I am pretty pleased with this.”
British action man Bewley blazed to a 15-point, five-ride maximum in the heats, qualifying automatically for the final with a ride to spare. Remarkably, he still found the desire to storm from last to first in an extraordinary heat 19.
The Cumbrian was rightly content to start the season by finishing second in Landshut – matching the 18-point haul he scored there in 2025.
But he was also gutted to be denied the Holy Grail of a Speedway GP maximum – a result similar to that of Australian rider Troy Batchelor, who won his first six rides at the 2014 FIM Danish Speedway GP in Copenhagen, only to finish second in the final.
He said: “I reminded myself of Batch Attack when he did something similar in Copenhagen. He was on fire that night and I felt about as good as him.
“The track was what it was. There was a bit of bouncing around and I enjoyed it, to be fair. It’s not a bad start to the year. Congrats to Kacper on his first win. I am looking forward to the next few meetings.”
Third-placed Zmarzlik was pleased with a solid start to his Speedway GP title defence as he paid tribute to Lublin and Lejonen teammate Woryna.
He said: “I am happy. It is always nice to start the season on the podium and I am happy with third place. Congrats to my friend Kacper because the first win is always the best moment. He will remember this day. He did the best job.”
Next up is the FIM Speedway GP of Czech Republic – Prague on Saturday, May 23. There will also be racing on Friday, May 22 as the sport’s top under-21 teams battle it out for FIM Speedway of Nations – SON2 gold.
Standings
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Words by FIM Speedway – Feature Image courtesy of Wojciech Tarchalski
