Former world No.2 Patryk Dudek returns to the FIM Speedway Grand Prix stage as wild card for the DeWalt FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Wroclaw on August 31.
Dudek dons the famous No.16 race jacket for his first Speedway GP appearance of the 2024 season.
The Torun rider recently raced to second place in the Polish Championship – just missing out on top spot to Maciej Janowski by three points. Local hero Janowski also lines up on his home track, replacing injured Wroclaw teammate Tai Woffinden in the line-up as SGP second substitute rider.
With Speedway GP world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik – third in the Polish Final – also competing at the Olympic Stadium, along with Dominik Kubera, who was fourth, and sixth-placed Szymon Wozniak, the event features five of the top six riders in this season’s Polish Championship.
Dudek finished 10th in the 2023 Speedway GP World Championship standings – missing out on a place in this year’s SGP line-up. But Dudek still finished third at the 2023 FIM Speedway GP of Sweden – Malilla and fourth in the 2023 FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Torun.
The Polish international is battling to regain his Speedway GP spot on two fronts. He is currently in seventh place – seven points off top spot – in the Speedway European Championship series – the winner of which qualifies automatically for the 2025 Speedway GP series. Dudek has also qualified for the FIM SGP Challenge in Pardubice, Czech Republic on October 4, where the top four riders also secure Speedway GP places for next season.
The DeWalt FIM Wroclaw Speedway GP field is completed by track reserves Marcel Kowolik and Nikodem Mikołajczyk, who line up in the No.17 and No.18 race jackets respectively. The teenagers race for the Wroclaw club in Poland’s PGE Ekstraliga.
Words by Speedway GP – Images by Taylor Lanning
