The Adrian Flux British FIM Speedway Grand Prix takes over Cardiff again this Saturday as the sport’s biggest stars resume one of the all-time great World Championship battles.
After five rounds of what’s being dubbed the most competitive SGP series ever, Aussie ace Jason Doyle leads the way on 65 points – level with Polish star Patryk Dudek in second spot.
Polish racer Maciej Janowski is chasing hard on 58 in third, with just 12 points separating Sweden’s Fredrik Lindgren (51) in fourth place and Poland’s Bartosz Zmarzlik (39) in 10th.
On top of the on-track action, there’s a packed programme of entertainment in the Adrian Flux British SGP fanzone on City Hall Lawn from 11am, featuring two autograph sessions, a Monster Energy Rig Riot, Capital FM’s DJ Matt Lissack, Savage Skills freestyle mountain bike stunts, your chance to get a photo with the World Championship trophies, racing bike simulators and much, much more.
Double world champion Tai Woffinden will be making an appearance for the first autograph session at 1.45pm.
He heads to Cardiff 17 points behind Doyle in fifth place. But as he gets ready to soak up the electrifying Principality Stadium atmosphere, the Scunthorpe-born star insists he’s still in with a shot of landing a third World Championship.
He said: “I ride a motorbike for a living, it’s what I do, and I want to achieve as much as I possibly can in the sport. It really is as simple as that. For that reason it really is amazing that I get the chance to race in front of over 40,000 fans in a stadium like Cardiff.
“I’m still in with a shot at a third world title. That’s where I’m at ahead of the weekend and I’ll give it a good go.
“I’m looking forward to seeing my British fans and looking forward to riding in the UK. I just want the fans to remember I really appreciate their support.”
Aussie icon Chris Holder is a two-time winner of the British SGP. He can’t wait to be part of one of world speedway’s biggest weekends again, as he bids to improve on 12
th place in the standings.
He said: “The event is huge – the whole Friday, Saturday and Saturday night. It goes off. Nearly everyone in British speedway is there and all your mates are there. It’s pretty mad. It’s a big couple of days.
“I’ve had a lot of good results there in the past and a couple of wins in 2010 and 2012. It’s always such a good feeling to have a good night there – it’s pretty incredible. Hopefully it can work out well and I can have another good night.
“As I found out when I won there in 2012 and then became world champion, you just need one really good night and a lot of points, and it does a lot for your confidence – your confidence in yourself and your bike. You know you’ve got it working and when it’s like that, it’s easy.”
American legend Greg Hancock has topped the Cardiff podium three times in his storied career – in 2004, 2011 and 2014. He has seen the event develop from its first staging in 2001 to become one of Britain’s most spectacular nights of motorsport.
“Cardiff is a great place,” he said. “Everybody knows that it was the beginning of a new era for speedway with these indoor arenas. It has the atmosphere, the track and the loyal fans, who have supported me and so many of the other guys for so many years at so many different venues and clubs.
“I’ve had some victories there, which I am very proud of. They stick in my mind as if they happened yesterday. I want nothing more than to go there and emulate that success. I haven’t been on top of the podium for a little while, so I’m looking forward to doing that again.”
The Adrian Flux British SGP is supported by the Welsh Government. Economy secretary, Ken Skates, who will be attending the event said: "Speedway has become a firm favourite in our events calendar and it's set to be another thrilling event of action at the Principality Stadium over the weekend.
“The event attracts visitors from outside Wales and provides an economic boost to the city as well as being a showcase for the variety of events which Wales is capable of hosting."
Tickets for the Adrian Flux British SGP are still available in the city from the WRU shop between 12pm and 5.30pm on Friday and 9.30am until 5.30pm on Saturday. They are also on sale from an additional box office between gates six and seven from 1pm on Saturday. Fans can also buy from Ticketline UK on Westgate Street.
ADRIAN FLUX BRITISH SGP LINE-UP (in ranking order with rider numbers): 45 Greg Hancock, 108 Tai Woffinden, 95 Bartosz Zmarzlik, 23 Chris Holder, 69 Jason Doyle, 777 Piotr Pawlicki, 85 Antonio Lindback, 88 Niels-Kristian Iversen, 55 Matej Zagar, 71 Maciej Janowski, 66 Fredrik Lindgren, 25 Peter Kildemand (substitute for 12 Nicki Pedersen), 692 Patryk Dudek, 54 Martin Vaculik, 89 Emil Sayfutdinov, 16 Craig Cook, 17 Adam Ellis, 18 Josh Bates.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Jason Doyle 65, 2 Patryk Dudek 65, 3 Maciej Janowski 58, 4 Fredrik Lindgren 51, 5 Tai Woffinden 48, 6 Emil Sayfutdinov 47, 7 Greg Hancock 45, 8 Martin Vaculik 45, 9 Piotr Pawlicki 43, 10 Bartosz Zmarzlik 39, 11 Matej Zagar 36, 12 Chris Holder 34, 13 Niels-Kristian Iversen 31, 14 Antonio Lindback 29, 15 Vaclav Milik 13, 16 Peter Kildemand 12, 17 Nicki Pedersen 8, 18 Maksims Bogdanovs 8, 19 Kenneth Bjerre 7, 20 Przemyslaw Pawlicki 3, 21 Nick Skorja 1.