Great Britain racer Dan Bewley is certain he won’t just hear Polish cheers at PGE Narodowy as he lines up in the Orlen Oil FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Warsaw this Saturday.
Bewley is no stranger to delivering in big-stadium events having won the FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Cardiff in 2022 and 2024.
While he was roared on by the Brits in his homeland, the Warsaw crowd looks set to get behind Polish trio Bartosz Zmarzlik, Dominik Kubera and wild card Patryk Dudek.
But with fans travelling to PGE Narodowy from across the globe to witness the world’s biggest speedway event, Bewley is confident there will be some Brits backing him and compatriot Robert Lambert as he relishes his return to the iconic venue.
He said: “It’s pretty similar to Cardiff, to be honest. Just riding up the tunnel in Warsaw is pretty cool. I’m pretty sure it’s the biggest crowd I have ridden in front of – it’s a pretty cool stadium.
“There are a lot of British people who travel there. There are a lot of people from everywhere, to be honest. I feel Cardiff had a lot of Polish people who travelled there and it’s similar in Warsaw. It’s a capital city and it’s pretty easy to fly there. There are a lot of travelling fans.”
Bewley played his part in an astonishing British Championship grand final at Manchester’s National Speedway Stadium on Monday, finishing third behind winner Lambert and runner-up Charles Wright, who secured the wild cards for the ATPI FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Manchester double-header on June 13 and 14. Chris Harris took fourth spot.
The finale to an incredible meeting was British racing at its best and Bewley was delighted to be part of it as all four riders led at some point in a race that instantly went viral on social media.
He said: “This has always been a brilliant meeting. Anyone who has watched this meeting knows it’s one of the best meetings you can watch all season. It’s good.
“Really, me and Rob tripped each other up a few times in the final. That allowed Charles and Bomber to get back with us. That’s the reason we were four wide a couple of times.
“But there’s always good racing in Manchester. It’s a good track and when you get some good riders, it’s ideal. There wasn’t too much water down. We had a couple of lines around the inside and a little bit on the outside. It was what anyone who knows what they are doing would give us to race on. It gives us some options. It was nice.”
Bewley fell just short of matching Kiwi legend Barry Briggs’ record of four straight British titles, set between 1963 and 1967.
“He can rest for another four or five years,” Bewley smiled. “But we’ll keep going. I’ll just keep the ball rolling, and I am looking forward to the rest of the season.”