Aussie ace Brady Kurtz admits a big night in Prague has eased the pressure heading into his British home event at the ATPI FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Manchester on Friday and Saturday.
Kurtz has raced for the Belle Vue Aces at the National Speedway Stadium since 2021, helping them to two Rowe Motor Oil Premiership titles in 2022 and 2024.
He is set to have plenty of support behind him as he bids to better the third and second places that he achieved in the 2025 Manchester double-header.
Kurtz raced to second spot at the FIM Speedway GP of Czech Republic – Prague on May 23 – a result that sends him to Manchester placed third in the Speedway GP World Championship on 26 points – six behind series leader Bartosz Zmarzlik.
After scoring eight championship points at the opening round in Landshut, Kurtz is pleased to be heading to the National Speedway Stadium on the back of a big result.
He said: “I wanted to have a good one in Prague and relieve the pressure a little going into Manchester. I didn’t really want to have another bad one and go there thinking, ‘It’s my track and I have to win.’
“I am looking forward to that. But I am looking forward to all the rounds from here. When I look at the calendar, Landshut and Prague are the two that I don’t really like the look of, I guess you could say.
“The rest of the rounds are on tracks I really enjoy, and I look forward to going to. I am looking forward to whatever else the year is going to throw at me.
“Racing in Manchester is really good. It’s super disappointing that we never get a home GP in Australia, so it’s nice to feel a little bit of support. I am really looking forward to it.
“It’s a brilliant racetrack. Everybody has seen it. Hopefully we can have two good nights of racing.”
One man who will be missed in Manchester this weekend is Kurtz’s Belle Vue and Wroclaw teammate Dan Bewley, who is recovering from a broken femur and a compressed vertebra in his back, suffered in Denmark last month.
As a result, Kurtz is the sole Belle Vue representative in the meeting and knows he has work to do for weeks to come while Bewley recovers.
“I am super disappointed for Dan,” he said. “He has been absolutely on fire. I have never seen him ride the way he has been this year. He has definitely kicked it up a level.
“It’s not really what he deserved. Hopefully he can get mended up and get back as soon as possible. It’s going to be a long season without him.
“He has really left me with a hell of a job on my hands with Belle Vue and Wroclaw. We’re absolutely going to miss him. I am really going to have to dig deep and try to pull together what I can. I’m sure everybody will be wishing him all the best.”