Stal Gorzow’s Slovak hero Martin Vaculik admits he “couldn’t find a better place to celebrate 100 Speedway GPs” as he reaches his centenary in the Events.com FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Gorzow on Saturday.
Vaculik has enjoyed some of the finest moments of his career at the iconic Edward Jancarz Stadium. He raced to an astonishing victory there on his Speedway GP debut in June 2012, before topping the Gorzow podium again in 2018 – winning the final with a spectacular pass on his good friend and then Stal Gorzow teammate Bartosz Zmarzlik.
Lublin rider Zmarzlik, who returns to his boyhood club this weekend, recently marked his 100th Speedway GP appearance by winning the FIM Speedway GP of Czech Republic – Prague on May 31. He arrives in Gorzow with an 11-point lead over nearest rival Brady Kurtz in the Speedway GP World Championship standings ahead of round six.
Vaculik has had a mixed start to 2025, but he roared into better form at last weekend’s ATPI FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Manchester double-header, scoring 10 points last Friday and 11 last Saturday.
Placed 10th in the Speedway GP standings on 38 points, Vaculik is determined to celebrate his series centenary in style with a big performance at the club where he is racing his seventh season alongside Stal Gorzow teammates and Speedway GP rivals Anders Thomsen and Andzejs Lebedevs.
Informed that it was his 100th round, Vaculik enthused: “Wow! It’s unbelievable. It’s cool to do it here. I couldn’t find a better place to celebrate 100 Speedway GPs. Of course, I am very proud and pleased to have raced in this number of rounds.
“It is something special for me because I am next to the best riders in the world. I am somewhere alongside them with these numbers and I really appreciate it.”
Vaculik hopes to make home advantage count on Saturday night. He added: “This is a place I know. Gorzow is my home track in Poland. I really like the track. In Gorzow and in Poland, there is always a great atmosphere. I really enjoy and like racing in front of the Polish fans because they are great. I feel so good there.”
Vaculik’s Gorzow victory on June 23, 2012, thrust him and his country into the global speedway spotlight as he became Slovakia’s first Speedway GP rider and winner all on the same night. While that victory came as a surprise to some, Vaculik was elated to turn belief into a moment he will never forget.
“I just have great memories from the day,” he said. “I remember when I joined the GP. Everything was new for me, and I felt so great next to all the best riders in the world. I just went heat by heat, got to the final and won.
“I think since I started speedway, I always had it somewhere in my head that I wanted to be one of the best. As a sportsman, you need to have a goal. This goal is your fuel for working hard. You need belief, dreams and then anything is possible.”
Vaculik admits hard work has been more important than ever after scoring a total of 16 points from the opening three rounds this season.
He said: “This season has been up and down for me, and it has been tough. But speedway is a very special sport – anyone can beat anybody, and anybody can lose to another rider. That’s what makes this sport very interesting for the fans and hard for the riders. My team and I work very hard all the time to find that form and good results.”
Zmarzlik has won three of the opening five SGP rounds of 2025 and heads to Gorzow seeking what would be his fourth FIM Gorzow Speedway GP victory. He famously claimed his first as a wild card in 2014, becoming the youngest-ever SGP winner aged 19 years and 140 days old. He also topped the podium again at round three in 2020 and in 2023.
He heads to the stadium where he learned his speedway trade, representing Stal Gorzow from 2011 until 2022, on 93 championship points – 11 ahead of Aussie rival Kurtz, who has 82. Swedish star Fredrik Lindgren is chasing on 70 in third, with Australia’s Jack Holder on 68 in fourth place and Great Britain star Dan Bewley fifth with 61 after winning ATPI FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Manchester R4 last Friday.
2025 EVENTS.COM FIM SPEEDWAY GP OF POLAND – GORZOW LINE-UP:
95. Bartosz Zmarzlik (Poland)
505. Robert Lambert (Great Britain)
66. Fredrik Lindgren (Sweden)
99. Dan Bewley (Great Britain)
54. Martin Vaculik (Slovakia)
25. Jack Holder (Australia)
155. Mikkel Michelsen (Denmark)
415. Dominik Kubera (Poland)
29. Andzejs Lebedevs (Latvia)
46. Max Fricke (Australia)
744. Kai Huckenbeck (Germany)
201. Jan Kvech (Czechia)
69. Jason Doyle (Australia)
105. Anders Thomsen (Denmark)
101. Brady Kurtz (Australia)
16. Oskar Paluch (Poland – wild card)
17. Bartlomiej Kowalski (Poland – first track reserve)
18. Kevin Malkiewicz (Poland – second track reserve)
GORZOW FANZONE
DON’T miss an afternoon of entertainment for the whole family in the Events.com FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Gorzow fanzone, open from 13:00 CEST on Saturday.
Located on the corner of Slaska and Kwiatowa next to the stadium, the fanzone features the official Speedway GP autograph session, where fans can meet all 18 riders from 16:30 and grab a signature or selfie.
Pick up some exclusive freebies from Monster Energy athletes Fredrik Lindgren, Dan Bewley and Jack Holder at the Monster Energy Rig Riot from 17:00. The Monster Energy area will be open from 13:15.
There will be Monster Energy Trials shows at 13:30, 15:45 and 17:30 as we warm up for the evening’s main event, and all of the Qualifying action and sprint race will be live on the big screen from 14:00.
Fans can win Speedway GP prizes with our quiz at 15:15. Pose for a photo with the Speedway GP trophy throughout the afternoon and the best of the 2024 SGP action will be playing on the big screen.
Meet FIM Speedway mascot Speedy at 14:30, 15:30 and 18:00. There will be a vintage speedway bikes exhibition, other photo opportunities, the We Love Speedway sign, food and drink stalls, the Speedway GP merchandise shop and much, much more.
The fanzone closes at 18:30 ahead of the opening ceremony at 18:45, with racing getting underway at around 19:00.
WHERE TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND: TUNE INTO MAX
Events.com FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Gorzow – Saturday, June 21 at 19:00 CEST
Fans can catch every moment of FIM Speedway action live on Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming platforms Max, HBO Max or discovery+. Coverage of all nine Speedway GP Qualifying sessions, featuring a brand-new knockout format for 2025, will also be available on these platforms.
Max is available in Europe in France, Iberia, the Nordics, Turkey and Central and Eastern Europe. HBO Max is WBD’s streaming platform in Belgium and the Netherlands. And discovery+ is the streaming platform for Germany, Austria, Italy and the United Kingdom ahead of Max launching in these countries in 2026.
Coverage of Speedway GP is available worldwide with digital and linear coverage – see below for more details of where to watch.
ACROSS EUROPE: Live on Max, HBO Max and discovery+
BRITAIN: Live on discovery+ and TNT Sports
POLAND: Live on TTV and Max
SWEDEN: Live on Max
DENMARK: Live on 6’eren and Max
AUSTRALIA: Live on Fox Sports
GERMANY: Live on discovery+
ACROSS THE BALTICS: Live on Go3 and TV3 Sport channels
CZECHIA: Live on Max and CT Sport
SLOVAKIA: Live on STVR Sport and Max
CROATIA: Live on Max
USA/Canada: Live on Racer Network
AUSTRIA: Live on discovery+
NORWAY: Live on Max
FINLAND: Live on Max
REST OF THE WORLD: Live on Racer Network