Slovak star Martin Vaculik admits good friend and rival Bartosz Zmarzlik “makes us better and stronger” as he bids to deny the Pole a record-equalling sixth Speedway GP World Championship.
Vaculik knows Zmarzlik better than most, having raced alongside him for four seasons in Gorzow colours. But it will be every rider for himself when the SGP season launches with the WWK FIM Speedway GP of Germany – Landshut on Saturday.
Vaculik is one of the stars bidding to stop Zmarzlik from winning title No.6 – and an unprecedented fourth on the bounce. But it’s clear there’s a strong respect between the pair, and the Zarnovica-born racer believes the Lublin star is taking the sport to another level.
“I think Bartek makes us better and stronger,” he said. “He motivates us, and he is pushing us to show our best and beat him. I think Bartek is growing the sport of speedway at the highest level.”
Vaculik is working hard to better the fifth place he achieved in 2024. Despite winning Speedway GPs in Prague and Wroclaw, he still believes there were lessons to be learned.
He said: “Last year was a good season for me. Of course, with my team, I had some good races. We also made a couple of mistakes and had some bad meetings. But that’s life, that’s sport and we take it. It was an okay season for me. The new season is here, 2025, and I am just looking forward to a new series and new goals. I feel ready.
“I think it’s about being consistent really and collecting as many points as you can from every single Grand Prix.
“We know what we did wrong many times and on many tracks. We know what my weakness is, and me and my team have worked on it – to allow us to be better and faster and avoid making the same mistakes again and again. This can all help me to try and fight for the World Championship.
“We are in touch. I am still missing one or two pieces of the puzzle. When I find them, it will all stick together and work.”
Asked what he feels he is missing in his quest for top spot, Vaculik replied: “We clearly see which type of track and which kind of conditions we had problems with. That’s what we were working on with my team. As for what went wrong, I need to handle that. I cannot tell you how; I need to fix it myself and with my team.
"We need to read conditions faster and make wiser setup choices, and that’s it really. I also need to race a little bit better. In some situations, I was racing not so well. It sounds simple; on the track it will be a little bit harder. Theoretically, we know what to do.”