Bewley comes home in style to take victory in British FIM Grand Prix

Dan Bewley becomes the first British rider to win in Cardiff since 2007 as he secures a maximum 20 points following a series of top-class rides.

The 23-year-old enjoyed a perfect outing at the Principality Stadium, kicking off his night with back-to-back race wins. The former Belle Vue rider came flying out the blocks in heat four to secure the fastest time of the night with an exceptional ride from the gates, only to repeat such a performance in heat five.

Tough battles against championship leader Bartosz Zmarzlik and Patryk Dudek saw Bewley pick up another three points in his following two showings before finishing top of the standings after heat 20 with another great ride from the gate in the penultimate heat.

After a stop-start semi-final which saw Jason Doyle hit the tapes, Bewley did enough to keep the experienced Fredrik Lindgren at arm’s length to come home in second. Up against some of the most talented and experienced stars in the sport, the Smederna rider looked unphased coming into the final, once again flying out from the gates for a routine race win and victory in the Welsh capital, much to the delight of the British crowd. 

Elsewhere, Bartosz Zmarzlik extended his championship lead to 22 points after coming home in second while fellow finalist Leon Madsen had to settle with fourth as he failed to make his mark in the last race of the night.

It was a night to remember for Patryk Dudek too, with the Polish star scoring a top four finish for the third round in a row, pushing himself into third in the standings after a difficult start to the competition. 

Jack Holder once again showcased his talent on the world scene with his best points finish of the year so far. The Australian rider matched winner Dan Bewley’s 12-point tally inside his first five rides before narrowly missing out on a spot in the final to Zmarzlik. 

British duo Tai Woffinden and Adam Ellis both withdrew from proceedings due to health and injury concerns, a massive blow to Ellis after securing a wildcard spot at the British Speedway final earlier this month. 

Their absence paved the way for up-and-coming talent Tom Brennan and Leon Flint to gain experience on the big stage with six rides between them. The Belle Vue and Wolverhampton young stars were rewarded for their performances in the SGB setup and duly delivered with a collective four points scored throughout a challenging night of racing. 

Track conditions were far from desirable and proved difficult for many riders, with numerous crashes and falls while regular track grading was required. 

Difficulties in his last ride saw Maciej Janowski narrowly miss out on a spot in the semi-finals, extending his run outside the top four and falling further away from the championship leaders. Danish star Anders Thomsen was also left frustrated, with the 28-year-old bottom of the pile with just three points from four rides and an exclusion. 

Max Fricke is another looking to build on his performance after narrowly missing out on the playoffs. The Australian rider lost out on a semi-final spot to Mikkel Michelsen due to race wins while the Belle Vue man will be encouraged by his overall performance on the night after struggling in Gorzów in the previous round.

All riders will now turn their attention to a trip to Wrocław later this month for the seventh round of the Speedway Grand Prix on August 27. 

RESULT (no. of Championship points): D. Bewley 20, B. Zmarzlik 18, P. Dudek 16, L. Madsen 14, J. Holder 12, F. Lindgren 11, M. Michelsen 10, J. Doyle 9, M. Fricke 8, M. Janowski 7, A. Lebedevs 6, R. Lambert 5, T. Woffinden 4, P. Przedpelski 3, A. Thomsen 2, T. Brennan 1, L. Flint 0, A. Ellis 0.

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