Fredrik Lindgren on fighting back from Covid, and Speedway GP world title ambitions ahead of second round in Warsaw
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Published 10/05/2023 at 10:07 GMT
Fredrik Lindgren is in his 18th Speedway Grand Prix season and finished third at the opening race of the 2023 campaign in Croatia. He has spoken to Power of Sport about recovering from long Covid, his ambitions to be world champion, and why he races best when "everything happens with instinct". The second round of the championship is in Warsaw, Poland on May 13.
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Fredrik Lindgren says “nothing else can compare” to Speedway GP and has revealed his world title ambitions after fighting back from long Covid.
Lindgren, 37, is riding in his 18th season, with his best finishes coming in 2018 and 2020 when he was third overall.
He started this campaign with a third-place finish in Croatia behind defending champion Bartosz Zmarzlik and Great Britain’s Robert Lambert.
Having suffered from long Covid and lung damage over the last two years, Lindgren is relishing the chance to compete again.
“The nerves and the adrenaline you get when you're on the speedway bike, nothing else can compare to it,” the Swede told Power of Sport on Eurosport and discovery+, a programme that airs at 6pm UK time on Wednesday May 10.
“Ever since I can remember, all I wanted to do was race speedway.
“I'm coming from two years with big health problems, so this year I just want to try and enjoy it really. If we can get some success, that's going to be a big plus.
“Of course I want to be world champion. I don't know when I'm going to stop. I'm getting older for sure, but I don't feel old in my head. I still feel pretty young and I feel like I’m learning new things and I feel like I want to develop myself, so I don't have a clue when I'm going to finish my career.”
On Saturday, the Polish capital Warsaw hosts round two of the 2023 Speedway GP season, with all the action live online via the Eurosport and discovery+ platforms.
Lindgren was third at the track last year, with Max Fricke winning and Leon Madsen coming second.
He says he feels at his best when "everything happens with instinct".
“The mental aspect is really important. You will face adversity and it's how you handle that. It's going to make you or not make you.
“When it's going good, you don't really think much, then it's pretty easy. But when it's going bad, the brain starts to work overtime, sometimes.
“I think when I have my best races, everything just happens with instinct. Sometimes when I come in after a heat in which I've been really, really good, I can't remember anything. My mechanics kind of have to remind me what's happened and then sometimes it comes back to me.”
Lindgren's father Tommy was a speedway rider and his younger brother Ludvig also rides.
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He first competed in the Speedway GP in 2004 and credits his wife for being his biggest supporter.
“As a speedway rider you have to travel a lot. We're racing not only in the world championship, but also racing in the Polish top division and the Swedish top division. It's a lot of kilometres in the van, a lot of airplanes, a lot of travelling and organising stuff.
“Becoming a father was a big change in my life. In the beginning it was very difficult. It's a lot of work to have a small baby and to combine the speedway life and the family life is difficult.
“My wife is definitely my biggest supporter and she also works with us in the team. She takes care of a lot of business. She does a lot of things for me for sure.”
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Stream every round of the 2023 Speedway Grand Prix season live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com
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