Speedway Grand Prix: Fredrik Lindgren faces ‘really tough’ challenge to overcome Bartosz Zmarzlik, says Tony Rickardsson
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Published 14/07/2023 at 09:25 GMT
Sitting third in the championship race, Fredrik Lingren is gunning for glory at his home race in the latest round of FIM Speedway Grand Prix action. However, speedway legend and fellow Swede Tony Rickardsson thinks his compatriot faces a tough task to unseat runaway leader and reigning world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik.
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Round six of the 2023 FIM Speedway Grand Prix will see Swedish star Fredrik Lindgren looking to make an impact on home turf when they line up at the Skrotfrag Arena in Malilla.
Veteran rider Lindgren will look to continue what has been a decent season thus far as he sits third in the championship standings at the halfway stage.
A win and two further final appearances see the 37-year-old riding high but, despite his lofty position, is currently 22 points off leader Bartosz Zmarzlik with the reigning world champion looking seemingly unstoppable.
The Polish star has reached finals in every meeting so far this year, winning three, including the last two in a row.
Previewing the latest round of action on his old stomping ground, Swedish speedway legend Tony Rickardsson pondered what his compatriot could do to catch the runaway leader.
“That’s the one million-dollar question everybody asks themselves,” the six-time world champion told Eurosport. “I think Zmarzlik has been going really, really strong.
“In one way, it’s easy! The case is you just need to beat him but that’s the tough one to crack right now.
“He’s been head and shoulders above the rest of the field. But you never know in Speedway, it’s such a close competition, and a small glitch or hiccup can mess up for you.
“It’s going to be a really tough one for Frederick, he’s been doing really well so far and he seems to be really committed.
“But so far Zmarzlik has been the strongest one in the competition so far.”
Another Swedish star in this year's competition is Kim Nilsson, making his first appearance as a full-time rider this season after winning the 2022 Grand Prix Challenge.
While he sits further down the table in 15th, he does have an appearance in one final so far, reaching the deciding heat in Germany in Round 4.
Chances of achieving a similar feat this time around were dashed after he was ruled out of the Swedish Grand Prix with injury, denying him the opportunity to perform in front of his home fans.
Despite this, Rickardsson was full of praise for his countryman and optimistic about his prospects for the rest of the season.
“I think he’s been doing rather well,” he said. “I’ve been following him for quite some years because he’s been riding at my local track in Avesta and also in the GP.
“I think if the track conditions get a little bit rougher, I think he has a better chance of really good results.
“Like we saw, he’s reached a final which is great success for him.”
Despite the challenge ahead of him, a potential victory for Lindgren would be the perfect end to an action-packed weekend at the Swedish Grand Prix.
Kicking things off on Friday will be the final of the Speedway Youth World Championship, SG3 before a look at potential future stars at the launch of SGP4, featuring a brand new bike designed by Rickardsson himself.
“I’m really excited about the whole event,” he admitted. “How it’s set up, three competitions in one week, it’s going to be really big.
“It’s not going to be a normal, two- or three-hour GP weekend. It’s going to be action-packed from Friday morning all the way to Saturday night. So that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
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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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