Speedway Grand Prix Prague as it happened - Martin Vaculik comes out on top in Prague

Updated 28/05/2022 at 20:08 GMT

Welcome to Eurosport's live coverage of the third race of the 2022 FIM Speedway Grand Prix from Prague, Czech Republic. Jasmine Butler is here with the latest updates from what promises to be another thrilling night of Speedway action, and you can watch all the action live on Eurosport 2 and discovery+.

'You can carry a lot of speed' - Woffinden talks up Prague track ahead of Czech SGP

Thank you and Goodnight

And that concludes our coverage of tonight's Prague FIM Speedway Grand Prix. Vaculik was the victor on the night but Zmarzlik is still in control when it comes to the championship. We don't have long to wait till the next meeting, which will be held in Germany next Saturday.

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The 2022 Speedway Grand Prix will be available live and ad-free on discovery+ with live race action also on Eurosport 2.

Championship after three rounds

1 - Bartosz Zmarzlik (Poland) 44pts
2 - Maciej Janowski (Poland) 43pts
3 – Leon Madsen (Denmark) 40pts
4 – Mikkel Michelsen (Denmark) 33pts
5 – Tai Woffinden (United Kingdom) 32pts
6 – Max Fricke (Australia) 31pts
7 – Jason Doyle (Australia) 31pts
8 – Fredrik Lindgren (Sweden) 31pts
9 – Martin Vaculik (Slovakia) 29pts
10 – Anders Thomsen (Denmark) 24pts
11 – Robert Lambert (United Kingdom) 22pts
12 – Dan Bewley (United Kingdom) 20pts
13 – Jack Holder (Australia) 16pts
14 – Patryk Dudek (Poland) 15pts
15 – Pawel Przedpelski (Poland) 12pts
16 – Matej Zagar (Slovakia) 11pts

Vaculik is the winner

He's been a thorn in Woffinden's plans all evening and has become the overall victor, a fantastic night of Speedway from him.

Final – Woffinden, Vaculik, Janowski, Doyle

Janowski touches the tape and is out of the final before it starts. Woffinden was caught sleeping on the restart, leaving Vaculik with a perfect start and stealing the win. Doyle comes third overall.

Final Draw - Janowski, Vaculik, Woffinden, Doyle

Vaculik goes with Gate 2, Janowski picks Gate 3, Woffinden picks the inside with Doyle having the tricky position of Gate 4.

Semi Final 2 - Zmarzlik, Vaculik, Doyle, Thomsen

Thomsen is down on the first lap, but the Heat continues as he can get his bike off the track. Vaculik carries on a strong night with Doyle following him to the final. Zmarzlik is knocked out in a semi final for the second race meeting in a row.

Semi Final 1 - Woffinden, Janowski, Madsen, Bewley

Woffinden jumps out of the gate, but Janowski is the one to steal the win. Bewley attempted to get second from Woffinden but had to back away. Woffinden and Janowski through to the final, Madsen and Bewley out.

Semi Final 2 Draw - Vaculik, Zmarzlik, Doyle, Thomsen

Vaculik goes with the successful Gate 2 with Zmarlik on the inside. Doyle goes with Gate 3 and Thomsen left with Gate 4.

Semi Final 1 Draw - Woffinden, Janowski, Madsen, Bewley

Woffinden goes with the inside, leaving janowski to pick Gate 2. Janowski picks Gate 3 with Bewley left with Gate 4.

After 20 Heats

Thomsen manages to sneak through to the top eight after taking two second places. Woffinden was able to shake off Vaculik to claim top.

1 - Tai Woffinden 13pts
2 - Martin Vaculik 12pts
3 - Bartosz Zmarzlik 11pts
4 - Maciej Janowski 9pts
5 - Jason Doyle 8pts
6 - Leon Madsen 8pts
7 - Dan Bewley 8pts
8 - Anders Thomsen 7pts
9 - Max Fricke 7pts
10 - Fredrik Lindgren 7pts
11 - Jack Holder 7pts
12 - Patryk Dudek 6pts
13 - Robert Lambert 6pts
14 - Mikkel Michelsen 4pts
15 - Pawel Przedpelski 3pts
16 - Jan Kvech 3pts

HEAT 20 – Zmarzlik, Vaculik, Holder, Michelsen

Zmarzlik wins the final of the 20 Heats. Vaculik followed him in second with Holder in third. Michelsen, who couldn’t make the semis, comes last.

HEAT 19 – Doyle, Madsen, Fricke, Kvech

Madsen got a great start from Gate 2 to take the win. Fricke had a better race but couldn’t take a win, coming in second. Doyle took the last point with Kvech last.

HEAT 18 – Lambert, Przedpelski, Janowski, Thomsen

It was three abreast going into the first corner, but it was Janowski who become the victor. Lmbert tried his luck but could only come second. Przedpelski took third and Thomsen ending with no points.

HEAT 17 – Bewley, Woffinden, Dudek, Lindgren

Woffinden takes his fourth win of the night. Bewley was able to compete after his off during Heat 13 and gave Woffinden a great battle but had to settle with second. Dudek took the final point with Lindgren at the back.

One last go

With one Heat a piece left, Woffinden still has company on top with Vaculik but at least both know they're through to the semis. Zmarzlik's night has turned around and he now sits in third. Doyle, Thomsen and Lindgren are all sitting on seven points, occupying fourth through to sixth respectively. The last two in the top eight are Janowski and Holder on six points.

HEAT 16 – Lambert, Kvech, Michelsen, Duduk

Michelsen hasn’t been having a great time but managed to claim his first win of the night. Kvech had a good race in second, Lambert took third with Dudek taking the pointless place.

HEAT 15 – Thomsen, Doyle, Lindgren, Zmarzlik

Doyle takes the win in his fourth race of the night. Zmarzlik fell down the order, but a stellar move brought him to second, with a picture finish alongside Lindgren in third. Thomsen came in fourth.

HEAT 14 – Przedpelski, Fricke, Woffiden, Holder

A great start from Woffinden leaves him dominating the rest of the Heat. That’s three wins in a row for him. Fricke took second in the hope of reaching the semis. Holder took third with Przedpelski in fourth.

HEAT 13 – Janowski, Madsen, Vaculik, Bewley

Vaculik propels himself out of Gate 3, but the race is cut short on the final lap due to Bewley coming off his bike, with the red light coming quite late. However, due to the lateness, the race isn’t re-run and Vaculik takes the win. Janowski takes second with Madsen in third. Replays show Bewley’s bike broke in a freak accident. He seemed in a lot of discomfort. Hopefully, he can complete his last race.

Three down, two to go

Each rider has completed three Heats. The main on top? Woffinden. He broke the Gate 2 luck to take a win from the inside, pushing him to the top of the standings on seven points. However, he isn't without company with both Vaculik and Thomsen also on seven. The top eight currently are:

1 - Tai Woffinden 7pts
2 - Martin Vaculik 7pts
3 - Anders Thomsen 7pts
4 - Dan Bewley - 6pts
5 - Bartosz Zmarzlik 6pts
6 - Fredrik Lindgren 6pts
7 - Jack Holder 5pts
8 - Patryk Dudek 5pts

HEAT 12 – Fricke, Michelsen, Lindgren, Janowski

Fricke takes his first win, and points, of the night. Michelsen battled on the first lap, but it all got tight, and he was relegated to the back. Lindgren had a strong race to take second with Janowski in third.

HEAT 11 – Woffinden, Lambert, Doyle, Vaculik

Woffinden takes his second win of the night, and only the second win that hasn’t come from Gate 2 so far. Vaculik tried his hardest but couldn’t catch Woffinden. Lambert lost his opportunity in the first corner, taking third. Doyle pointless in fourth.

HEAT 10 – Madsen, Zmarzlik, Dudek, Przedpelski

Zmarzlik takes his first win of the night off of, you guessed it, gate 2. Madsen has a better race taking second. Dudek held off Przedpelski to claim third.

HEAT 9 – Kvech, Thomsen, Bewley, Holder

Gate 2 Thomsen had to battle off Bewley nearly all Heat. Bewley had the speed but couldn’t get past and had to settle for second. Kvech took the last point with Holder at the back.

Top eight after eight heats

The first eight Heats have been a mixed bag or results. However, one thing we know for sure is the power of Gate 2. Here's the current top eight after two races a piece, with some surprise omissions.

1 - Jack Holder 5pts
2 - Martin Vaculik 5pts
3 - Dan Bewley 4pts
4 - Jason Doyle 4pts
5 - Tai Woffinden 4pts
6 - Fredrik Lindgren 4pts
7 - Patryk Dudek 4pts
8 - Anders Thomsen 4pts

HEAT 8 – Michelsen, Woffinden, Madsen, Thomsen

It was Woffinden’s turn to start on Gate 2, and he made sure to convert it to a win. Followed by the three Danes, Thomsen came in second, Michelsen picks up his first point in third. Disappointment for Madsen who was pointless.

HEAT 7 – Holder, Dudek, Janowski, Doyle

Dudek comes out of Gate 2 but had to fight on the first lap with Holder to keep his position. Doyle took the last point, with Janowski surprisingly coming away with no points. Janowski gains a warning after the Heat for a small movement before the tapes went up.

HEAT 6 – Vaculik, Lindgren, Przedpelski, Kvech

Kvech is excluded for wearing the wrong helmet colour, with reserve rider Daniel Klima taking his place. Gate 2 Lindgren worked it again, claiming the win. Vaculik followed him in second with Klima taking the final point. Przedpelski was the rider to miss out.

HEAT 5 – Fricke, Bewley, Zmarzlik, Lambert

Bewley takes the win. Fricke was running in second, but a mistake cost his race and gave him his second pointless race of the day. Lambert was able to take second and Zmarzlik crossed the line in a rare third.

The story so far

Doyle, Janoskwi, Holder and Vaculik have all claimed maximum points so far for their wins. Surprisingly, both Fricke and Michelsen came last in their Heats, leaving them with no points. There's still everything to play for with just four of the 20 Heats completed.

HEAT 4 – Dudek, Vaculik, Thomsen, Fricke

Another heat, another Gate 2 winner, this time from Martin Vaculik. Anders Thomsen settled for second with Patryk Dudek in third. Max Fricke is worlds away from his win last time out, coming in fourth and pointless.

HEAT 3 – Lindgren, Holder, Lambert, Madsen

Gate two has been a winner so far. Jack Holder got off to a flying start and managed to hold of Leon Madsen for the win. Fredrik Lingren took third with Robert Lambert at the back in fourth.

HEAT 2 – Zmarzlik, Janowski, Kvech, Woffinden

Maciej Janowski makes sure that Bartosz Zmarzlik’s night doesn’t get off with a win. Great ride means Janowski takes the win, with Zmarzlik in second and Woffinden in third. Kvech drifted away from the pack to finish last.

HEAT 1 – Bewley, Przedpelski, Doyle, Michelsen

Jason Doyle takes the first win of the night, followed by Pawel Przedpelski. Dan Bewley takes the final point in third. Mikkel Michelsen will be disappointed with a pointless race.

Here we go

The first four riders are getting ready for the opening Heat.

Stat-attack

12 of the last 20 riders to win in Prague have gone on to become the World Champion, making the Marketa one of the luckiest Speedway stadiums.

The pre-show showcase

All riders are out, ready for the pre-show parade. Not long now till the first action of the evening will start.

Tight up top

Despite Zmarzlik's stellar performance's, he isn't running away with the championship, with both Leon Madsen and Mikkel Michelsen breathing down his neck. The pair sit second and third respectively on equal points, just two points away from Zmarzlik.

Wildcard

This weekend's wildcard in home-grown talent Jan Kvech, who is also competing in FIM SGP 2.

Hello and Welcome

We are ready for round three of the FIM Speedway Grand Prix. This time around, we are at the Marketa Stadium in Prague, where the 16 riders will showcase their racing skills in front of over 9,000 fans.

Zmarzlik sets qualifying pace again as stellar start to season continues

Bartosz Zmarzlik was yet again the fastest man, setting a time of 14.870 to put him on top for the Czech Speedway Grand Prix, held in Prague.

This continues his winning streak of being on top of every qualifying session so far this year.

Setting his time in his first run, no one was able to catch up to him as the track seemed to be getting slower.

Max Fricke was the only other rider to get his fastest lap in the 14s, with a 14.999, leaving him the second fastest man. He continues on his high after winning in Poland two weeks ago. He’s becoming one of the riders to watch in this championship.

Read the full report here

Championship after two rounds

Here's how the championship looks leading into tonight's race.

1 - Bartosz Zmarzlik 32pts
2 - Leon Madsen 30pts
3 - Mikkel Michelsen 30pts
4 - Maciej Janowski 29pts
5 - Fredrik Lindgren 24pts
6 - Max Fricke 22pts
7 - Robert Lambert 18pts
8 - Jason Doyle 15pts
9 - Anders Thomsen 15pts
10 - Tai Woffinden 10pts
11 - Matej Zagar 11pts
12 - Pawel Przedpelski 10pts
13 - Jack Holder 10pts
14 - Patryk Dudek 10pts
15 - Martin Vaculik 9pts
16 - Dan Bewley 9pts

'It was an unreal night' - Fricke reflects on Warsaw win

Warsaw Speedway GP winner Max Fricke says that the night of his victory is “something I’ll never forget”.

Fricke stunned the field in Warsaw as he first beat local favourite Bartosz Zmarzlik in the semi-final, then beat out Leon Madsen, Mikkel Michelsen and Fredrik Lindgren, three of the top five in the current standings.

“It definitely took a while to set in [the realisation] after Warsaw,” Fricke told Eurosport ahead of the weekend in Prague. “It was an unreal night, everything worked out really well. My team, everyone, were on form on the night so we had a great performance and an awesome night. It's something I’ll never forget so it took a while to come down from that one.

“I don’t think anything really changed [from disappointing opening weekend in Croatia]. Croatia didn’t really work out. We had a few bike issues - things like that. The first round it was just one of those days. It definitely wasn’t a good one. So I knew I needed to come out and turn it around a little bit for the second round, and a win definitely tops it off.”

Read the full interview here.

'Super stuff from Max Fricke' - Speedway GP: Watch thrilling recap from Warsaw

RACE FORMAT

Each round will feature 16 riders racing against each other in 20 heats, every heat consisting of four riders completing four laps of the track.
The winning rider in each heat will be awarded four points, two points for second, one for third and zero for fourth.
The eight riders with the most points at the end of the heats stage then move on to two semi-finals, with the top two from each of these semis then facing off in the final.

The 2022 Speedway Grand Prix will be available live and ad-free on discovery+. with live race action also on Eurosport 2.

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