Kurtz Closes In On 1st With 3 Straight GP Wins

IMAGE: Cowra’s Brady Kurtz wins the FIM Speedway GP of Latvia in Riga on 2nd August. Photo: Rafal Kozuch

Story courtesy of mcnews.com.au

Cowra motorcycle champion Brady Kurtz admitted it felt “pretty crazy” to secure a third consecutive FIM Speedway Grand Prix victory, taking top honours at the OlyBet FIM Speedway GP of Latvia – Riga on Saturday 2 August.

In what has been an impressive debut full season in Speedway GP, Kurtz has reduced Bartosz Zmarzlik’s lead in the World Championship standings from nine points to three.

Zmarzlik, a five-time world champion, finished fourth in Riga, while Swedish rider Fredrik Lindgren claimed second and local favourite Andzejs Lebedevs took third, earning his second podium of the 2025 season to the delight of the home crowd.

Kurtz’s win at the Bikernieki Speedway Stadium, his first appearance at the venue, follows earlier victories in Gorzow, Poland (June 21) and Malilla, Sweden (July 5), placing him firmly in contention for the title with just two rounds remaining.

The 28-year-old heads next to Wroclaw, his Polish home track,

for the penultimate round on August 30 with a strong chance of taking the championship lead ahead of the season finale in Vojens, Denmark, on September 13.

The Latvian GP didn’t start smoothly for Kurtz, who finished last in his opening race. However, he recovered to progress through a last-chance qualifier for the first time this season and went on to reach his seventh final in eight rounds, ultimately securing his third win of the campaign.

Three in a row is pretty crazy really. It was a tough night. It started off terribly, but we got the bike working and I started making really good starts, which was super important. I made two good starts at the end.

“I didn’t really know which gate to choose for the last-chance race. I went with gate one and no-one else really seemed to want gate one. I am not sure why.

“I made it work and it was nice to hit the front. I was actually really happy to make the final. After the way the night started, I was super happy just to be in the final.

To make another start then and win it was cool.

“Wroclaw is a super nice track and hopefully I will have a little bit of home support there. I am really looking forward to it. We have two rounds to go, and I am looking forward to both of them.”

The final two FIM GP rounds will be held in Wroclaw, Poland and Vojens, Denmark on 30th August and 13th September respectively.