Brady Kurtz Proves Gorzow Was No Fluke with Back-to-Back Speedway GP Wins in Malilla

Brady Kurtz has made it clear that his maiden FIM Speedway Grand Prix win was no fluke, backing it up with another stunning performance to claim victory at the Virkvarn FIM Speedway GP of Sweden – Malilla on Saturday night.

Just two weeks after his breakthrough triumph at the Events.com FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Gorzow, the Aussie ace doubled down by topping the podium again—this time at Sweden’s biggest speedway event. The win sees Kurtz tighten the gap at the top of the Speedway GP World Championship standings, sitting second with 122 points, just nine behind five-time world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik, who finished runner-up on the night.

Great Britain’s Dan Bewley rounded out the Malilla podium, duplicating the exact finishing order from Gorzow.

Speaking after his second consecutive win, Kurtz admitted the feeling was just as special—especially as it silenced any doubters. “Winning in Gorzow was pretty special. I think that’s the one I will definitely remember. But winning twice is great – more so because I know the first one wasn’t a fluke. That’s the coolest part in my mind – that I could win again,” he said.

Doing it in Malilla was particularly sweet for Kurtz, who raced for Swedish club Dackarna from 2022 until last year. “It was nice to do it here in Sweden on kind of my home track. I raced here for a few years, and it was nice to be back.”

Rain played a factor on race day, forcing organisers to cancel the afternoon Qualifying session, but the changing conditions didn’t faze Kurtz, who has developed a growing reputation for strong performances in the wet—highlighted by his victory in last year’s 2024 FIM SGP Challenge in a soaked Pardubice to qualify for this year’s GP season.

“I love it! I have ridden at Belle Vue for quite a few years in a row. We race in the rain a lot in Britain. I just kind of like to get on with it,” said Kurtz. “I went for the track walk, went back to my pits, told the boys what setup we were going to use and away we went.”

It was a dominant showing from the Aussie, who won five of his six races at the Skrotfrag Arena. His only hiccup came in heat 11, where a red flag stopped the race with him leading. He ended up third in the restart and was worried history might repeat itself when the final was halted after a crash from fellow Aussie Jason Doyle.

“There’s nothing worse than seeing the red lights come on when you are in front. But luckily, I made another good start. It was a difficult track – that’s for sure. I was doing some funny stuff out in front. But I managed to hang on,” Kurtz said.

Now, with three rounds left—Riga (August 2), Wroclaw (August 30), and Vojens (September 13)—Kurtz has his eyes set firmly on the title. Both he and Zmarzlik have made the final in six of the first seven rounds, and with a nine-point margin, there’s still everything to play for.

“Closing the gap is the goal,” said Kurtz. “I am not sure what to think about the next track in Riga. I have never seen it. But I will try to learn quickly like I have done on all of the other tracks. We will go for the free practice and hopefully find something that’s working, and we’ll go from there.”

For Zmarzlik, second place didn’t come easy. After failing to make it directly into the final, the Lublin and Lejonen rider charged through the last-chance qualifier, pulling off a sensational first lap to grab the lead in LCQ1 and secure his spot.

“This was not a bad night, but for me and my team, this was really hard work,” said Zmarzlik. “I’m happy that I got on the podium and took second place; it’s a really nice feeling. I didn’t have the best day, but I am still on the podium, and I am happy about this one because it was hard work.”

Third-placed Dan Bewley, also a former Dackarna rider, showed his comfort with the track and the conditions, delivering his third podium in four rounds. He now sits fourth in the standings on 97 points, just behind Swedish star Fredrik Lindgren on 99.

“To be honest, the track wasn’t too bad. I thought it was actually pretty good,” Bewley said. “I raced here for a couple of seasons and it’s always a pretty special track here. It’s pretty unique. Every week when we came here in the Swedish league, the track was a little bit different. That kept you on your toes. I felt like I had nice speed. It’s nice to come back here – I always like it.”

With a month until the next round in Riga, Bewley isn’t counting anything out in the title fight either. “It’s one meeting at a time for me. If we can keep making finals, we will see what happens. I have been a lot more consistent this year, so I am happy with that.”

For now, though, the spotlight belongs to Brady Kurtz, whose back-to-back wins have not only made a statement to the paddock but also put him right in the thick of a world championship battle that could go down to the wire.