Australia has achieved a first in Speedway Grand Prix history after Max Fricke, Brady Kurtz and Jack Holder completed a clean sweep of the podium at the ATPI FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Manchester R3.
While Australian riders have previously finished 1-2 on four occasions in SGP history, this marks the first time they have filled all three podium positions in a single round. It also makes Australia only the second nation after Poland to achieve a full podium lockout in the series.
Fricke took victory in wet conditions at the National Speedway Stadium, ending a four-year wait for a Speedway GP win and claiming his third career SGP victory. He held off Kurtz in second and Holder in third after a rain-affected final that tested track conditions and starting positions.
The 30-year-old said the win came after a steady progression through the night, particularly after a difficult opening heat.
“It has been a long time between drinks – that’s for sure,” Fricke said. “I am happy to be up here. I just kept my head down the whole night and didn’t get too ahead of myself. My whole team has done a great job, and I felt good.”
Fricke explained that an early adjustment to his setup proved crucial as conditions evolved through the meeting.
“I made a change after the first heat,” he said. “This really worked, and afterwards we had good speed. I was able to carry that on, build with confidence and just continue to improve over the course of the night.
“It got tricky in the end when it started raining. It was a little bit of a guessing game as to how it was going to play out. But overall, we kind of stuck to what we knew. I just wanted to get myself in front for that final.
“We all knew that the first person to that dirt line was going to probably end up in front, especially after that rain. I made sure that I made a good start and got there first. After that, it was just high concentration and riding it home. It was pretty close to the fence, but I was just tiptoeing around the edge there with full concentration for the whole race.
“It was a really good job from my whole team, and I am grateful that I have been able to reward everyone who has been working super hard for me. It was a good win.”
The result marked a major turnaround in the championship standings for Fricke, who moved from 14th overall to sixth on 30 points, now 16 points behind series leader Bartosz Zmarzlik, who still retains the championship lead despite a dramatic final that ended in a crash and disqualification.
Fricke said the result was an important response after early-season setbacks.
“In Prague towards the end, I had good speed and threw it away. I am still feeling that now,” he said. “It was good to be able to bounce back after a rough first two rounds and show some of the potential I think I have, and where I deserve to be in the championship.
“We know tomorrow is a new day. I will try and keep focused on that, keep the same mindset, keep my head down and take it one race at a time.”
Brady Kurtz’s second place saw him move to within a single point of the championship lead and continue a strong run of form in Manchester.
He said the podium felt significant given the shared history between the three Australians.
“I am stoked with it. I am really happy to get up on the podium. Well done to Max – he really deserved it,” Kurtz said.
“I don’t think anyone has done more battles than us three have for our entire lives. It’s really sick that we’re all here on the podium. That’s 21 years we have been going at it. We’re really happy with it.
“The rain was a bit out of the blue really. We all chose the gates for the LCQ. Then suddenly it rained hard. I didn’t know if gate one was the right choice, but I made it work, as Max did in the final.
“I would just be happy with another good night on Saturday. Another final would be absolutely perfect. It will be a whole new battle and a different day.”
Jack Holder completed the all-Australian podium in third place and added further points across the day, including a win in the sprint race earlier in the program.
He said the result reflected years of shared competition between the trio.
“We have been battling for many, many years, and this is cool to see. We’re taking over!” Holder said.
“I knew we had to get to that dirt line first. We were picking the gates for the LCQ, and the rain was coming down. I wasn’t making good starts in the last couple of races, but I took a gamble. I just wanted gate two in the LCQ. I went straight for that dirt line.
“For the final, it was the same plan again. If I was in the position to go for that dirt line on the first corner, I would have. But that gap closed up pretty quickly in the first turn.
“We are almost halfway through the series with two GPs back to back this weekend. Hopefully I can have another good one tomorrow. We’ll see where I end up.”
The series continues at the National Speedway Stadium on Saturday for Round 4 of the 2026 Speedway Grand Prix season.
| 2026 SpeedwayGP Standings After Round 3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Total | Gap |
| 1st | Bartosz Zmarzlik | 95 Points | +0 |
| 2nd | Brady Kurtz | 101 Points | -1 |
| 3rd | Jack Holder | 25 Points | -5 |
| 4th | Kacper Woryna | 223 Points | -11 |
| 5th | Robert Lambert | 505 Points | -11 |
| 6th | Max Fricke | 46 Points | -16 |
| 7th | Leon Madsen | 30 Points | -17 |
| 8th | Michael Jepsen Jensen | 52 Points | -19 |
| 9th | Jason Doyle | 69 Points | -20 |
| 10th | Patryk Dudek | 692 Points | -22 |
| 11th | Andzejs Lebedevs | 29 Points | -26 |
| 12th | Dan Bewley | 99 Points | -28 |
| 13th | Dominik Kubera | 415 Points | -29 |
| 14th | Anders Thomsen | 18 Points | -32 |
| 15th | Fredrik Lindgren | 66 Points | -34 |
| 16th | Nazar Parnitskyi | 785 Points | -37 |
| 17th | Jan Kvěch | 201 Points | -38 |
| 18th | Tom Brennan | 16 Points | -41 |
| 19th | Norick Blödorn | 16 Points | -42 |
| 20th | Kai Huckenbeck | 744 Points | -44 |
| 21st | Adam Bubba Bednar | 16 Points | -45 |
| 22nd | Anders Rowe | 17 Points | -46 |
| 23rd | Dan Thompson | 18 Points | -46 |
| 24th | Kevin Wolbert | 17 Points | -46 |
| 25th | Valentin Grobauer | 18 Points | -46 |
| 26th | Daniel Klíma | 17 Points | -46 |
| 27th | Adam Nejezchleba | 18 Points | -46 |
