Great Britain’s Robert Lambert completed one of the biggest comebacks in Speedway GP history to secure the 2026 FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship at Torun, denying Poland’s Bartosz Zmarzlik a record seventh world title and a fifth consecutive crown in a dramatic season finale.
Heading into the second half of the season, 23 points off the championship lead after four rounds, Lambert turned his campaign around with three victories and three runner-up finishes across the final six events. The Norfolk rider eventually sealed the title on 162 points, edging Zmarzlik by just two points after one of the closest championship battles the series has seen.
Australia’s Brady Kurtz completed the podium on 157 points, claiming bronze and backing up his silver medal from his rookie Speedway GP campaign in 2025. Remarkably, all three riders entered the final round mathematically capable of winning the world title, with the championship decided over the final four laps of the season.
For Lambert, the achievement carried extra significance as it came at his adopted home circuit in Torun. Having raced for the local club since 2021 and helped guide the team to its first PGE Ekstraliga title since 2008, he had never previously scored more than 11 championship points at a Speedway GP event there.
Reflecting on the breakthrough, Lambert admitted the result was especially satisfying given his previous struggles at the venue.
“It was unbelievable to win it in my home stadium,” Lambert said. “I’ve had some bad GPs here in Torun and a little bit of bad luck. It was tough coming here, with everyone saying that my GPs here have been terrible. But I’m absolutely on fire in the league. At least I was able to be consistent like I am in the league.
“Torun is my home club, and also the place where I live. To be able to win it here is something super special. When it soaks in, it’s going to be an amazing feeling.”
Lambert’s title charge gathered momentum late in the season after he erased a 10-point deficit at the Speedway GP of Denmark in Vojens to move into the championship lead. Although Zmarzlik reclaimed a two-point advantage after finishing second in Saturday’s sprint race at Torun, Lambert remained composed despite missing out on sprint points after being eliminated in qualifying by fellow Brit Dan Bewley.
“Anything can happen in speedway,” Lambert said. “I am a big believer in just doing my races and seeing how it plays out. It played out great.
“I’m super happy with how I kept my composure and was able to push through, and I’m super proud of myself that I kept hold of my emotions and took it race by race.”
The new world champion also revealed that the impending arrival of his first child with wife Julia had provided extra motivation throughout the season.
“That has given me a different outlook on things,” he said. “I had something to look forward to and focus on. Someone said before that becoming a father took 0.5 seconds off for Formula 1 drivers, but it seemed to give me 0.5 seconds.”
While Zmarzlik’s run of six world titles came to an end, the Pole still extended his remarkable streak of finishing first or second in the championship to nine consecutive seasons.
“Of course I was fighting for the gold medal, but I am super happy about the silver medal,” Zmarzlik said. “That’s the 10th medal in all for me now, which is a really nice feeling.
“I would like to say a big congrats to Robert and Brady. I think we have put on a really good show and a really good fight on the track all season.”
For Kurtz, bronze marked another significant achievement as the Australian continued to establish himself among the sport’s elite. After claiming silver in his debut Speedway GP season last year, he was pleased to prove that result was no one-off.
“Obviously I am happy with the season as a whole,” Kurtz said. “The most important thing for me was to try and back up last year – not just have one good season and then go missing.
“I’m really happy to say I have two medals in two years and congratulations to Robert. He definitely deserved the gold.”
Kurtz also welcomed confirmation that the Speedway GP series will return to Australia in 2027 for the first time in a decade, with Adelaide’s Gillman Speedway hosting the final two rounds of the championship on October 29-30.
“I’m super happy. I think it’s overdue,” Kurtz said. “We have had so many good riders in the GPs for so many years now. To not have our own round has been a shame.
“Gillman is such a good track, and I think it will be an unreal GP there.”
The 2027 Speedway GP line-up is already beginning to take shape. Alongside Lambert, Zmarzlik and Kurtz, automatic qualification has been secured by Michael Jepsen Jensen, Patryk Dudek, Leon Madsen and Australia’s Max Fricke, whose seventh-place finish delivered the best championship result of his career.
They will be joined by Speedway GP Challenge qualifiers Rohan Tungate, Kacper Woryna, Kim Nilsson and Andzejs Lebedevs, while the winner of the Speedway European Championship will also earn a place. The SGP Commission will complete the field with three permanent wild cards, or four if the SEC champion has already qualified through another pathway.
With Lambert ending Britain’s wait for another Speedway GP world champion, Zmarzlik continuing his remarkable run at the top, and Kurtz once again on the podium, the stage is already set for another fierce battle when the championship resumes in 2027.
| 2026 SpeedwayGP Standings After Round 10 (Final) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Name | Total Points | Gap |
| 1 | Robert Lambert | 162 points | +0 |
| 2 | Bartosz Zmarzlik | 160 points | -2 |
| 3 | Brady Kurtz | 157 points | -5 |
| 4 | Michael Jepsen Jensen | 111 points | -51 |
| 5 | Patryk Dudek | 103 points | -59 |
| 6 | Leon Madsen | 100 points | -62 |
| 7 | Max Fricke | 97 points | -65 |
| 8 | Kacper Woryna | 95 points | -67 |
| 9 | Jason Doyle | 73 points | -89 |
| 10 | Andzejs Lebedevs | 67 points | -95 |
| 11 | Anders Thomsen | 62 points | -100 |
| 12 | Jack Holder | 55 points | -107 |
| 13 | Jan Kvěch | 52 points | -110 |
| 14 | Dominik Kubera | 44 points | -118 |
| 15 | Fredrik Lindgren | 36 points | -126 |
| 16 | Dan Bewley | 31 points | -131 |
| 17 | Nazar Parnitskyi | 24 points | -138 |
| 18 | Kai Huckenbeck | 18 points | -144 |
| 19 | Maciej Janowski | 11 points | -151 |
| 20 | Kim Nilsson | 9 points | -153 |
| 21 | Tom Brennan | 7 points | -155 |
| 22 | Frederik Jakobsen | 7 points | -155 |
| 23 | Piotr Pawlicki | 6 points | -156 |
| 24 | Norick Blödorn | 4 points | -158 |
| 25 | Maksymilian Pawelczak | 3 points | -159 |
| 26 | Daniils Kolodinskis | 2 points | -160 |
| 27 | Mikkel Andersen | 2 points | -160 |
| 28 | Adam Bubba Bednar | 1 point | -161 |
| 29 | Marcel Kowolik | 1 point | -161 |
