Robert Lambert has taken the lead of the 2026 Speedway GP World Championship heading into the final round after winning a rain-affected round in Vojens, while Australians Max Fricke and Brady Kurtz remain firmly in the hunt at opposite ends of the title fight.
Lambert arrived in Denmark 10 points behind championship leader Bartosz Zmarzlik, but leaves the Deluxe Homeart FIM Speedway GP of Denmark with a one-point advantage after a dramatic meeting was abandoned following 20 heats due to heavy rain.
Fricke claimed his second podium of the 2026 season with third place, strengthening his position in the battle for automatic qualification for next year’s championship, while Kurtz sits just three points off the lead in third overall after another season spent challenging at the front.
With the FIM Jury calling an early end to proceedings, Lambert was declared the winner after topping the score chart on 13 points. The result delivered his second Vojens victory in the past three years and moved him to the top of the championship standings heading into the season finale in Torun.
Danish star Leon Madsen finished second on 12 points, while Fricke completed the podium on 10 points. Fricke secured third place on countback ahead of fellow Dane Michael Jepsen Jensen, with the Australian’s three race wins proving decisive compared to Jepsen Jensen’s single victory.
Lambert also collected three points for finishing second in the afternoon sprint race, taking his season tally to 142 points. That leaves him one point clear of six-time world champion Zmarzlik on 141, while Kurtz sits third on 139.
All three are guaranteed at least a bronze medal with one round remaining, setting up a three-way fight for the 2026 Speedway GP World Championship in Torun.
The champion will be crowned at the DEWALT FIM Speedway GP of Poland on September 26, and Lambert would love nothing more than to lift the sport’s biggest prize in the city he calls home and where he captains the local club.
Reflecting on leaving Denmark in the Golden Race Jacket, Lambert admitted the turnaround in fortunes exceeded his expectations.
“If you had said I would be wearing the Golden Race Jacket before the meeting, I would have grabbed your hand off,” Lambert said. “It just shows that speedway is so unpredictable, and you never know what will happen. If you put your best leg forward, hopefully things will work out.”
Lambert has now finished in the top two at the last five Speedway GP events, winning two and finishing second in three, and he is happy with the position he has put himself in heading into the decider.
“Looking at it as a whole, the season has been super great for me, and I am going to be very thankful for whatever colour medal I get,” he said.
“It’s all going down to the last round and it’s super interesting. It will be great for the spectators and for us racing for it too. It’s all open for the gold, silver and bronze medals. I’m looking forward to it.”
Despite leading the championship with one round to go, Lambert insists the pressure remains elsewhere.
“There is no pressure on me – like there hasn’t been all season. The pressure is on Bartek to retain it and Brady, after being so close last year, to try and make it. If I just do what I have been doing, I’m sure whatever the result will be, will be a good one.”
The wet conditions in Vojens added another challenge to an already crucial round, but Lambert handled them better than most.
Joking about his recent preparation, he said: “I have been going to the Torun ice hockey and doing some practice laps, so I am pretty good on the wet tracks.”
He added that making starts proved critical as the track became increasingly difficult.
“It’s the same for everybody – it’s tough when it’s so wet and greasy. But if you can get some fresh air, it makes it a lot easier, and you are racing on a good line. Thankfully, I was making some starts and that really helped me out.”
Madsen’s second-place finish kept his hopes of automatic qualification for the 2027 Speedway GP series firmly alive. The Dane, a former Vojens winner in 2023 and two-time Speedway GP silver medallist, was disappointed not to have the opportunity to race a final in front of his home fans but accepted the decision to abandon the meeting.
“I feel good. I am happy about the points I gained in the overall standings, so that was important,” Madsen said. “Honestly, I would have liked to race the final and get another home win for the crowd. I think it was possible, but after all the heavy rain, I think it was the right call to call it off.”
Madsen praised the circuit crew for their efforts throughout a challenging day.
“All meeting, we had a pretty decent racing track, considering the rain we had. Hats off to the track team and Jacob Olsen for giving us a decent racing track.”
The Dane now finds himself in the thick of a fierce battle for one of the coveted automatic qualification positions for next season.
“It’s very tight around the top seven in the standings now, and all points are crucial. I knew we had to have a good night, and I managed to do that. Eighteen points is very good. Hopefully I can go to Torun, have another good meeting and end the season in a good position.”
Looking ahead, Madsen is determined to remain in the series and work his way back into medal contention.
“Hopefully I can come back next year and be better prepared when the season starts. I want to get back up the top and fight for a medal. I think I still have it in me. I really want to do my best to stay in the GP next season and come back stronger.”
Madsen expects Torun to deliver a dramatic finale, with battles raging both for the world title and for qualification positions.
“We have two great battles in the last meeting – for the World Championship, silver and bronze, and also the top seven,” he said.
“I would have preferred to be in Robert’s position, but he is very, very fast lately and he is doing a great job. He has a good chance to finish it off in Torun, but it’s a tough battle for sure.”
For Fricke, the podium result was equally significant as he continues his push to secure a place in next year’s series. It marked his second podium finish of the 2026 campaign and strengthened his position in the qualification battle.
“It’s great to finish on the podium,” Fricke said. “Finishing after 20 heats is not the way we wanted to go, but it is what it is. I think it was the right decision in the end, given the rain we had.”
The Victorian was pleased to leave Denmark with a strong points haul.
“I am just happy to be up there in the points, battling for that top-seven position. Overall, it was just a good day, and I am happy with it.”
Like Madsen, Fricke praised the efforts of officials and track staff.
“Hats off to everyone involved – all the track staff – for making sure we got this on, given the amount of rain we had over the course of the day. I think the track held up pretty well considering.”
With so much still to be decided, Fricke is expecting an intense final round in Poland.
“It’s a great racetrack and there are multiple lines,” he said. “It’s going to make for some great racing, and there is a lot riding on it, especially for the guys battling for the World Championship. It’s super close for that, as well as for the top seven. Everyone is going to be giving it their all for the last one of the year.”
Behind the title fight, the battle for automatic qualification remains wide open. Jepsen Jensen currently occupies fourth place on 102 points, with Madsen fifth on 90. Fricke, Kacper Woryna and Patryk Dudek are tied on 89 points in sixth, seventh and eighth respectively.
Only the top seven riders are guaranteed places in the 2027 Speedway GP series, although Woryna’s qualification is already assured after finishing third at the FIM SGP Challenge in Terenzano on July 25.
The Vojens meeting also confirmed Latvia’s Andzejs Lebedevs as a 2027 Speedway GP rider. Lebedevs finished fifth at the FIM SGP Challenge, and with Lambert now guaranteed a top-seven finish in the championship, the qualification place earned through Lambert’s victory in Italy passes down to the Latvian.
Everything now comes down to Torun on September 26, with Lambert holding a slender one-point advantage over Zmarzlik and Kurtz only three points further back. For the Australian contingent, Fricke’s fight for a top-seven finish adds another layer to what promises to be a dramatic final night of the 2026 Speedway GP season.
| 2026 SpeedwayGP Standings After Round 9 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Name | Total Points | Gap |
| 1st | Robert Lambert | 142 points | +0 |
| 2nd | Bartosz Zmarzlik | 141 points | -1 |
| 3rd | Brady Kurtz | 139 points | -3 |
| 4th | Michael Jepsen Jensen | 102 points | -40 |
| 5th | Leon Madsen | 90 points | -52 |
| 6th | Max Fricke | 89 points | -53 |
| 7th | Kacper Woryna | 89 points | -53 |
| 8th | Patryk Dudek | 89 points | -53 |
| 9th | Jason Doyle | 66 points | -76 |
| 10th | Andzejs Lebedevs | 65 points | -77 |
| 11th | Anders Thomsen | 58 points | -84 |
| 12th | Jack Holder | 55 points | -87 |
| 13th | Jan Kvěch | 52 points | -90 |
| 14th | Dominik Kubera | 35 points | -107 |
| 15th | Fredrik Lindgren | 25 points | -117 |
| 16th | Nazar Parnitskyi | 21 points | -121 |
| 17th | Dan Bewley | 18 points | -124 |
| 18th | Kai Huckenbeck | 18 points | -124 |
| 19th | Maciej Janowski | 11 points | -131 |
| 20th | Kim Nilsson | 9 points | -133 |
| 21st | Frederik Jakobsen | 7 points | -135 |
| 22nd | Tom Brennan | 7 points | -135 |
| 23rd | Piotr Pawlicki | 6 points | -136 |
| 24th | Norick Blödorn | 4 points | -138 |
| 25th | Mikkel Andersen | 2 points | -140 |
| 26th | Daniils Kolodinskis | 2 points | -140 |
| 27th | Adam Bubba Bednar | 1 point | -141 |
| 28th | Marcel Kowolik | 1 point | -141 |
