Zmarzlik Becomes Poland's Third
SpeedwayGP World Champion
P
olish hero Bartosz Zmarz-
lik revealed he was tipped
for the top by Tomasz Gollob a
decade ago after following in his
mentor's tire treads to become
Poland's third FIM Speedway
Grand Prix World Champion.
Zmarzlik made history when
he reached the Revline Torun
SGP of Poland final with 14
points to follow 1973 World final
winner Jerzy Szczakiel and 2010
SGP Champion Tomasz Gollob
into Polish speedway's most
exclusive club.
The 24-year-old held his nerve
under immense pressure after
Leon Madsen won the Rev-
line Torun SGP with a 21-point
maximum to push Zmarzlik all the
way, with the Dane claiming the
silver medal and Russia's Emil
Sayfutdinov bagging bronze.
It's nine years since Gollob
lifted the sport's biggest prize
in 2010 and Zmarzlik spent that
season racing with the great man
at Polish club Gorzow.
"This is unbelievable—I am the
third Polish world champion,"
Zmarzlik said. "It is very nice,
and I don't know what to say
now. It has been a hard month
for me. I have had all these peo-
ple coming up to me, saying 'you
can win,' or 'you've won.' It was
a hard time. I am much happier
now. I want to say a big thanks to
the Polish fans, and all the fans.
They created a good atmosphere
in the stadium."
Zmarzlik went into the second
semi-final requiring a win or sec-
ond place to seal the title, and
he delivered one of the starts of
his life to claim an unforgettable
victory before celebrating wildly
with his crew and the fans.
IN
THE
WIND
P28
Bartosz Zmarzlik
wrapped up
the 2019 FIM
SpeedwayGP World
Championship in
Poland.
