LEGEND TONY RICKARDSSON PREVIEWS THE 2022 SPEEDWAY GP SEASON

Are you excited for the new Speedway GP season?
Yes, very much so. It's been a been a long winter with a lot of planning. It's really nice that we're actually going get to see some action in the in the coming weekend. It's going to be great, I think.

What makes Speedway GP such a special event compared to other speedway competitions?
Well, I think just when you put all the best riders in the world together, at one race, it's always makes it a little bit extra competitive. It's always a great boost to see who's going to take the lead in the world championship for the year.

Who are you personally most excited to be watching?
The whole field is always exciting to watch, especially at the top. Of course, I would hold Bartosz Zmarzlik as a very strong favourite to win the title this year. But then there is another, let's say five to six riders, who can challenge Zmarzlik for the world title. Fighting for the top three positions is going to be very, very tight this year.

Which riders would make your top three?
I think it's too difficult to say. I have received this question a lot of times. I hold Zmarzlik as my strong favourite for the title this year. Who's going to be challenging him? There will be five, six riders who can challenge him but he is a very strong favourite. Anybody who can put the absolute best performances together at a lot of Grand Prix rounds will be able to challenge. Who that will be? We will have to wait and see.

Do you have your favourites for the Speedway GP season?
Well, I wouldn't say I have any favourites, I would say that all the riders are my favourites. But I guess you mean who will finish in the top three at the end of the season? Well, I think one strong favourite is Bartosz Zmarzlik will be a very strong candidate this year for the world title. Not only because last year’s world number one and world number three are not present in this year's Grand Prix, but he's been having a very good start to the year so I hold him as a very strong favourite. Behind him, I think it's more or less impossible to make a prediction, they are very much equal - all of them - so it's going to be how much they can put their form into the Grand Prix.

Can Bartosz Zmarzlik dominate like you did in 2005?
It's absolutely possible. I think he’s going to be a very dominant this year. I wouldn't be surprised if he isn’t. There’s a very good chance Zmarzlik will win the majority of the rounds. I don't think speedway will ever be boring, even if you have a dominant rider. Things can happen, things can change, it’s a very tough sport with very small margains. Even if Zmarzlik is a big favourite, I’m sure there will be some really exciting racing. For me, it doesn’t matter who wins, I just want to see some really great battles on the track. If there are some really good races then I will be really happy.

What is Bartosz Zmarzlik’s biggest advantage?
I think he has the whole package. He is a good starter. He's a fast rider, he can come from the back. I don't think his equipment is much better than anybody else. The top 10, top 12 riders in the Grand Prix all have the same equipment these days as back in my days. It's just that he puts everything together a little bit better than the rest of the pack right now. So, they all have to look at him and try to do what he do and do that a little bit better to try to beat him.

Who is the most dangerous for him? Tai Woffinden or Leon Madsen?
I think there are five, six contenders behind them, but it's really almost impossible to predict.

How can the Brits, including Lambert, Woffinden and Bewley, do this year?
Who knows? It's a long season. When you have a bad meeting, you still need it to be pretty decent. It's so important to have a very high standard when you're not performing at your best and when you have your best days, you need to be up there in the top three. I hold Tai Woffinden as one of the best riders in the world. When he is riding good he is as good as anybody, including Zmarzlik. He just needs to do it more consistently.

There is one Swede competing in Speedway GP this season – Fredrik Lindgren – do you think he can get a medal this season?
I don't know, it's all up to the riders. It's not up in my predictions, if you're going to do it or not. I think everybody have as much chance as anybody else to win medals. And I think it's a lot of the riders will be going for it this year.

Fredrik has really upped his game over the years, he has had some tough seasons and tough crashes. And I think he just needed that little bit of an extra break to get through to be able to challenging Zmarzlik. But it may be his year this year. I know that like you said it's not only from crashes, but also from the COVID, he’s has been suffering from that. But who knows it's maybe his year this year?

What difference do you think the wildcards can make in these races across the season?
Well if we go back historically, some of the wildcards do extremely well. They don't have the same pressure of being involved in a tough Grand Prix serious overhaul season. Wildcard can go in and just pull all the plugs and go in there with no restrictions - to not get injured, for example - or anything. They can just go in there and put everything on the line for one night. It has happened in the past that a wild card can go in and win a Grand Prix. They can play a part and they will during the year.

What will be your role in this year’s Speedway GP?
I will see my see my job as an ambassador. I have been advising the new promoter on the rulings on what I believe can take speedway forward. I have had my say in most things, both rule wise on the actual sport itself, but also on some of the things you will see on screen. Of course, it's a project by Discovery, but I have also been a senior adviser. We have tried to work out a really good package.

We are also trying to build a new youth programme that's going to make it easier for young riders to enter the sport. What it actually means is that it should be easier for non-motorsport families to be able to go and buy a complete bike that they can go and race with on a national base, but also internationally, and that they will be able to race on the same conditions against other countries.

I hope that we're going to bring some new faces and new young riders to the sport because we really need it not only in Sweden as the see if we're going to grow the sport it needs to be more accessible for non-motorsport families.

Tony Rickardsson is an ambassador for Speedway GP. Speedway GP will be available to watch across Warner Bros. Discovery Sports' platforms - Eurosport, discovery+ and Eurosport App - throughout the season. Check local listings or click HERE for further information.