One-Armed Holder Charges To Cardiff Podium

Chris Holder’s tweet about brother Jack’s superhuman effort at the British Speedway Grand Prix pretty much sums it up as the Aussie charger came back from a broken wrist to take second in Cardiff at the weekend.

The British SGP is always a huge event and this year was no different, with the fan zone packed to the rafters as our stars of the shale delivered a Rig Riot to remember before tapes up and setting the tone for an awesome night of racing.

The younger Holder brother got injured at last month’s Monster Energy Speedway World Cup and he has worked tirelessly to get back fit but even during qualifying the day before he was unsure whether he’d be fit enough to take his place in the race.

He decided to give it a go and the one thing he didn’t need was a big crash in his first race but he bounced back to put in an unbelievable performance, topping the qualifying scorechart and then taking his place in the grand final.

Up against Martin Vaculik, world champion elect Bartosz Zmarzlik and Freddie Lindgren, it was Vaculik who got his nose in front first and he left the other three to battle it out behind him.

Zmarzlik attempted to dive up the inside of Holder but the Aussie held firm and settled into second, with Lindgren and Zmarzlik throwing everything at each other for the final podium spot.

It was Zmarzlik who just about crossed the line first with a final-bend swoop, but the night belonged to Vaculik and Holder who both delivered incredible performances.

“I didn’t need that crash in the first race. I tried to move my hand out of the way, but I hit it and it was definitely sore. It was tough; back-to-back races in my second and third rides sort of killed me,” he said.

“But I am over the moon. This was the aim – to come back for Cardiff. I put myself through the ringer to be here – a lot of pain. I am definitely not one for putting it on. It was definitely sore out there, but it was worth it.

“I just wanted to get to the semi; I did that, and I got to the final. Then I was thinking, ‘Let’s go! I can do it – just four more laps.’ But that final was hectic! I need to watch that back.

“Coming out of the first corner, Bartek was on the back wheel, and I thought I was going over the fence. But he controlled it. Then Freddie came around and I was thinking, ‘I don’t need this at all!’ Second feels like a win for me.” 

Lindgren’s strong GP season continued with P4, and he still stands in overall 2nd in the championship, whilst Holder is now in overall 4th.

Patryk Dudek looked like one of the fastest riders on track but got squeezed out in th semi-final to finish in P7, and Dan Bewley couldn’t repeat his victory last season and finished in 9th.

Tai Woffinden, still the home favourite, looked like he was set for one of the best nights of his season with an awesome opening race where he went from last to first. He was on course to qualify for the semi-finals when he had a huge get-off in heat 16 and broke his hand.

He spent the rest of the night in the medical room and that could be his season over – get well soon Woffy!

We were also joined by speedway legend Darcy Ward, making a rare trip to Europe from his Australian base, and road racing god John McGuinness, who took in the action from trackside.

Zmarzlik still sits at the top of the standings and could secure title number four in Vojens, Denmark in a couple of weeks, with Lindgren hoping for a small miracle to try and stop him.

British Speedway Grand Prix result

1. Martin Vaculik (20 points) 2. Jack Holder (18 points) 3. Bartosz Zmarzlik (16 points) 4. Freddie Lindgren (14 points) 5. Robert Lambert (12 points) 6. Kim Nilsson (11 points) 7. Patryk Dudek (10 points) 8. Max Fricke (9 points) 9. Dan Bewley (8 points) 10. Andzejs Lebedevs (7 points) 11. Jason Doyle (6 points) 12. Mikkel Michelsen (5 points) 13. Tai Woffinden (4 points) 14. Maciej Janowski (3 points) 15. Leon Madsen (2 points) 16. Steven Worrall (1 point)

Overall Standings

1. Bartosz Zmarzlik (138 points) 2. Freddie Lindgren (114 points) 3. Martin Vaculik  (105 points) 4. Jack Holder (97 points) 5. Jason Doyle (87 points) 6. Dan Bewley (86 points) 7. Robert Lambert (83 points) 8. Leon Madsen (75 points) 9. Max Fricke (65 points) 10. Tai Woffinden (64 points) 11. Patryk Dudek (58 points) 12. Maciej Janowski (43 points) 13. Mikkel Michelsen (42 points) 14. Kim Nilsson (36 points) 15. Anders Thomsen (36 points)