Dan Bewley: “Lot to prove at Cardiff Speedway GP’
Words and images courtesy SGP
Home favourite Dan Bewley admits: “I feel like I have a lot to prove this year” as he bids to regain his FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain at the Principality Stadium, Cardiff on Saturday evening.
Bewley stormed to an unforgettable victory in the Welsh capital in 2022 – ending Britain’s 15-year wait for a home winner in Cardiff. But the Cumbrian star returns to his home event in search of points after an indifferent start to his Speedway GP season, which has left him ninth in the World Championship on 49 points – 16 short of the top-six position needed to secure qualification for the 2025 series.
Bewley heads to Cardiff buoyed by sealing his second FIM Speedway of Nations World Championship gold medal in three years in Manchester on July 13, alongside Robert Lambert and Tom Brennan. After racing as GB teammates at the National Speedway Stadium, it will be every Brit for himself at Principality Stadium, and Bewley is determined to kick his Speedway GP season into top gear in front of a partisan home crowd.
He said: “I feel like I have a lot to prove this year. I have a lot to improve on. I feel like I have been capable of a lot more, but what does it matter if you don’t execute it? First of all, I just want to win in Cardiff. That’s first and foremost. Winning here is extra special.”
Bewley is still battling for a top-six Speedway GP finish with five rounds to race. But he has another chance to secure his place in the 2025 series, if he races to a top-four finish at the FIM SGP Challenge in Pardubice, Czech Republic on October 4.
The three-time SGP winner qualified by finishing second at the qualifying round in Lonigo, Italy in May. But Bewley hopes he can hit top form over the final five Speedway GP rounds – starting in Cardiff – ensuring he won’t need to rely on a big performance in the FIM SGP Challenge to save his SGP status.
He said: “I know it sounds a bit bad, but I didn’t plan on needing the Challenge. I had never raced in Italy before and felt like making the trip. I had a quiet weekend and thought, ‘Why not? We’ll do that.’ We got through and it was a pretty cool trip. My plan was definitely to not be needing the Challenge, but we have a lot of racing to go and a lot of points up for grabs.”
Cardiff track passes the test
On Thursday afternoon, the Principality Stadium circuit was tested by five riders ahead of this weekend’s event, with former GB international Ben Barker racing Connor Mountain, Joe Thompson, Freddy Hodder and Luke Harrison.
The riders gave the 2024 FIM British Speedway GP track surface the thumbs up with the track building team set to continue maintaining and working on the circuit to ensure it’s in tip-top condition for Saturday’s event.
Sprint Finish Quaifier
The FIM British Speedway GP action starts with Qualifying Practice at 3pm UK time on Friday, culminating in the first-ever Cardiff sprint race. Riders will be drawn into four groups of four by the FIM Jury and each group will take to the track over two blocks of two minutes. The rider from each group who clocks the fastest lap time will enter the sprint race.
The winner seals a priceless four Speedway GP World Championship points, with three for second, two for third and one for fourth, with the sprint race winner also earning first choice of starting positions for Saturday’s Speedway GP.
This can be a huge advantage and Bewley won the first-ever Speedway GP sprint race in Warsaw on May 10. While he would love to repeat the feat, he also knows a big performance on Saturday night is even more important, with 20 points on offer to the FIM British Speedway GP winner.
He said: “The sprint race is a little bit different, and it does give you another look at the track. I won that sprint race, but I think Jason Doyle was last in qualifying in Warsaw and he won the GP. What does that show you? If you do well in qualifying but not in the meeting, it’s a bit annoying.”
Fans can attend Cardiff Qualifying Practice on Friday, with gates opening at 2pm and the action getting underway at 3pm.
Bewley and his fellow Brits always receive a raucous reception in Cardiff and the 2022 winner can’t wait to race in front of his home crowd – and the many fans jetting in from around the world.
He said: “They travel from everywhere. When we had the Speedway of Nations in Manchester, we had lots of Polish fans there and fans of lots of different nationalities. Cardiff is one of those events that a lot of people travel for. It’s always a great turnout with a lot of different flags flying around and a lot of noise. I can’t wait.”
2024 FIM SPEEDWAY GP OF GREAT BRITAIN – CARDIFF LINE-UP:
95. Bartosz Zmarzlik (Poland)
66. Fredrik Lindgren (Sweden)
54. Martin Vaculik (Slovakia)
25. Jack Holder (Australia)
30. Leon Madsen (Denmark)
505. Robert Lambert (Great Britain)
99. Dan Bewley (Great Britain)
46. Max Fricke (Australia – substitute for 69. Jason Doyle)
71. Maciej Janowski (Poland – substitute for 108. Tai Woffinden)
155. Mikkel Michelsen (Denmark)
29. Andzejs Lebedevs (Latvia)
744. Kai Huckenbeck (Germany)
415. Dominik Kubera (Poland)
48. Szymon Wozniak (Poland)
201. Jan Kvech (Czech Republic)
16. Tom Brennan (Great Britain – wild card)
17. Sam Hagon (Great Britain – first track reserve)18. Leon Flint (Great Britain – second track reserve)