Bartosz Zmarzlik won the Latvian Grand Prix in Riga, defeating Robert Lambert and Brady Kurtz in the final race to take the round victory. Starting from gate one in the final heat, the Polish rider led throughout the main event. The victory gave Zmarzlik a four-point lead in the general classification over Kurtz.
The eighth round of the Grand Prix series began with tight standings after Kurtz tied Zmarzlik at 109 points a week earlier in Łódź. Lambert sat close behind the pair with 101 points. Rain fell in Riga prior to the event, where starting gates one and four proved effective early in the competition.
In qualifying, Kurtz took first place and Zmarzlik finished second, while Lambert missed the top four. Track workers meticulously leveled the oval during breaks to repair ruts, limiting overall passing action during the heats.
Heat races in Riga
After the first two heat series, Kurtz, Lambert, and Czech rider Jan Kvech led the standings with five points each. Zmarzlik, Kacper Woryna, and Andrzej Lebiediew each held four points, while Patryk Dudek scored three points.
In heat five, Woryna made a fast start off the fence to take the lead. Kurtz held off Zmarzlik to secure second place ahead of the Pole.
Zmarzlik claimed a three-point win in heat 10 after closing out Leon Madsen at the start. Madsen fell to last place, but later passed Anders Thomsen on the outside line and subsequently overtook Lebiediew.
Kurtz led the field with 11 points after 16 races, holding a one-point advantage over Lambert and Zmarzlik. In heat 19, Kurtz started poorly and finished fourth, failing to earn the single point required for direct entry into the final.
Final heat and standings
Zmarzlik took advantage in heat 20 by winning the final regular heat ahead of Lambert. The result sent both Zmarzlik and Lambert directly into the final, forcing Kurtz into the repechage heats.
Woryna also entered the repechage heats after scoring 11 points in the regular stage, matching Kurtz. Kurtz won the first repechage heat to earn his place in the final. Woryna won the second repechage heat ahead of Dudek to complete the final field.
Zmarzlik won the final race from gate one, with Lambert finishing second, Kurtz placing third, and Woryna finishing fourth. The six-time individual world champion now holds a four-point lead over Kurtz and a ten-point lead over Lambert with two rounds remaining in the series.
