Bartosz Zmarzlik lost his lead in the Speedway Grand Prix world championship standings after the Danish round in Vojens was halted early because of rain, with the Polish rider finishing fifth as Robert Lambert took victory and moved to the top of the series.
Lambert now leads the overall standings by just one point over Zmarzlik and three over Brady Kurtz, with only one round of the season left to run.
Zmarzlik had arrived in Denmark holding a four-point advantage over Kurtz and a ten-point cushion over Lambert in the general classification. A sprint race held before the main event then reshuffled the order at the top, with Kurtz collecting four points and Lambert three, while Zmarzlik failed to add to his tally.
The meeting itself was called off after twenty heats because of heavy rain. Conditions were described as genuinely difficult to race in, though some fans and riders suggested the event could have been managed differently and that the final three heats might still have been completed.
Denmark Grand Prix result
Lambert ultimately won the Danish Grand Prix, with Leon Madsen and Max Fricke completing the podium. Zmarzlik finished fifth and Kurtz seventh, results that unexpectedly handed Lambert the overall series lead.
Zmarzlik is a six-time individual world champion and is chasing what would be a record seventh title, a feat no rider has achieved in the history of the sport. The Speedway Grand Prix is the sport's premier world championship series, contested across a season of rounds held in different countries, with the champion decided by cumulative points.
Zmarzlik questions training sessions
Speaking to WP SportoweFakty, Zmarzlik said he would not comment on the decision to stop the meeting, adding that he currently had no opinion on the matter. He said his words would change nothing, since riders have no say in such decisions anyway, so he did not want to trouble himself with the subject.
The defending champion said it was certainly difficult to continue racing in such conditions and that it was right the meeting was stopped. But he questioned why training sessions continue to be held before Grand Prix rounds at all, saying he was not speaking only about the Vojens session but training in general. Riders work in the workshop and train, he said, only to find conditions completely different when it matters.
The championship will now be decided at the final round in Torun, Poland, on September 26.
