Storm after the decision of world authorities. The fans want Russians to start with a Polish passport
The echoes of the decision of the organizer of the Grand Prix series regarding the so-called wild cards. The choice caused controversy, and on the Internet you can find many comments from fans who say one important thing.
Jason Doyle, Mikkel Michelsen, Kai Huckenbeck, Jan Kvech – these are the riders who received wild cards to appear in the Grand Prix series in the 2025 season. While the nomination for the first two mentioned speedway riders is still understandable, the invitations for Huckenbeck and Kvech seem seems strange. On social media, the GP organizers boast that competitors from 13 countries will appear in the series, along with the reserves. It is clear that they do not care about the full attractiveness of the series.
The fans want Sayfutdinov and Łaguta
First of all, the absence of Leon Madsen and the Polish wild card representative among the regular Grand Prix participants is shocking. We will have our competitors in the fight for the Individual World Championship, but we are only talking about the current champion Bartosz Zmarzlik and Dominik Kubera, who gained a ticket to the GP in the Grand Prix Challenge held in Pardubice.
Many experts have already commented online that a series with players such as Huckenbeck or Kvech cannot be attractive. These are simply participants who do not deserve to be in the GP. Many people dreamed of a different set of players when dealing wild cards. They do not remain silent, among others. there are voices about restoring Artiom Łaguta and Emil Sajfutdinow to international competition.
“Shame on you for including two Kevlars among the participants instead of Emil Sajfutdinov and Artiom Łaguta” – this is one of the comments from speedway fans.
Łaguta stopped Zmarzlik
The topic of Łaguta and Sayfutdinov has already been covered many times. Both men appeared in the Grand Prix for the last time in the 2021 season, guaranteeing great emotions. Then the former became the world champion, and the latter won the bronze medal. Bartosz Zmarzlik separated them. It was in that year that the Polish champion last found a conqueror.
After the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Łaguta and Sayfutdinow, as Russians, were excluded from all competitions, including the PGE Ekstraliga. However, both men have Polish citizenship, so from the 2023 season they will take part in our competitions with a Polish license. However, the authorities of the Polish Motor Association do not agree to their participation in the Grand Prix in white and red colors. Outstanding speedway riders also do not go there as participants under a neutral flag. The series’ spectacular nature undoubtedly suffers as a result.
Many speedway fans argue that at least Łaguta could again threaten Zmarzlik in the fight for gold. If this happened, it could translate into greater viewership for the world championship competition. However, it does not seem that Łaguta and Sayfutdinov’s return to the elite will happen quickly.
