SPEEDWAY GRAND PRIX
• Bartosz Zmarzlik at the Vojens practice session, mistakenly wearing the wrong kevlars. Picture: TAYLOR LANNING
Morris verdict
2023 FIM SPEEDWAY GRAND PRIX OF DENMARK ROUND 9: Saturday, September 16 WINNER: Leon Madsen (Denmark) l SECOND: Freddie Lindgren (Sweden) l THIRD: Jack Holder (Australia)
FIM SPEEDWAY race director Phil Morris insists the FIM Jury had no option but to disqualify triple World Champion Bartosz Zmarzlik from the FIM Danish Speedway GP last Saturday.
The Pole was widely expected to lift the sport’s biggest prize for the fourth time in Vojens but found himself taking an early trip home after being thrown out of the meeting for wearing the wrong kevlars during Qualifying Practice.
While similar to his Speedway GP race suit, the one donned by Zmarzlik during the session featured his personal sponsor Orlen on the prime chest location, not Speedway GP sponsor Infinite Reality or his national flag and the FIM and SGP logos required as part of his Speedway GP contract.
Under section 12.3 of the SGP regulations, riders can be fined if: “Riding number jackets are not worn or suit/covers do not conform to the contract or the front cover is not fixed on the bike during the TV interviews, draws, qualifying practice, opening ceremony, press conferences, racing, prize-giving ceremony and in the pits area.”
Zmarzlik’s error was only brought to the FIM’s attention after the session, with the FIM Jury composed of Morris, jury president Tony Olsson, referee Craig Ackroyd and local Danish delegate Hanne Thomsen voting to disqualify the Lublin star.
The decision sparked uproar in Poland, with some hitting out at a punishment they felt did not fit the crime. Section 12.3 also requires that, “The sanction must be proportional to the offence, and to the circumstances (attenuating or aggravating if applicable) and taking account of any possible advantage gained by the rider.”
Zmarzlik paid a high price after watching nearest rival Fredrik Lindgren shrink his 24point lead before Vojens to six, giving the Swede the chance of a lifetime to pile on the pressure and potentially win his first world title in Torun on September 30.
While Morris accepts Zmarzlik’s infringement was unintentional, he says the FIM Jury was right to impose the disqualification, along with a €600 fine – the only sanction listed for the offence in the rulebook.
He said: “It wasn’t an easy decision and I felt very down about it. It wasn’t something any of us in the room were happy about. But, as the FIM, we have to follow the rulebook and legislate according to that.
“The rules are the rules. We are the custodians and police officers of that rulebook. If it says something is black, it’s black. If it’s white, it’s white. We have to follow it unfortunately.
“The problem is, with Qualifying Practice potentially being live to millions of viewers around the world, this is as important as a race meeting. What you also have to understand from an FIM standpoint is if we hadn’t followed the rules, we could have faced multiple protests.
“From an FIM standpoint, it’s not just the sponsor on the suit. It’s more than that. The kevlar front needs to have the SGP logo, the FIM logo, the country’s flag, plus the title sponsor in a certain area, in a certain font, in a certain place. If it’s not acceptable, they would have to wear a race jacket.
“Bartosz was very disappointed, and we were disappointed having to make the call. But also, we had to do what we had to do as FIM officials. It’s part of our job to follow the rulebook. If we don’t do that, we are not serving the FIM. Whether it’s FIFA, the International Olympic Committee or any international federation, they set down rules to be followed.”
Morris says the regulation is in place to protect one of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports’ prime advertising locations on the front of race suits and that if some riders promoted their own sponsors there while others did not, they could gain a commercial advantage.
He believes a purely financial sanction would be ineffective and cited the case of Danish footballer Nicklas Bendtner, who was fined €100,000 and banned for one game during Euro 2012 for celebrating a goal wearing underpants featuring bookmaker Paddy Power.
“Paddy Power said, ‘No problem, we will pay the €100,000 fine’,” Morris said. “If they had just given him a €100,000 fine without the one-match ban, he wouldn’t have lost out.
“If it’s only a monetary penalty, even if it is
September 23, 2023 speedway star 3
