Andzejs Lebedevs: First Latvian driver in GP / Speedway GP

After appearing as a wildcard and alternate driver in the Speedway Grand Prix, Andzejs Lebedevs will be an important part of the World Championship this year as a designated driver. “It is an honor to be part of the Grand Prix and it was always my goal to drive here and compete with the best,” said Lebedevs, who is the first representative of Latvia to participate in the Speedway Grand Prix. “I want to enjoy this season and enjoy the race and we will see what I can achieve. I will definitely put my heart on the line.”

Last season, the Latvian entered the field from the Grand Prix in Sweden. He drove in the final five Grands Prix of the season, in which he also reached the semi-finals, but failed to qualify.

Lebedevs was also an alternate at his home GP in the Latvian capital Riga and is already looking forward to this round. “I’m looking forward to Riga 100 percent, because they’ve done a good job in the past. I hope the circuit continues to grow this year and Warsaw is definitely one of the important things you want to experience as a driver.

As one of three drivers from Speedway GP, Lebedevs will also compete in the European Speedway Championship after qualifying for the European Championship this year by finishing fifth in the 2023 European Championship.

“The European Championship is becoming more and more important and there will be a lot of good drivers who are currently not in the GP and are trying to get into the European Championship,” said the Latvian, looking forward to next season’s European Championship, which gives him another chance in addition to the GP to qualify for 2025 GP. To achieve this, Lebedevs will have to become European champion again after 2017.