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Robert Lambert (speedway rider)

Robert Lambert
Born (1998-04-05) 5 April 1998 (age 26)
Norwich, England
NationalityBritish (English)
WebsiteOfficial website
Career history
Great Britain
2013–2019, 2023King's Lynn
2015Peterborough
2015Rye House
2016–2017Newcastle
2022Belle Vue
Poland
2018–2019Lublin
2020Rybnik
2021–2024Toruń
Sweden
2016Masarna
2018Rospiggarna
2020–2021Lejonen
2022–2023Smederna
2024-2025Västervik
Denmark
2014Outrup
2018Grindsted
Speedway Grand Prix statistics
SGP Number505
Starts52
Finalist10 times
Winner1 times
Individual honours
2024World championship runner-up
2020SEC Champion
2018British Champion
2017European Junior Champion
2017, 2018, 2019British Under-21 Champion
Team honours
2021, 2024World team champion
2022British champions
2022Swedish champions

Robert Alan Lambert (born 5 April 1998)[1] is a British motorcycle speedway rider.

Career

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Born in Norwich in 1998,[1] the son of former Mildenhall Fen Tigers rider Paul Lambert, Robert Lambert rode motorbikes from the age of 3, and competed in grasstrack as a junior starting at the age of 6, going on to compete in junior speedway in 2008.[2] He gained much of his early racing experience in Germany between 2012 and 2013, where he was allowed to race at a high level at a younger age (14) than in the UK.[2] He rode in 2013 for King's Lynn Young Stars in the National League, scoring 15 points in his first meeting and winning five of his six races, and was promoted straight into main body of the Stars Elite League team the following year, with the team's early fixtures arranged to ensure that he reached the age of 16 before the first meeting.[3][4][5][6] He impressed with a five ride paid maximum against Eastbourne Eagles in June.[7] He also rode in Denmark for Outrup and in Germany for Berghaupton in 2014.[2]

Starting with an assessed CMA of 3.00, by the end of the season this had risen to 5.32.[8] He was signed for a second year by the Stars for 2015, and was also signed by Peterborough Panthers for their 2015 Premier League campaign.[9]

Lambert was picked in the British team for the 2014 Under-21 World Cup.[10]

In 2017, he won the European Under-19 Cup and the European Individual Speedway Junior Championship.[11] In 2020, Lambert became the first British rider to win the Speedway European Championship when the competition was held exclusively in Poland (over 5 rounds) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [12]

In 2021, he became a world champion after Great Britain secured the 2021 Speedway of Nations (the world team title).[13] In 2022, Lambert's good form continued and he finished in fifth place during the 2022 Speedway World Championship, after securing 103 points during the 2022 Speedway Grand Prix. The top six place finish automatically qualified him for the 2023 Speedway Grand Prix.[14]

Towards the end of the 2022 season Lambert returned to ride in the United Kingdom for Belle Vue Aces in the play offs, as a replacement for the injured Max Fricke.[15] He top scored in the play off final and helped Belle Vue win the league title.[16] He also helped Smederna win the Swedish Speedway Team Championship during the 2022 campaign.[17]

In 2023, he was part of the British team that won the silver medal in the 2023 Speedway World Cup final. Lambert was the leading rider on the night but just failed to hold off Maciej Janowski in the last heat, which would have forced a run-off.[18] He returned to King's Lynn Stars for the latter part of the season following an injury crisis at the club. He finished the World Championship season with a sixth place finish[19] and ensured his place in the 2024 Speedway Grand Prix.[20]

Lambert starred again as he helped Great Britain secure the 2024 Speedway of Nations in Manchester, which was his second world team title[21], and then won his maiden Grand Prix in Vojens.[22]

Major results

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World individual Championship

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Grand Prix wins

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World team Championships

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References

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  1. ^ a b "King's Lynn Stars", Speedway Star. Retrieved 28 December 2014
  2. ^ a b c Caney, Gavin (2014) "Photo gallery: Family fuel the fire of teen sensation Robert Lambert’s speedway progress", Eastern Daily Press, 1 March 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014
  3. ^ "Speedway welcomes its youngest new star - aged just 16", BBC, 8 April 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014
  4. ^ Caney, Gavin (2013) "Plea to help a rising Star: Teenage ace Robert Lambert needs sponsors to support his speedway talent", Eastern Daily Press, 7 June 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2014
  5. ^ "Race ace Robert, 15, makes stunning debut", Lynn News, 7 June 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2014
  6. ^ "NKI Backs Lambert to Star", speedwaygp.com, 2 January 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014
  7. ^ "Young speedway star Lambert impresses for King’s Lynn against the Eagles", Eastbourne Herald, 27 June 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014
  8. ^ "2014 Final Elite League Green Sheets", speedwaygb.co. Retrieved 28 December 2014
  9. ^ "Young Rob is just the job for Panthers", Peterborough Telegraph, 9 December 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014
  10. ^ "Robert Lambert selected for GB FIM Team Speedway Under-21 World Championship". Sky Sports. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  11. ^ "Lambert Crowned Euro U21 Champion", speedwaygb.co, 26 August 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017
  12. ^ "Lambert is SEC winner", speedwaygb.co, 30 July 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2020
  13. ^ "Speedway: Great Britain claim first world title since 1989 with win over Poland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  14. ^ "2022 Speedway Grand Prix results". FIM. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  15. ^ "ACES ANNOUNCE LAMBERT". British Speedway. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  16. ^ "2022 Premiership Grand final results". British Speedway. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  17. ^ "Swedish Bauhaus Elite League". Speedway Fan Site. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  18. ^ "POLAND WIN SPEEDWAY WORLD CUP AHEAD OF GREAT BRITAIN AS MACIEJ JANOWSKI BEATS ROBERT LAMBERT IN DECISIVE HEAT 20". Eurosport. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  19. ^ "BARTOSZ ZMARZLIK WINS 2023 SGP CHAMPIONSHIP WITH VICTORY IN TORUN, FREDRIK LINDGREN FINISHES SECOND". Eurosport. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  20. ^ "Nine nations represented as 2024 Speedway GP line-up is confirmed". FIM Europe. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  21. ^ "Great Britain wins FIM Speedway of Nations World Title in Manchester Thriller". FIM Speedway. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  22. ^ "Bartosz Zmarzlik mistrzem świata na żużlu. Torunianin Robert Lambert najszybszy w Vojens, z szansą na srebro". TVP Bydgoszcz. Retrieved 15 September 2024.