Matej Žagar (born 3 April 1983 in Ljubljana, Slovenia) is a Slovenian motorcycle speedway rider who was won two Individual Speedway European Champion titles in 2008 and 2009.[1][2][3] He is 18 times Slovenian Speedway Champion.[4][5]
 Žagar in 2019 | |
| Born | 3 April 1983 Ljubljana, Slovenia |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Slovenian |
| Website | official website |
| Career history | |
| Great Britain | |
| 2003 | Trelawny |
| 2004-2007 | Reading |
| 2009 | Swindon |
| 2010 | Eastbourne |
| 2013-2016, 2022 | Belle Vue |
| 2025 | Birmingham |
| Poland | |
| 2006, 2017-2019 | Częstochowa |
| 2007 | Toruń |
| 2008 | Rzeszów |
| 2009-2012, 2014-2016 | Gorzów |
| 2013 | Gniezno |
| 2020 | Motor Lublin |
| 2021 | Zielona Góra |
| 2022 | Bydgoszcz |
| 2023 | Rybnik |
| Sweden | |
| 2008 | Hammarby |
| 2013 | Piraterna |
| 2016–2017 | Smederna |
| Denmark | |
| 2022 | SES |
| 2023–2024 | Grinstead |
| Speedway Grand Prix statistics | |
| SGP Number | 55 |
| Starts | 108 |
| Finalist | 23 times |
| Winner | 5 times |
| Individual honours | |
| 2004, 2008 | European Champion |
| 2002 | Under-19 European Champion |
| 18 times | Slovenian Speedway Champion |
| 2014, 2020, 2021 | GP Challenge winner |
| Team honours | |
| 2003 2014, 2016 | European Club Champion Speedway Ekstraliga |
| 2013, 2014 | Czech Republic Championship |
| 2022 | British champions |
Career
edit
In 2002, he won the 2002 Individual Speedway Junior European Championship and the following year made his debut in the Individual World Championship.
He began his career in the United Kingdom with the Trelawny Tigers in 2003 before moving to the Reading Racers in 2004 when the Tigers closed.[2] He became a permanent rider in the 2006 Speedway Grand Prix and 2007 Speedway Grand Prix seasons. In the UK he represented Reading, Swindon and Eastbourne before quitting the United Kingdom after an underwhelming 2010 campaign. He was touted as a potential GP wildcard for the 2012 SGP season following impressive and consistent performances in the Polish Extraliga with Gorzow, but turned down the opportunity to replace Darcy Ward due to the 1GP rider in the Extraliga and his contract with Gorzow, where 2010 world champion Tomasz Gollob was signed up. He returned to the UK after signing for the Belle Vue Aces in 2013 and rode for them until 2016.[2][3]
In September 2014, during the Speedway Grand Prix Qualification he won the GP Challenge, which ensured that he claimed a permanent slot for the 2015 Grand Prix.[6]
In August 2019, he won the GP Challenge for the second time in his career, which ensured that he claimed a permanent slot for the 2020 Speedway Grand Prix.[7] He then became the first rider in history to win a third GP Challenge when he won it for a third time in 2020.
In 2021, after 9 consecutive Grand Prix seasons and finishing in 13th place he lost his permanent place in the Grand Prix World Championship but did ride in the 2022 season opener in his home country.[8]
In 2022, he once again returned to the British speedway with the Belle Vue Aces[3] and was part of the team that won the league title during the SGB Premiership 2022.[9] Also in 2022, he helped SES win the 2022 Danish Super League.[10] He raced for Grinstead during 2023 and 2024.[11]
Žagar signed for Birmingham Brummies for the SGB Premiership 2025.[12]
Career highlights
editIndividual World Championship
edit- 2003 - 30th place (5 points)
- 2004 - 27th place (8 points)
- 2005 - 16th place (23 points)
- 2006 - 7th place (97 points)
- 2007 - 14th place (54 points)
- 2008 - 20th place (7 points)
- 2009 - 19th place (7 points)
- 2011 - 19th place (14 points)
- 2013 - 7th place (110 points)
- 2014 - 5th place (114 points) - including Finnish Grand prix win
- 2015 - 6th place (107 points) - including Warsaw and Gorzow Grand Prix wins
- 2016 - 9th place (90 points)
- 2017 - 7th place (107 points) - including German and Scandinavian Grand Prix wins
- 2018 - 10th place (79 points)
- 2019 - 9th place (78 points)
- 2020 - 11th place (46 points)
- 2021 - 13th place (45 points)
- 2022 - 18th place (11 points)
- 2023 - =26th place (1 point)
- 2023 - =27th place (2 points)
- 2004 - 6th place (8 points)
- 2004 - track reserve (1 point)
- 2004 - 5th place (10 points)
- 2004 - 3rd place (8 points and 3rd in Final)
- 2001 - 6 points in Preliminary Round 1
- 2002 - 10th-11th place (5 points in Event 3)
- 2003 - 9th place (13 points in Event 2)
- 2004 - 9th-10th place (18 points in Qualifying Round 2)
- 2005 - 9th-10th place (11 points in Qualifying Round 2)
- 2006 - 9th-10th place (17 points in Qualifying Round 2)
- 2007 - 13th-14th place (16 points in Qualifying Round 1)
- 2008 - 11th-12th place
- 2009 - 4th place in Semi-finals (10 points in semi-final)
- 2010 - 9th-10th place
- 2011 - 9th-10th place
- 2012 - 9th-10th place
- 2013 - 9th-10th place
- 2014 - 11th place
- 2015 - 11th place
- 2016 - 12th place
- 2002 - 15th place (4 points)
- 2003 - 4th place (10 points)
- 2004 - European Champion (14+3 points)
- 2006 - 17th place (0 points)
- 2008 - European Champion (14 points)
Slovenian Championship
editHe is a 17 times champion of Slovenia in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Speedway Grand Prix results
edit| Year | Position | Points | Best Finish | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 30th | 5 | 15th | Wild card ride |
| 2004 | 26th | 8 | 9th | Wild card ride |
| 2005 | 16th | 23 | 3rd | 2 Wild card rides |
| 2006 | 7th | 97 | 2nd | First full season as a GP rider |
| 2006 | 14th | 54 | 7th | second full season as a GP rider |
| 2008 | 20th | 7 | 9th | 1 Wild card ride |
| 2009 | 19th | 7 | 10th | 1 Wild card ride |
| 2011 | 19th | 14 | 8th | 2 Wild card rides |
| 2013 | 7th | 110 | 2nd | third full season as a GP rider |
| 2014 | 5th | 114 | 1st | fourth full season as a GP rider |
| 2015 | 6th | 107 | 1st | fifth full season as a GP rider |
| 2016 | 9th | 90 | 3rd | sixth full season + wild card for the next year |
| 2017 | 7th | 107 | 1st | |
| 2018 | 10th | 79 | 2nd | |
| 2019 | 9th | 78 | 2nd | |
| 2020 | 11th | 46 | 8th | |
| 2021 | 13th | 45 | 9th | |
| 2022 | 18th | 11 | 6th | |
| 2023 | =26th | 1 | 16th | |
| 2024 | =27th | 1 | 15th |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "European Champions". Speedway Euro. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- ^ a b c "Speedway riders, history and results". wwosbackup. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- ^ a b c "Zagar, Matej". British Speedway. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ "Individual Championship of Slovenia". Speedway Fansite. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
- ^ "HISTORICAL LIST OF RESULTS 1995-2013 Speedway Grand Prix - Qualifications". Speedway History. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
- ^ "2019 Grand Prix Challenge". Sportowe Fakty (in Polish). Retrieved 8 January 2023.
- ^ "MATEJ ZAGAR SET FOR RETURN TO SPEEDWAY GP AS WILD CARD FOR FIM SPEEDWAY GP SEASON OPENER IN CROATIA". Eurosport. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- ^ "2022 Premiership Grand final results". British Speedway. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- ^ "2022 table and results". Speedway Ligaen. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ "Danish deal for Zagar". FIM. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ "Brummies snap up 'outstanding signing' Musielak for next season". The Star. 18 November 2024. Retrieved 23 November 2024.