Martin Vaculík (born 5 April 1990)[1] is a Slovak motorcycle speedway rider.
 | |
| Born | 5 April 1990 Žarnovica, Slovakia |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Slovakian |
| Career history | |
| Poland | |
| 2006-2007 | Krosno |
| 2008 | Rzeszów |
| 2009 | Gdańsk |
| 2010-2015 | Tarnów |
| 2016 | Toruń |
| 2017-2018, 2021-2024 | Gorzów |
| 2019-2020 | Zielona Góra |
| Sweden | |
| 2009 | Smederna |
| 2010-2013, 2017 | Vetlanda |
| 2014 | Vargarna |
| 2015-2016 | Rospiggarna |
| Great Britain | |
| 2018 | Leicester |
| Denmark | |
| 2008, 2011–2012, 2014 | Holsted |
| Speedway Grand Prix statistics | |
| SGP Number | 54 |
| Starts | 86 |
| Finalist | 19 times |
| Winner | 7 times |
| Individual honours | |
| 2023 | World Championship bronze |
| 2013 | European Champion |
Career
On the 6 May 2008, Vaculík gained a Polish speedway licence (Licencja "Ż") at Toruń.[2] and from 4 June 2008 he has taken part in the Polish Championships as a Polish domestic rider.[3]
In 2012, Vaculik won his first ever Grand Prix as part of the 2012 World Championship, he won the 2012 Speedway Grand Prix of Poland in Gorzów. The following year he won the 2013 Speedway European Championship. After missing the World Championship from 2014 until 2016 he returned in 2017 and won the 2017 Speedway Grand Prix of Slovenia. He won his third Grand Prix during the 2018 Speedway Grand Prix series when winning the 2018 Speedway Grand Prix of Poland II.
His only venture into British speedway (in 2018) ended in unfortunate circumstances after he broke an ankle riding for Leicester Lions in only his second outing with them.[4]
In 2019, he rode strongly and finished in 5th place in the World Championship but suffered several injuries that affected his 2020 and 2021 performances.
Vaculík finished in 9th place (despite injury problems) during the 2022 Speedway World Championship, after securing 91 points during the 2022 Speedway Grand Prix, which included winning the Czech Republic and Toruń Grand Prix. He later broke his shoulder during a Polish league match.[5]
He was selected as a full time rider for the 2023 Speedway Grand Prix[6] and won the Czech Republic Grand Prix in June and Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain in September. He went on to secure a career best finish in the World Championship by claiming the bronze medal.[7]
During the 2024 Speedway Grand Prix, Vaculík secured a third consecutive Czech Republic Grand Prix.[8]
Major results
World individual Championship
- 2012 Speedway Grand Prix - 11th
- 2013 Speedway Grand Prix - 14th
- 2017 Speedway Grand Prix - 9th
- 2018 Speedway Grand Prix - 13th
- 2019 Speedway Grand Prix - 5th
- 2020 Speedway Grand Prix - 9th
- 2021 Speedway Grand Prix - 12th
- 2022 Speedway Grand Prix - 9th
- 2023 Speedway Grand Prix - 3rd
- 2024 Speedway Grand Prix - tbc
Grand Prix wins
- 1: 2012 Speedway Grand Prix of Poland (Gorzów)
- 2: 2017 Speedway Grand Prix of Slovenia
- 3: 2018 Speedway Grand Prix of Poland II (Gorzów)
- 4: 2022 Speedway Grand Prix of Czech Republic
- 5: 2022 Speedway Grand Prix of Poland IV (Toruń)
- 6: 2023 Speedway Grand Prix of Czech Republic
- 7: 2023 Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain
- 8: 2024 Speedway Grand Prix of Czech Republic
World junior Championships
European Championships
- Speedway European Championship
- 2013 - European Champion
- Individual European Championship
- 2008 - withdrew from the Qualifying Round 3
- Individual U-19 European Championship
- 2007 -
Częstochowa - 6th place (10 pts + 4th in Rune-Off) - 2009 - Tarnów - 3rd place (13 pts + 2nd in Run-Off)
- 2007 -
Speedway World Championships Results
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Heats | Heat Wins | GP Finals | GP Wins | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | NZL DNS | EUR DNS | CZE DNS | SWE DNS | DEN DNS | POL 20 | CRO 8 | ITA 14 | GBR 7 | SCN 6 | NOR DNS | PL2 12 | 35 | 12 34.3% | 2 | 1 | 11th | 67 |
| 2013 | NZL 5 | EUR 4 | SWE 3 | CZE 6 | GBR 11 | POL 4 | DEN 6 | ITA 5 | LAT 7 | SLO 5 | SCA 0 | PL2 6 | 58 | 8 13.8% | 0 | 0 | 14th | 62 |
| 2017 | SVN 16 | POL 10 | LAT 8 | CZE 10 | DEN 1 | GBR 4 | SWE 10 | PL2 7 | GER 14 | SCA 5 | PL3 5 | AUS 9 | 69 | 13 18.8% | 3 | 1 | 9th | 99 |
| 2018 | POL DNS | CZE DNS | DEN 3 | SWE 1 | GBR 3 | SCA 10 | PL2 18 | SVN 9 | GER 0 | PL3 8 | 41 | 11 26.8% | 2 | 1 | 13th | 52 | ||
| 2019 | POL 7 | SVN 17 | CZE 4 | SWE 16 | PL2 15 | SCA 9 | GER 4 | DEN 7 | GBR 9 | PL3 7 | 59 | 17 28.8% | 3 | 0 | 5th | 95 | ||
| 2020 | POL 9 | PL2 3 | PL3 12 | PL4 11 | CZE 16 | CZ2 12 | PL5 10 | PL6 5 | 47 | 12 25.5% | 1 | 0 | 9th | 78 |
Speedway European Championship Results
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Heats | Heat Wins | GP Finals | GP Wins | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | POL 9 | RUS 10 | CRO 10 | PL2 18 | 22 | 14 63.6% | 2 | 1 | 1st | 47 |
| 2014 | GER 7 | RUS 14 | DEN 12 | POL 8 | 22 | 7 31.8% | 2 | 0 | 4th | 41 |
| 2015 | POL 4 | GER 11 | SWE 8 | PL2 9 | 20 | 4 20.0% | 0 | 0 | 5th | 33 |
| 2016 | GER 12 | LAT 4 | RUS 5 | POL 0 | 17 | 3 17.6% | 1 | 1 | 12th | 24 |