Matej Žagar
 | |
| Born | 3 April 1983 Ljubljana, Slovenia |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Slovenian |
| Website | matejzagar55.com |
| Current club information | |
| Czech league | Pardubice |
| Polish league | Włókniarz Częstochowa |
| Swedish league | Vastervik |
| Career history | |
| 2003 | Trelawny Tigers |
| 2004-2007 | Reading Racers |
| 2006 | Częstochowa |
| 2007 | Toruń |
| 2008 | Rzeszów |
| 2009 | Swindon Robins |
| 2010 | Eastbourne Eagles |
| 2013–2016, 2022 | Belle Vue Aces |
| Speedway Grand Prix statistics | |
| SGP Number | 55 |
| Starts | 107 |
| Podiums | 19 (5-8-6) |
| Finalist | 23 time |
| Winner | 5 times |
| Individual honours | |
| 2004, 2008 | European Champion |
| 2002 | Under-19 European Champion |
| 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 | Slovenian Speedway Champion |
| Team honours | |
| 2003 2014, 2016 | European Club Champion Speedway Ekstraliga |
| 2013, 2014 | Czech Republic Championship |
| 2022 | British champions |
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 2004 and 2008.[1][2][3]
Career
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 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.[4]
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.[5]
Career highlights
Individual World Championship
- 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)
Individual U-21 World Championship
- 2004 - 6th place (8 points)
- 2004 - track reserve (1 point)
- 2004 - 5th place (10 points)
- 2004 - 3rd place (8 points and 3rd in Final)
Team World Championship
- 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
Individual European Championship
- 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)
Individual U-19 European Championship
European Pairs Championship
European Club Champions' Cup
- 2003 - European Champion (15 points)
- 2004 - 3rd place (20 points)
- 2006 - 3rd place in Semi-Final (12 points)
- 2007 - 3rd place in Semi-Final (injury)
Speedway Grand Prix results
| 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 | - | - | - | - |
See also
References
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.