Matej Žagar

{{short description|Slovenian motorcycle speedway rider (born 1983)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}

{{Use British English|date=September 2023}}

{{Infobox speedway rider

| name = Matej Žagar

| image = Matej Zagar, Slovenian Speedway rider 2019.png

| caption = Žagar in 2019

| nickname =

| nationality = Slovenian

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1983|4|3|df=y}}

| birth_place = Ljubljana, Slovenia

| website = [http://www.matejzagar55.com/ official website]

| career1 = Great Britain

| career2 = Trelawny

| years2 = 2003

| career3 = Reading

| years3 = 2004-2007

| career4 = Swindon

| years4 = 2009

| career5 = Eastbourne

| years5 = 2010

| career6 = Belle Vue

| years6 = 2013-2016, 2022

| career7 = Birmingham

| years7 = 2025

| career9 = Poland

| career10 = Częstochowa

| years10 = 2006, 2017-2019

| career11 = Toruń

| years11 = 2007

| career12 = Rzeszów

| years12 = 2008

| career13 = Gorzów

| years13 = 2009-2012, 2014-2016

| career14 = Gniezno

| years14 = 2013

| career15 = Motor Lublin

| years15 = 2020

| career16 = Zielona Góra

| years16 = 2021

| career17 = Bydgoszcz

| years17 = 2022

| career18 = Rybnik

| years18 = 2023

| career22 = Sweden

| career23 = Hammarby

| years23 = 2008

| career24 = Piraterna

| years24 = 2013

| career25 = Smederna

| years25 = 2016–2017

| career27 = Denmark

| career28 = Slangerup

| years28 = 2019

| career29 = SES

| years29 = 2022

| years30 = 2023–2024

| career30 = Grindsted

| SGP No =55

| SGP starts =108

| SGP finals =23

| SGP win =5

| indivhonour1 = European Champion

| indivyear1 = 2004, 2008

| indivhonour2 = Under-19 European Champion

| indivyear2 = 2002

| indivyear3 = 18 times

| indivhonour3 = Slovenian Speedway Champion

| indivyear4 = 2014, 2020, 2021

| indivhonour4 = GP Challenge winner

| teamhonour1 = European Club Champion

| teamyear1 = 2003

| teamhonour2 = Ekstraliga Champion

| teamyear2 = 2014, 2016

| teamhonour3 = Czech Republic Championship

| teamyear3 = 2013, 2014

| teamhonour4 = British champions

| teamyear4 = 2022

}}

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.{{cite news|url=https://www.speedwayeuro.com/en/inside_sec_history.html |title= European Champions |publisher=Speedway Euro |access-date=13 October 2022}}{{cite web |url=https://wwosbackup.proboards.com/thread/952/matej-zagar |title=Speedway riders, history and results |website=wwosbackup |access-date=13 October 2022}}{{cite web |url=https://britishspeedway.co.uk/player/zagar-matej/ |title=Zagar, Matej |website=British Speedway |access-date=28 September 2022}} He is 18 times Slovenian Speedway Champion.{{cite web|url=http://speedwayfansite.com/champs/sloim.html |title=Individual Championship of Slovenia |website=Speedway Fansite |access-date=13 January 2023}}{{cite web |url=https://britishspeedway.co.uk/docs/Ultimate_Index_1929-2022.pdf |title=ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022 |website=British Speedway |access-date=26 June 2023}}

Career

File:Matej Zagar.JPG

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. 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.

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.{{cite web |url=http://www.historyspeedway.nstrefa.pl/grandprixquali.php |title=HISTORICAL LIST OF RESULTS 1995-2013 Speedway Grand Prix - Qualifications |website=Speedway History |access-date=8 January 2023}}

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.{{cite web|url=https://sportowefakty.wp.pl/zuzel/relacja/95359/grand-prix-challenge-w-gorican|title=2019 Grand Prix Challenge|publisher=Sportowe Fakty (in Polish)|access-date=8 January 2023}} 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.eurosport.co.uk/speedway/matej-zagar-set-for-return-to-speedway-gp-as-wild-card-for-fim-speedway-gp-season-opener-in-croatia_sto8886088/story.shtml |title=MATEJ ZAGAR SET FOR RETURN TO SPEEDWAY GP AS WILD CARD FOR FIM SPEEDWAY GP SEASON OPENER IN CROATIA |website=Eurosport |access-date=13 October 2022}}

In 2022, he once again returned to the British speedway with the Belle Vue Aces and was part of the team that won the league title during the SGB Premiership 2022.{{cite web |url=https://britishspeedway.co.uk/results-scorers/thursdays-result-6/ |title=2022 Premiership Grand final results |website=British Speedway |access-date=13 October 2022}} Also in 2022, he helped SES win the 2022 Danish Super League.{{cite web |url=https://speedwayligaen.dk/holdopstillinger-superfinale-d-21-9-2022/ |title=2022 table and results |website=Speedway Ligaen |access-date=5 January 2023}} He raced for Grinstead during 2023 and 2024.{{cite web |url=https://www.fimspeedway.com/news/danish-deal-for-zagar-1 |title=Danish deal for Zagar | website=FIM |access-date=27 February 2024}}

Žagar signed for Birmingham Brummies for the SGB Premiership 2025.{{cite web |url=https://m6sport.co.uk/sport/speedway/brummies-snap-up-outstanding-signing-musielak-for-next-season/ |title=Brummies snap up 'outstanding signing' Musielak for next season |website=The Star | date=18 November 2024 |access-date=23 November 2024 }}

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)
  • 2023 - =26th place (1 point)
  • 2023 - =27th place (2 points)

= [[Individual Speedway Junior World Championship|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)

=[[Speedway World Team Cup|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 Speedway European Championship|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)

=[[European Under-19 Individual Speedway Championship|Individual U-19 European Championship]]=

  • 2000 - 11th place (8 points)
  • 2001 - track reserve (2 points)
  • 2002 - European Champion (15 points)

=[[European Pairs Speedway Championship|European Pairs Championship]]=

  • 2005 - 3rd place (14 points)
  • 2006 - 2nd place (11 points)

=Slovenian Championship=

He 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

class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
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

References