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2023 MONSTER ENERGY FIM SPEEDWAY WORLD CUP SEMI-FINAL DRAW & TICKET DETAILS CONFIRMED
The draw for the 2023 Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup Semi-Finals has been revealed as the sport’s most historic team competition returns at Wroclaw’s iconic Olympic Stadium in Poland from July 25-29.In the year speedway celebrates its 100th anniversary season, the Monster Energy FIM SWC returns to the calendar for the first time since 2017.It will now take place every three years as part of global promoter Warner Bros. Discovery Sports’ vision to revive the popular tournament, which will feature four nights of high-stakes speedway to crown the 2023 FIM world team champions.Eight-time winners Poland are seeded through to the Final on Saturday, July 29 as host nation as they bid to retain the Ove Fundin Trophy, which they lifted at Leszno’s Alfred Smoczyk Stadium at the last Monster Energy FIM SWC Final staged six years ago.2023 Monster Energy FIM SWC - how it worksThey will be joined by the winners of the two Semi-Finals on Tuesday, July 25 and Wednesday, July 26. The line-up will be completed by the winners of the always-epic Race Off, featuring the second and third-placed teams from both Semi-Finals, on Friday, July 28.Last year’s FIM Speedway of Nations world champions Australia and runners-up Great Britain are kept apart by the Semi-Final draw, which sees the Lions get their tournament underway in Semi-Final 1 on July 25, while the Roos launch their bid for a world-title double in Semi-Final 2 on July 26.Seeking their first world title over a four-team format since 1989, 2021 FIM SON world champions Great Britain come up against three-time FIM SWC winners Sweden, who last lifted the Monster Energy FIM SWC in 2015.The round also features Czech Republic, who finished an impressive fifth in the 2022 FIM SON, as well as Germany, who are seeking their first FIM SWC Final appearance in the modern era.Meanwhile, two-time winners Australia begin their quest for a first FIM SWC gold medal since 2002 against Denmark, who have lifted the FIM SWC’s Ove Fundin Trophy four times in 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2014.The second Semi-Final also features Finland, last year’s surprise FIM SON finalists, who have never reached the FIM SWC Race Off or Final. France makes history as their team appears in its first FIM SWC Semi-Final. They complete the Semi-Final 2 field, bidding to build on reaching the 2021 FIM SON Final – the country’s first and only appearance in any speedway world team final.With an incredible week of action and entertainment on and off the track in store, the 2023 Monster Energy FIM SWC’s return promises to be an unforgettable week for fans from across Poland and around the world.TICKETS ON SALE TODAYTickets for the Monster Energy FIM SWC go on sale exclusively to Betard Sparta Wroclaw season ticket holders at 14:00 CET today via https://bilety.wts.pl/. On Wednesday at 14:00 CET, tickets for Semi-Finals 1 and 2 and the Race Off are available for purchase – again via https://bilety.wts.pl/. All fans who buy tickets for the Race Off in this sale will receive the right to pre-purchase Final tickets. Ticket sales for the Monster Energy FIM SWC Final start on Tuesday, June 6 at 14:00 CET. 2023 Monster Energy FIM SWC draw2023 MONSTER ENERGY FIM SPEEDWAY WORLD CUP SEMI-FINAL DRAW:SEMI-FINAL 1 (TUESDAY, JULY 25): Great Britain, Sweden, Czech Republic, Germany.SEMI-FINAL 2 (WEDNESDAY, JULY 26): Australia, Denmark, Finland, France.
KING'S LYNN STARS SEAL HUGE LAGUTA SIGNING
Former Speedway GP world champion Artem Laguta is set for a sensational British league racing debut after joining SGB Premiership side King’s Lynn.Aside from racing in FIM Speedway competitions, Laguta has never competed in the UK, but the triple FIM Speedway of Nations world champion will spearhead the Stars’ play-off quest. He replaces Krzysztof Kasprzak in the side, with Kye Thomson also coming in for Aussie star Josh Pickering.Laguta makes his debut in King’s Lynn’s home match with Sheffield on Thursday and the six-time Speedway GP winner is determined to make up for lost time after being suspended from all competition during the 2022 season due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Laguta also holds Polish citizenship and the Bydgoszcz-based man returned to the sport riding on a Polish licence in the PGE Ekstraliga with Wroclaw at the start of this season.Now he steps up his racing with the Stars and can’t wait for the challenge of competing in the UK.Posting on Instagram, he wrote: “I am happy to inform you that I have a new challenge ahead of me. I've been hoping for many years that this would happen.“On Thursday, I will start a new adventure – British league speedway. I'll be racing for King’s Lynn. I cannot wait. I am looking forward to seeing you at Saddlebow Road.”
SGP QUALIFIERS | DOYLE & HOLDER HEAD FOR FIM GP CHALLENGE
Aussie duo Jason Doyle and Jack Holder are five good rides away from securing their spots in the 2024 FIM Speedway Grand Prix series after qualifying for the FIM GP Challenge in Gislaved on August 19.Doyle topped the podium on 13 points in today’s qualifier at German track Abensberg, while Holder won the round at Hungarian venue Debrecen, also on 13. They progress to the Challenge, where the top three riders are certain of places in next season’s Speedway GP series.Doyle is joined in making it through the Abensberg round by Poland’s former Speedway GP rider Przemyslaw Pawlicki, who claimed second place after winning a run-off with French star Dimitri Berge and German ace Martin Smolinski. All three riders tied on 12 points and qualify. Pawlicki, who last raced in the Speedway GP series in 2018, will face off with younger brother Piotr, who qualified at Saturday’s round in Lonigo, Italy.Smolinski’s qualification for the Challenge is particularly remarkable as he was only due to be a track reserve initially, before replacing Austria’s representative Sébastian Kössler at the last minute.Danish racer Mads Hansen missed the cut on 11 points, with 2022 FIM GP Challenge winner Kim Nilsson of Sweden also out of the qualification running after scoring 10 points.Holder raced to victory in Debrecen, winning a run-off with Latvia’s Speedway GP first reserve Andzejs Lebedevs and former Danish Speedway GP regular Michael Jepsen Jensen after the trio tied on 13. All three riders reach the Challenge.The line-up is completed by double Swedish champion Jacob Thorssell, who was fourth on 12. Had that position been claimed by a rider from another nation, only the top three would have progressed from Debrecen, with a Swedish wild card selected to represent the host nation in Gislaved. Thorssell’s qualification ensures a wild card is not necessary and he will fly the Swedish flag in one of world speedway’s toughest meetings.Former British champion Adam Ellis just missed out on 11 points, with Poland’s Janusz Kolodziej and Germany’s Kai Huckenbeck eliminated on nine apiece.Today’s eight qualifiers are joined in the Challenge by the eight riders who qualified in Zarnovica and Lonigo on Saturday – Slovak star Martin Vaculik, former Polish champion Szymon Wozniak, American racer Luke Becker, Denmark’s Frederik Jakobsen, Poland’s Piotr Pawlicki, Czech star Jan Kvech and Italian duo Nicolas Covatti and Paco Castagna.FIM GP CHALLENGE LINE-UP (in no particular order): Martin Vaculik (Slovakia), Szymon Wozniak (Poland), Luke Becker (USA), Frederik Jakobsen (Denmark), Piotr Pawlicki (Poland), Nicolas Covatti (Italy), Jan Kvech (Czech Republic), Paco Castagna (Italy), Jason Doyle (Australia), Przemyslaw Pawlicki (Poland), Dimitri Berge (France), Martin Smolinski (Germany), Jack Holder (Australia), Andzejs Lebedevs (Latvia), Michael Jepsen Jensen (Denmark), Jacob Thorssell (Sweden).ABENSBERG SCORES: 1. Jason Doyle 13, 2. Przemyslaw Pawlicki 12+3, 3. Dimitri Berge 12+2, 4. Martin Smolinski 12+1, 5. Mads Hansen 11, 6. Kim Nilsson 10, 7. Norick Blodorn 9, 8. Kevin Wolbert 8, 9. Eduard Krcmar 7, 10. Jevgenijs Kostigovs 7, 11. Rohan Tungate 7, 12. Chris Harris 5, 13. Mika Meijer 3, 14. Glenn Moi 2, 15. Valentin Grobauer 1, 16. Gino Manzares 1, 17. Nicolo Percotti 0.DEBRECEN SCORES: 1. Jack Holder 13+3, 2. Andzejs Lebedevs 13+2, 3. Michael Jepsen Jensen 13+1, 4. Jacob Thorssell 12, 5. Adam Ellis 11, 6. Janusz Kolodziej 9, 7. Kai Huckenbeck 9, 8. Antti Vuolas 8, 9. Petr Chlupac 8, 10. Andreas Lyager 6, 11. Marko Levishyn 6, 12. Norbert Magosi 5, 13. Timi Salonen 4, 14. Roland Kovacs 2, 15. Andrei Popa 1, 16. Mark Barany 0, 17. Richard Fuzesi 0.
EKSTRALIGA | DANISH DUO INSPIRE LIONS VICTORY
Danish racer Mikkel Michelsen led the Czestochowa charge on 14 points as the Lions triumphed 49-41 at home to Torun in the PGE Ekstraliga on Sunday.Michelsen dropped just one point over five rides and was well supported by his fellow two-time Speedway European Championship winner Leon Madsen, who piled up 11 paid 13, while Poland’s Kacper Woryna tallied 10.Former world No.3 Emil Sayfutdinov scored 12 for Torun, with Speedway GP star Robert Lambert adding 11 and Patryk Dudek picking up 10.Elsewhere, Slovak star Martin Vaculik warmed up for the Prague FIM Speedway GP of Czech Republic this Saturday by bagging 13 points for Gorzow as they won 57-33 at home to Leszno.His fellow FIM GP Challenge qualifier Szymon Wozniak bettered his total on 13 paid 14, while Danish star Anders Thomsen accrued 12 and Oskar Fajfer added eight paid 12.Former Polish champion Janusz Kolodziej led the Leszno score chart on 11 paid 12 points, with SGP2 qualifier Damian Ratajczak notching nine.Meanwhile, in the Polish First Division, Swedish star Kim Nilsson notched nine points as German club Landshut won 50-40 at home to Rybnik.For full details of Sunday’s PGE Ekstraliga results, scorers and the latest league table, click here: https://speedwayekstraliga.pl/en/
SGP QUALIFIERS | VACULIK BOOKS FIM GP CHALLENGE SPOT WITH ZARNOVICA WIN
Slovak star Martin Vaculik took a giant stride closer towards sealing a 2024 FIM Speedway Grand Prix spot by booking his place at the FIM GP Challenge.Vaculik topped the podium on 14 points at the qualifying round in his home city Zarnovica on Saturday to secure his passage to the FIM GP Challenge at Swedish track Gislaved on August 19.The top three riders in the Challenge will be the first riders to qualify for the 2024 Speedway GP series, meaning Vaculik is just five good rides away from securing a return ticket for next season’s World Championship.He’s joined in Gislaved by former Polish champion Szymon Wozniak, who was second on 13 points.A run-off took place to decide the final two qualifiers after Speedway GP rider Robert Lambert tied on 12 points with Denmark’s Frederik Jakobsen and American racer Luke Becker.In one of the shocks of the round, both Becker and Jakobsen overhauled Lambert in the run-off to knock the world No.5 out of the qualifiers. But another top-six finish in this season’s Speedway GP series will also guarantee Lambert’s place in the 2024 SGP line-up.Triple Australian champion Max Fricke was also a surprise casualty in Zarnovica, exiting on 11 points, while former World Under-21 champion Bartosz Smektala fell short on nine. Prague FIM Speedway GP of Czech Republic wild card Vaclav Milik missed the cut on five.In the day’s other qualifier, former world No.6 Piotr Pawlicki edged closer to securing a Speedway GP return by winning his qualifier at Italian track Lonigo.The Wroclaw man won the meeting on 13 points on what turned out to be a special day for Italian speedway.Both home heroes Nicolas Covatti and Paco Castagna blazed through to the FIM GP Challenge on 12 points apiece, along with Czech shooting star Jan Kvech. The trio took part in a run-off for second place on the day, with Covatti taking victory ahead of Kvech and Castagna.Sweden’s Oliver Berntzon just missed out on 11 points, falling just short of taking his place at the FIM GP Challenge on his home track in Gislaved. But if no Swedish riders make it through the qualifiers at German track Abensberg or Hungarian circuit Debrecen on Monday, Berntzon could yet receive a wild card for the Challenge as the host nation is guaranteed a representative in the event.Former world No.3 Niels-Kristian Iversen also missed the cut in Lonigo on 10 points, while Finnish international Timo Lahti and former World Under-21 champion Jaimon Lidsey exited on nine and Great Britain star Tom Brennan fell short on eight.Three more Speedway GP riders bid for FIM GP Challenge places at the remaining qualifiers, with Jason Doyle and Kim Nilsson contesting the Abensberg round and Jack Holder heading to Debrecen.ZARNOVICA SCORES: 1 Martin Vaculik 14, 2 Szymon Wozniak 13, 3 Luke Becker 12+3, 4 Frederik Jakobsen 12+2, 5 Robert Lambert 12+1, 6 Max Fricke 11, 7 Bartosz Smektala 9, 8 Filip Hjelmland 8, 9 Nick Skorja 7, 10 Vaclav Milik 5, 11 Victor Palovaara 5, 12 Daniel Klima 4, 13 Nicolas Vicentin 3, 14 Lukas Fienhage 2, 15 Max Ruml 2, 16 Vitalii Lysak 1, 17 Jakub Valkovic 0.LONIGO SCORES: 1 Piotr Pawlicki 13, 2 Nicolas Covatti 12+3, 3 Jan Kvech 12+2, 4 Paco Castagna 12+1, 5 Oliver Berntzon 11, 6 Niels-Kristian Iversen 10, 7 Timo Lahti 9, 8 Jaimon Lidsey 9, 9 Tom Brennan 8, 10 Matic Ivacic 6, 11 Marius Hillebrand 5, 12 Mathias Tressarieu 4, 13 Carlos Eber Ampugnani 3, 14 Andrea Battaglia 2, 15 Facundo Cuello 2, 16 Denis Stojs 2, 17 Matteo Boncinelli DNR.ABENSBERG LINE-UP: 1 Gino Manzares (USA), 2 Mika Meijer (Netherlands), 3 Rohan Tungate (Australia), 4 Eduard Krcmar (Czech Republic), 5 Norick Blödorn (Germany), 6 Przemysław Pawlicki (Poland), 7 Mads Hansen (Denmark), 8 Dimitri Bergé (France), 9 Martin Smolinski (Germany), 10 Jason Doyle (Australia), 11 Kevin Wölbert (Germany), 12 Kim Nilsson (Sweden), 13 Glenn Moi (Norway), 14 Chris Harris (Great Britain), 15 Nicolo Percotti (Italy), 16 Jevgenijs Kostigovs (Latvia). RESERVE: 17 Valentin Grobauer (Germany).DEBRECEN LINE-UP: 1 Michael Jepsen Jensen (Denmark), 2 Andrei Popa (Romania), 3 Mark Barany (Hungary), 4 Norbert Magosi (Hungary), 5 Marko Levishyn (Ukraine), 6 Petr Chlupac (Czech Republic), 7 Andzejs Lebedevs (Latvia), 8 Kai Huckenbeck (Germany), 9 Janusz Kołodziej (Poland), 10 Andreas Lyager (Denmark), 11 Jack Holder (Australia), 12 Adam Ellis (Great Britain), 13 Jacob Thorssell (Sweden), 14 Roland Kovacs (Hungary), 15 Timi Salonen (Finland), 16 Antti Vuolas (Finland). RESERVE: 17 Richard Füzesi (Hungary).
sgp News
30/05/2023
2023 MONSTER ENERGY FIM SPEEDWAY WORLD CUP SEMI-FINAL DRAW & TICKET DETAILS CONFIRMED
29/05/2023
KING'S LYNN STARS SEAL HUGE LAGUTA SIGNING
29/05/2023
SGP QUALIFIERS | DOYLE & HOLDER HEAD FOR FIM GP CHALLENGE
28/05/2023
EKSTRALIGA | DANISH DUO INSPIRE LIONS VICTORY
27/05/2023
SGP QUALIFIERS | VACULIK BOOKS FIM GP CHALLENGE SPOT WITH ZARNOVICA WIN
27/05/2023
SGP QUALIFIERS | LAMBERT CHASING SPEEDWAY GP MEDAL ALONGSIDE CHALLENGE BID
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MICHELSEN MAKES SWEDISH MOVE TO VASTERVIK
26/05/2023
EKSTRALIGA | MAGIC HITS MAX AS WROCLAW KO KROSNO
25/05/2023
KLIMA CLAIMS PRAGUE FIM SGP2 WILD CARD
24/05/2023
2023 FIM SGP2 LINE-UP CONFIRMED