FIM Speedway

ANDERSEN CLAIMS DANISH U21 CROWN

SGP2 star Mikkel Andersen stormed to his first Danish Under-21 Championship in Slangerup on Monday evening.Andersen topped the podium ahead of SGP2 rival William Drejer in second. The pair tied on 16 points after five heats and the final, with Andersen’s final victory giving him top spot.Nicolai Heiselberg was placed third on 13 points, with Jesper Knudsen fourth on 11 – a score matched by Niklas Holm Jakobsen in fifth spot. SGP2 first reserve Villads Nagel was fifth on 10 points.

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THOMPSON: MUCH BETTER IN RIGA

Great Britain racer Dan Thompson was pleased to enjoy “a much better night” as he reached the last-chance qualifiers at the DeWalt FIM SGP2 of Latvia – Riga last Saturday.Thompson fell just short of the LCQs on countback at round one in Malilla on July 5, but he made the cut in the Latvian capital on eight race points.His night came to an end after Thompson finished fourth in LCQ1 behind Adam Bubba Bednar, Mathias Pollestad and Jan Przanowski. But after picking up a race win along the way, Thompson was happier with his result than he was in Sweden. He said: “It was much better than the first round. I wasn’t too happy with my bikes in the first round, so I made some adjustments for this one and it was a much better night. It was a shame to lose out in the last-chance race, but it would have probably been easier if I was on one of the inside gates.“I threw away some points in my heats, so I was pleased to scrape into the last-chance qualifiers.”Thompson, who is 13th in the SGP2 standings on 13 points, admits all of this year’s SGP2 tracks are new to him, so he was pleased with how he adapted to Riga’s Bikernieki last Friday.He said: “The Riga track was alright. People told me it was a bit of a tricky track, and it is. But I did enjoy racing there. I think it’s a cool racetrack and it’s definitely a bit technical. You had to adapt to it pretty quickly. I enjoyed it and if I go there again, I will do a bit better.”Thompson is in his final season as an under-21 rider and hopes to sign off his SGP2 career on a high at the Deluxe Homeart FIM SGP2 of Denmark – Vojens on September 12.He said: “It has been cool to be part of the whole SGP2 series this year. Vojens is another venue I am looking forward to going to, and it will be the first time I have seen that one, which makes it difficult when you are racing people who have done the different rounds before. But I will give it my best.”

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ELITSERIEN | PRZYJEMSKI LEADS LIONS TO VICTORY IN SWEDEN

SGP2 champion Wiktor Przyjemski piled up 13 paid 14 points for Swedish champions Lejonen as they thrashed Piraterna 56-33 in the Bauhaus Elitserien on Wednesday.Przyjemski dropped just one point to an opponent over five rides – just days after finishing third in the DeWalt FIM SGP2 of Latvia – Riga last Friday.Speedway GP world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik scored an unbeaten 12 points from four races, while their compatriot Robert Chmiel registered nine paid 10 and reserve Erik Persson notched nine.OlyBet FIM Speedway GP of Latvia – Riga wild card Jevgenijs Kostigovs was Pirates’ top performer on nine, while his fellow Latvian international Daniils Kolodinskis collected seven paid eight.For full details of this week’s Bauhaus Elitserien results, scorers and the league table, CLICK HERE.

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CZECH SHOOTING STAR BEDNAR SHOWING HIS CLASS IN SGP2 AFTER RIGA WIN

Czech talent Adam Bubba Bednar admits he was determined to take his chance to shine as an FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship wild card after winning the DeWalt FIM SGP2 of Latvia – Riga on Friday.Bednar became the first-ever Czech winner of an SGP2 round after triumphing in a final thriller ahead of Ukrainian racer Nazar Parnitskyi in second place and Poland’s reigning SGP2 champion Wiktor Przyjemski in third.Przyjemski leaves Bikernieki with a four-point lead at the top of the FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship standings on 36, with Parnitskyi chasing hard on 32 in second spot ahead of the title-deciding Deluxe Homeart FIM SGP2 of Denmark – Vojens on September 12.But this night belonged to 17-year-old sensation Bednar – the next rising star of Czech speedway. The Prague racer scored just one race point from his first two heats, scraping into the last-chance qualifiers by a point on eight in total.He then won LCQ1 to take his place in a final thriller. The race was stopped twice, and Bednar took charge at the third time of asking, sending his fans in Czechia wild with an historic win.Having taken his place in the championship as a permanent wild card, the Stal Gorzow rider was pleased to prove he belongs on junior speedway’s biggest stage.

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NORWEGIAN STAR POLLESTAD PLOTS ROUTE TO SGP2 SUCCESS IN RIGA

Norwegian racer Mathias Pollestad hopes to enjoy a smoother ride to the 2025 DeWalt FIM SGP2 of Latvia – Riga this Friday after a breakdown on his way to Bikernieki Speedway Stadium left him without equipment in 2024.Pollestad goes into round two of the 2025 FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship, bidding to build on the 12 championship points he earned at round one in Malilla, Sweden on July 4.He scored 12 points in the Latvian capital last summer, and that was a minor miracle after his van broke down on the way to catching the ferry in Sweden. Luckily, his Danish SGP2 rival Villads Nagel saved the day by loaning him bikes and safety clothing.

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THOMPSON: INTO THE UNKNOWN

Great Britain racer Dan Thompson says he has no fears about stepping into the unknown in this year’s SGP2 series.Thompson scored six championship points in the Virkvarn FIM SGP2 of Sweden – Malilla on July 4 – the opening round of the FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship series.The Ipswich and Glasgow star just fell short of the last-chance qualifiers on countback, but Thompson is determined to build on that result in the DeWalt FIM SGP2 of Latvia – Riga on August 1.Thompson admits the fact he has never competed on any of this year’s SGP2 racetracks is forcing him to learn fast.But he said: “It’s cool to be part of the SGP2 series. It’s a good thing for me and a good show. It feels great to be here, but it was definitely not the result I was looking for in Malilla, so hopefully I can put in a better one in Riga.“I haven’t been to any of the SGP2 venues previously, so it is difficult for me to quickly adapt to them. But it is all part of the challenge, and I am up for it.”Thompson showed real ability to defend his position on the track in Malilla, but he admits he struggled to find the right setup initially.He said: “It was difficult. It’s obviously tough racing against the best young riders in the world. But I hadn’t been to this track before, and I struggled early on getting used to it and getting a good setup. It was a good experience, though.“I just struggled a lot for some speed. When I wasn’t in clear space, I was struggling to keep people behind me. But I have learned some good stuff for next time.“I made some big changes for my last heat, which I was hoping were going to work. But then the rain came down and that completely changed my idea on things. I probably should have done it a few races earlier.”

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ANDERSEN CLAIMS DANISH U21 CROWN

THOMPSON: MUCH BETTER IN RIGA

ELITSERIEN | PRZYJEMSKI LEADS LIONS TO VICTORY IN SWEDEN

CZECH SHOOTING STAR BEDNAR SHOWING HIS CLASS IN SGP2 AFTER RIGA WIN

NORWEGIAN STAR POLLESTAD PLOTS ROUTE TO SGP2 SUCCESS IN RIGA

THOMPSON: INTO THE UNKNOWN