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SGP2 QUALIFIERS | DANISH YOUNG GUN BREUM FIRES MAX AS CHAMPION CIERNIAK MAKES THE CUT

Danish racer Emil Breum powered into the 2023 SGP2 series with a 15-point maximum in today’s qualifying round at Slovenian track Krsko.Breum, a track reserve at last year’s FIM Speedway GP of Denmark – Vojens, booked his place in the FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship series, which was rebranded as SGP2 in 2022 as part of global promoter Warner Bros. Discovery Sports’ vision to elevate the stars of tomorrow.He was the only rider to defeat German talent Norick Blodorn, who also qualified in second on 14.Reigning champion Mateusz Cierniak of Poland earned a shot at defending his SGP2 crown by finishing third in Krsko on 13, beaten only by Breum and Blodorn, while Sweden’s Gustav Grahn secured a return to the SGP2 series by finishing fourth on 11.Danish youngster Bastian Borke just missed the qualification cut on 10 along with Slovenian prospect Anze Grmek. Czech racer Petr Chlupac missed out on a return to SGP2 on nine, while France’s Mathias Tressarieu and Britain’s Leon Flint exited on seven.Australian star Keynan Rew, first reserve for the 2022 SGP2 series, will not have to wait for a call-up this year after winning his qualifier at Czech track Pardubice on 13 points.Poland’s Bartlomiej Kowalski followed up an impressive performance at the Orlen FIM Warsaw Speedway GP last Saturday by qualifying in second place on 12 points.Sweden’s Casper Henriksson and Denmark’s Nicolai Heiselberg claimed the final two qualification places on 11 points apiece, with Henriksson – a member of the 2022 series – winning a run-off for third.Ukrainian rider Nazar Parnitskiy and Latvia’s Ernests Matjusonoks both fell just short on 10 points each, while Drew Kemp notched nine and his fellow British racer Dan Gilkes scored eight.Danish shooting star Esben Hjerrild showed his class against a stellar field to win the Vojens qualifier on 13 points, beating Swedish racer Philip Hellstrom-Bangs in a run-off for first place.Both men qualify for SGP2 along with Latvian racer Francis Gusts and Poland’s Damian Ratajczak. They survived an epic five-rider run-off after tying on 11 points with Norway’s Mathias Pollestad, Poland’s Kacper Pludra and Great Britain rider Anders Rowe.In the four-heat run-off for the last two qualification places, Ratajczak beat Rowe and Pludra in the first race to book his spot in the final run-off, before Pollestad beat Gusts to join Ratajczak.Pludra then won the elimination heat ahead of Gusts and Rowe, with the Brit knocked out of the qualification race.A final run-off then took place between the remaining four riders and Gusts prevailed ahead of Ratajczak. They made the qualification cut, with Pollestad and Pludra denied.But those riders who fell short still have one last chance to take their place in SGP2 as three permanent wild cards for the series are yet to be allocated by the SGP2 Commission, with the names to be revealed soon.The series gets underway with the Prague FIM SGP2 of Czech Republic on Friday, June 2, before the FIM SGP2 of Poland – Gorzow takes place on Friday, June 23. The SGP2 champion will then be crowned at the FIM SGP2 of Denmark – Vojens on Friday, September 15.SGP2 LINE-UP SO FAR (in no particular order): Emil Breum (Denmark), Norick Blodorn (Germany), Mateusz Cierniak (Poland), Gustav Grahn (Sweden), Keynan Rew (Australia), Bartlomiej Kowalski (Poland), Casper Henriksson (Sweden), Nicolai Heiselberg (Denmark), Esben Hjerrild (Denmark), Philip Hellstrom-Bangs (Sweden), Francis Gusts (Latvia), Damian Ratajczak (Poland).KRSKO SCORES: 1. Emil Breum (Denmark) 15, 2. Norick Blodorn (Germany) 14, 3. Mateusz Cierniak (Poland) 13, 4. Gustav Grahn (Sweden) 11, 5. Bastian Borke (Denmark) 10, 6. Anze Grmek (Slovenia) 10, 7. Petr Chlupac (Czech Republic) 9, 8. Mathias Tresarrieu (France) 7, 9. Leon Flint (Great Britain) 7, 10. Maurice Brown (Australia) 6, 11. Jacob Hook (Australia) 5, 12. Richard Fuzesi (Hungary) 3, 13. Matteo Boncinelli (Italy) 3, 14. Mykhailo Tymoshchuk (Ukraine) 3, 15. Julian Kuny (Slovenia) 2, 16. Roman Kapustin (Ukraine) 1, 17. Patricia Erhart (Germany) 1.PARDUBICE SCORES: 1. Keynan Rew (Australia) 13, 2. Bartlomiej Kowalski (Poland) 12, 3. Casper Henriksson (Sweden) 11+3, 4. Nicolai Heiselberg (Denmark) 11+2, 5. Nazar Parnitskiy (Ukraine) 10, 6. Ernests Matjusonoks (Latvia) 10, 7. Drew Kemp (Great Britain) 9, 8. Dan Gilkes (Great Britain) 8, 9. Daniel Klima (Czech Republic) 7, 10. Sebastian Kossler (Austria) 6, 11. Ricards Ansviesulis (Latvia) 6, 12. Erik Bachhuber (Germany) 5, 13. Jan Jenicek (Czech Republic) 4, 14. Tino Bouin (France) 3, 15. Matous Kamenik (Czech Republic) 3, 16. Bruno Belan (Czech Republic) 1, 17. Matej Fryza (Czech Republic) 1, 18. Maksym Sereda (Ukraine).VOJENS SCORES: 1. Esben Hjerrild (Denmark) 13+3, 2. Philip Hellstrom-Bangs (Sweden) 13+2, 3. Francis Gusts (Latvia) 11, 4. Damian Ratajczak (Poland) 11, 5. Mathias Pollestad (Norway) 11, 6. Kacper Pludra (Poland) 11, 7. Anders Rowe (Great Britain) 11, 8. Jaroslav Vanicek (Czech Republic) 9, 9. Jesper Knudsen (Denmark) 8, 10. Ludvig Selvin (Sweden) 7, 11. Espen Sola (Norway) 5, 12. James Pearson (Australia) 4, 13. Alex Martin (USA) 2, 14. Marlon Hegener (Germany) 2, 15. Artjams Juhno (Latvia) 2, 16. Jonny Wynant (Germany) 0.

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SGP2 QUALIFIERS | CHAMPION CIERNIAK LAUNCHES TITLE QUEST IN KRSKO

SGP2 champion Mateusz Cierniak launches his FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship defence at Slovenian track Krsko on Saturday.Cierniak may have lifted the first SGP2 title of the Warner Bros. Discovery Sports era as the new global promoter rebranded the sport’s junior world championship in 2022. But the Polish star still has to qualify for the 2023 competition.The Lublin rider bids for 2023 SGP2 qualification at the former Speedway GP venue as he takes on the likes of Czech rising star Petr Chlupac, German talent Norick Blodorn, British racer Leon Flint, 2022 SGP2 star Gustav Grahn of Sweden, Danish star Emil Breum and Slovenian prospect Anze Grmek.All three qualifiers take place on Saturday and Orlen FIM Warsaw Speedway GP surprise package Bartlomiej Kowalski will hope to earn a 2023 SGP2 spot in the round at Czech track Pardubice.Kowalski raced to a very impressive four championship points after replacing injured wild card Dominik Kubera at PGE Narodowy last Saturday and the Wroclaw young gun could be among the frontrunners in SGP2 if he makes the top four in Pardubice.He comes up against Australian star Keynan Rew, Czech duo Daniel Klima and Matous Kamenik, Sweden’s Casper Henriksson, Latvian contenders Ricards Ansviesulis and Ernests Matjusonoks and British riders Drew Kemp and Dan Gilkes.Latvian racer Francis Gusts is among the contenders in the qualifier at Vojens Speedway Center in Denmark, which is also the stage for the SGP2 title decider on Friday, September 15.He comes up against Danish racer Jesper Knudsen – brother of 2022 SGP2 star Jonas – plus Polish riders Kacper Pludra and Damian Ratajczak, Swedish star Philip Hellstrom-Bangs, Britain’s Anders Rowe, Australia’s James Pearson and Norwegian talent Mathias Pollestad.The top four riders at each of the three qualifiers book their place in the 2023 SGP2 series, which launches with the Prague FIM SGP2 of Czech Republic on Friday, June 2 – 24 hours before the Prague FIM Speedway GP of Czech Republic on Saturday, June 3. Round two takes place at Polish track Gorzow on Friday, June 23, with the title decider at Vojens on Friday, September 15 – with both rounds also followed by Speedway GP action on the Saturday night.The 2023 SGP2 field will be completed by three wild cards, which will be confirmed by the SGP2 Commission very soon.KRSKO LINE-UP: 1 Leon Flint (Great Britain), 2 Emil Breum (Denmark), 3 Norick Blödorn (Germany), 4 Mathias Tresarrieu (France), 5 Roman Kapustin (Ukraine), 6 Julian Kuny (Slovenia), 7 Jacob Hook (Australia), 8 Gustav Grahn (Sweden), 9 Matteo Boncinelli (Italy), 10 Anže Grmek (Slovenia), 11 Mateusz Cierniak (Poland), 12 Richard Füzesi (Hungary), 13 Petr Chlupac (Czech Republic), 14 Bastian Borke (Denmark), 15 Maurice Brown (Australia), 16 Mykhailo Tymoshchuk (Ukraine). RESERVES: 17 Mario Häusl (Germany), 18 Patricia Erhart (Germany).PARDUBICE LINE-UP: 1 Nicolai Heiselberg (Denmark), 2 Ricards Ansviesulis (Latvia), 3 Maksym Sereda (Ukraine), 4 Matous Kamenik (Czech Republic), 5 Jan Jenicek (Czech Republic), 6 Bartłomiej Kowalski (Poland), 7 Casper Henriksson (Sweden), 8 Dan Gilkes (Great Britain), 9 Ernests Matjusonoks (Latvia), 10 Tino Bouin (France), 11 Daniel Klima (Czech Republic), 12 Drew Kemp (Great Britain), 13 Keynan Rew (Australia), 14 Sebastian Kössler (Austria), 15 Nazar Parnitskiy (Ukraine), 16 Erik Bachhuber (Germany). RESERVES: 17 Bruno Belan (Czech Republic), 18 Matj Frýza (Czech Republic).VOJENS LINE-UP: 1 Jonny Wynant (Germany), 2 Anders Rowe (Great Britain), 3 Artjoms Juhno (Latvia), 4 Kacper Pludra (Poland), 5 Jesper Knudsen (Denmark), 6 Ludvig Selvin (Sweden), 7 Francis Gusts (Latvia), 8 James Pearson (Australia), 9 Espen Sola (Norway), 10 Mathias Pollestad (Norway), 11 Esben Hjerrild (Denmark), 12 Philip Hellström-Bängs (Sweden), 13 Alex Martin (USA), 14 Marlon Hegener (Germany), 15 Jaroslav Vanicek (Czech Republic), 16 Damian Ratajczak (Poland). RESERVES: 17 Rune Thorst (Denmark), 18 William Drejer (Denmark).

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LIEBMANN SET FOR UNDER-24 EKSTRALIGA DEBUT WITH GORZOW

German racer Celina Liebmann looks set to mix it with the sport’s top young stars in 2023 after signing for Gorzow’s Under-24 Ekstraliga side. The move was announced on International Women’s Day yesterday, which saw the German take over the @SpeedwayGP social media channels for the day, giving fans a glimpse behind the scenes of her preparations for 2023. Liebmann made history in 2022 as the first female rider to appear in an FIM Speedway final series, when she scored three championship points as the FIM SGP2 of Czech Republic – Prague wild card last May. She also featured in the FIM SGP2 of Poland – Torun last October. While she is no longer eligible for under-21 competition, the 21-year-old is still set to take a huge step forward in her career, with Gorzow handing her the chance to become the Under-24 Ekstraliga’s first female rider at Edward Jancarz Stadium. Launched in 2022, the Under-24 Ekstraliga has handed young riders from all over the world a golden opportunity to show their class in the world’s biggest speedway nation, with some going on to land senior team places. Finland’s Timi Salonen was one of its biggest success stories last year after starring for Gorzow and then taking the FIM Speedway of Nations by storm to lead his country into the Final at Vojens. Stal Gorzow president Waldemar Sadowski is delighted to add to Liebmann to the squad. He told the club’s website: “Speedway has been known as a typically male sport, which is why we greatly appreciate the fact that there are women who are trying to change this pattern. “The world is moving forward. More and more women are showing interest in motor sports. We don’t have to look far: Wiktor Jasiński’s sister, Karolina, successfully races motocross. At Stal Gorzow, everyone has equal chances, only the form of the rider matters.” Liebmann is joined in Gorzow by the likes of Speedway GP stars Martin Vaculik and Anders Thomsen, who race for the club’s senior side in the PGE Ekstraliga.

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DANISH & GERMAN SHOOTING STARS SET FOR VOJENS TRAINING CAMP

FIM Speedway GP of Denmark host club Vojens is staging a cross-border training camp with the sport’s future stars as Danish and German riders train at the legendary venue in March. Around 40 riders have been invited for five days of coaching, culminating in a speedway event on Sunday, March 19 as the stars of tomorrow battle it out, with free admission for spectators. The event will focus on youth riders in the 85cc, 250cc and 500cc classes, with places set to be split evenly between Danish and German riders. It is hoped the event will also feature three to four female riders from Germany. The Danish-German project started in 2022 as speedway roared out of the Covid-19 pandemic, which wiped out racing almost completely in both countries in 2020 and caused major difficulties staging events in 2021. Vojens director Jacob Olsen says the youngsters will gain more than just track time. He said: “The five days offer physical training, sports psychology and healthier dietary guidance. “But at the same time, we will also provide a setting for fun and socialising for the young riders, before they ride a real meeting at Denmark’s national speedway arena on the Sunday.” Vojens Speedway Klub, Talentcenter Haderslev and Danmarks Motor Union are all important partners in the Danish-German collaboration, with final plans for the week still being finalised. It is also hoped the link-up between Vojens Speedway Center and German federation DMSB will become a long-term partnership, extending to gatherings for managers, coaches and volunteers involved in their speedway clubs. The sport’s biggest stars head to the iconic Vojens Speedway Center on September 16 for the FIM Speedway GP of Denmark – Vojens. The weekend will also see the 2023 FIM Speedway Under-21 world champion crowned in the FIM SGP2 of Denmark on Friday, September 15. Photo: Frank Cilius

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SGP4 YOUTH CATEGORY LAUNCHES IN SWEDEN THIS SUMMER DURING SGP MALILLA

The future of youth speedway is here as FIM Speedway global promoter Discovery Sports Events and the FIM prepare to launch SGP4 this summer. As part of their 10-year vision to nurture FIM Speedway’s future stars, Discovery Sports Events has enlisted the expertise of six-time world champion Tony Rickardsson to develop a new entry-level bike, aimed at 11 to 13-year-olds, to help the sport’s next generation take their first steps into speedway. After a year of testing and development across Europe, a 190cc, four-stroke bike has been selected and the SGP4 bike will make its international debut in a special SGP4 test event, to be raced on the Skrotfrag Arena training track on the day of the 2023 FIM Speedway GP of Sweden – Malilla on July 15. Young riders from around the world will be invited to race at one of world speedway’s most famous venues, and it is hoped national federations will adopt the SGP4 bike for their own national championships from 2024. Youth riders around the world currently start racing on different bikes, with Scandinavian nations staging 85cc competitions and other countries running 125cc categories for their youngest stars. Rickardsson believes having one standard bike for youth riders would offer them the perfect stepping stone on their journey towards FIM Speedway Grand Prix stardom. He said: “The idea of this bike which we have worked on is it should look like a big bike, sound like a big bike and, most importantly, it should ride like a big bike, but in a small package and for a reasonable sum of money. I think we have reached all of these criteria. “These bikes are built for approximately 11 to 13-year-olds, size-wise, but it could be a practice bike for anybody. “All in all, the first objective was to build a class where you can come from all over the world and race under the same regulations on an international level. We are hoping all the national federations will also pick up this bike model for their national championships as well. “If you want to race internationally, it will be with the SGP4 bike. When I started this project, people said it would be impossible to change. But now everybody I speak to is hopefully going to implement these bikes into their national championships. “This is the future. It is also the first time you can go and buy a bike ready to race, and not only at national level. You can go international.” As well as ensuring the new bikes will be as affordable as possible, Rickardsson was determined to create a machine that opens the sport up to families who have never been involved with racing before. He said: “It’s just going to make it so much easier for newcomers to the sport. You won’t have to have parents who are extremely technically advanced that can build their own bikes. “Previously, it was more or less impossible to start riding speedway if you didn’t have a parent who could build a bike. Now anybody can go to a shop or order online and have a bike that’s ready to race delivered right to their doorstep.” While Rickardsson insists he isn’t trying to stop youngsters honing their skills on other youth bikes if they prefer, he is confident the new SGP4 machine will become the bike of choice. He said: “These chassis are built from the best you can buy of everything – from handlebars to specially-designed frames, engine plates and wheels. It’s the best you can buy on the market. “Engine-wise, we have the most suitable engine for this bike. These chassis will also have a great second-hand price. Everybody will see the quality of them. The complete bike will have a higher second-hand value than the existing youth bikes. I think these bikes will live on for a very long time. “At a time when environmental factors are at the forefront of everyone’s minds, I am also pleased to say the four-stroke engine creates less pollution, while the exhaust system minimises noise pollution.” For the first time in speedway history, Discovery Sports Events brought all of the sport’s international junior and youth championships under the SGP banner when they began their tenure as FIM Speedway global promoter in 2022. Developing the SGP4 category was a key priority for François Ribeiro, Head of Discovery Sports Events, as the group works to strengthen the pyramid and ensure that in speedway’s 100th anniversary year, the sport continues to produce young talent as it enters its second century of racing. He said: “This is another exciting step on our journey to develop the next generation of Speedway GP riders. I want to thank Tony Rickardsson and everyone involved with the project for their time and expertise, which has delivered a bike which we hope will train our future champions. “We are all looking forward to our SGP4 test event in Malilla, which has the ideal training track to showcase the new bikes – on the same weekend as we also stage the FIM SGP3 Final; an event which delivered some fantastic 250cc racing at Wroclaw in 2022. “We hope SGP4 will also prove a great success and the SGP4 bikes will become the go-to bike for any rider with ambitions of making it into Speedway GP one day.” FIM CCP Track Racing Commission director Armando Castagna commented: “Along with Discovery Sports Events, we identified a class that was missing from our discipline, and it has been a pleasure to work with Tony Rickardsson and everyone involved to create both a new bike and a new category for riders taking their first steps into our sport. “Making bikes more available and accessible allows riders from many more backgrounds and countries the chance to try speedway and compete against rivals from all over the world on the international stage. “We are very much looking forward to the SGP4 test event in Malilla and hopefully SGP4 will establish itself as a great event on the FIM track racing calendar in the years to come.” Further details about the SGP4 bikes, prices and how to order will be available on FIMSpeedway.com soon, with the machines also on display in FIM Speedway fanzones throughout the 2023 season.

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SGP2 QUALIFIERS | DANISH YOUNG GUN BREUM FIRES MAX AS CHAMPION CIERNIAK MAKES THE CUT

SGP2 QUALIFIERS | CHAMPION CIERNIAK LAUNCHES TITLE QUEST IN KRSKO

LIEBMANN SET FOR UNDER-24 EKSTRALIGA DEBUT WITH GORZOW

DANISH & GERMAN SHOOTING STARS SET FOR VOJENS TRAINING CAMP

SGP4 YOUTH CATEGORY LAUNCHES IN SWEDEN THIS SUMMER DURING SGP MALILLA