BERNTZON BAGS FIRST SWEDISH TITLE

Former Speedway GP rider Oliver Berntzon is the new Swedish champion after building on a strong start to 2022 by winning the national final in Linkoping on Tuesday.

Berntzon has bounced back brilliantly from a tough Speedway GP debut season in 2021 to hit fine form in Sweden and Poland.

And in the absence of 2021 champion Freddie Lindgren, who missed the Swedish Final due to his ongoing battle with long Covid, Berntzon triumphed ahead of double national champion Jacob Thorssell and Kim Nilsson.

Berntzon, Thorssell and Nilsson all booked their places in the Grand Final automatically by scoring 13 points in the heats.

They were joined by Victor Palovaara, who saw off former Speedway GP winner Antonio Lindback, Jonatan Grahn and Ludvig Lindgren in the semi-final to snatch the last spot in the final four.

Berntzon then took the chequered flag in the final at an event staged in Linkoping – a storied venue, which staged Speedway GP from 1995-2000, as Swedish bosses bid to re-introduce the sport there.

Lindback scored 10 points in the heats, with Palovaara, Grahn and Ludvig Lindgren all collecting nine.

Sweden’s unexpected star of the 2021 FIM Speedway of Nations, Philip Hellstrom-Bangs missed the semi-final cut on seven points, while ex-Speedway GP rider Peter Ljung. Joel Andersson, Tomas H Jonasson and Daniel Henderson all scored six.