HOME PRIDE FOR LATVIAN YOUNG GUN GUSTS AS RIGA GETS SET FOR EPIC FIM SPEEDWAY WEEKEND

Latvian shooting star Francis Gusts says bringing home DeWalt FIM Speedway of Nations – SON2 gold with his country this Friday would be “the sweetest win of my life” as he lines up on the Riga track where his racing career began.

Hosts Latvia battle it out for FIM Speedway of Nations Under-21 World Championship gold at Bikernieki Speedway Stadium from 18:00 local time (17:00 CET), where they take on 15-time winners and reigning champions Poland, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Denmark, Australia and Germany.

The DeWalt FIM SON2 sees the world’s top seven under-21 trios – composed of two starters and a reserve at No.3 – meet each other over 21 heats with four points on offer for a race win, three for second, two for third, and zero points for last place, being disqualified or failing to finish.

The top scoring nation goes straight through to the Grand Final, with the second and third highest scorers meeting in the Grand Final Qualifier. The winner of that race faces off with the top scorers in the Grand Final for the right to be called FIM SON Under-21 world champions.

The Latvian capital is getting set for a huge weekend of racing, with the sport’s top riders lining up in the sold-out OlyBet FIM Speedway GP of Latvia – Riga on Saturday. But first, Gusts leads Latvia’s under-21 stars into action.

They face stiff competition to reach the rostrum, but with Latvia being tipped to push for their first-ever FIM Speedway World Championships medal, Gusts has the chance to make history along with teammates Ricards Ansviesulis and Ernests Matjusonoks.

The 20-year-old won the 2021 European Under-19 Championship on the Bikernieki track and also represented Latvia in the FIM Speedway of Nations Final in Manchester that year – the country’s first-ever senior world team final.

He is now a full-time member of the FIM SGP2 series – the FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship – and Gusts says his promising career took off in home city Riga.

He admitted: “My friend invited me to train here – they have an open speedway school for youngsters. We both came here and I saw the bikes have no brakes, but my first experience was great. Slowly, slowly I grew.

“I would not say this is my home track because I do around two training sessions here per year now, but this is the track where my whole career started.

“Before I didn’t know anything about speedway or what it is. I didn’t know the sport existed. But I always liked having something to ride – a bicycle, a motocross bike or something like that.” 

From being a complete novice, Gusts will now also compete against the sport’s biggest names in the OlyBet FIM Latvian Speedway GP this Saturday as wild card after Jack Holder withdrew due to a hand injury, with original wild card Andzejs Lebedevs now taking the Aussie’s place.

With every ticket sold for Saturday’s event – the first Speedway GP in Latvia since 2017 – Gusts is excited for a huge weekend of racing.

He said: “Today they rang me and said I had the wild card. I was really happy about it. I see all the tickets have been sold. It will be the first time for me, racing with a full stadium. 

“I want to enjoy it. My aim on Saturday night is to show my best. I know I am against some good guys, but I race with them around Europe and know what I am capable of, so we will see what happens.” 

Before the Speedway GP stars arrive in Riga, the DeWalt FIM SON2 champions will be decided with Poland tracking SGP2 champion Mateusz Cierniak, Bartlomiej Kowalski and No.3 Wiktor Przyjemski as they bid to win the competition for an astonishing 16th time since its launch in 2005.

Last year’s silver medallists Czech Republic line up with SGP2 rider Petr Chlupac, Daniel Klima and No.3 Jaroslav Vanicek, while 2022 bronze medallists Great Britain select Anders Rowe, Daniel Gilkes and No.3 Drew Kemp.

The Danish challenge is led by SGP2 stars Emil Breum and Esben Hjerrild, with Jesper Knudsen at No.3. Australian boss Mark Lemon picks the top three riders in the 2022 Australian Under-21 Final, champion Keynan Rew and third-placed James Pearson, with runner-up Tate Zischke at No.3.

Germany completes the line-up, featuring SGP2 rider Norick Blodorn, Erik Bachhuber and 2022 SGP3 finalist Patrick Hyjek at No.3.

2023 DeWALT FIM SPEEDWAY OF NATIONS – SON2 STARTING LINE-UPS

GREAT BRITAIN – TEAM A

1. Anders Rowe

2. Daniel Gilkes

3. Drew Kemp (captain)

Team Manager: Neil Vatcher

CZECH REPUBLIC – TEAM B

1. Petr Chlupac (captain)

2. Daniel Klima

3. Jaroslav Vanicek

Team Manager: Zdenek Schneiderwind

AUSTRALIA – TEAM C

1. Keynan Rew (captain)

2. James Pearson

3. Tate Zischke

Team Manager: Mark Lemon

DENMARK – TEAM D

1. Emil Breum (captain)

2. Esben Hjerrild

3. Jesper Knudsen

Team Manager: Henrik Moller

POLAND – TEAM E

1. Mateusz Cierniak (captain)

2. Bartlomiej Kowalski

3. Wiktor Przyjemski

Team Manager: Rafal Dobrucki

LATVIA – TEAM F

1. Francis Gusts (captain)

2. Ricards Ansviesulis

3. Ernests Matjusonoks

Team Manager: Nikolajs Kokins

GERMANY – TEAM G

1. Norick Blodorn (captain)

2. Erik Bachhuber

3. Patrick Hyjek

Team Manager: Sascha Dörner 

DEWALT FIM SON2 FANZONE

Fans can enjoy plenty of entertainment in Riga as the DeWalt FIM SON2 fanzone gets an epic weekend of action started from 11:30 local time on Friday.

There will be an autograph session with all 21 SON2 riders from 15:30, giving fans the chance to meet and grab a selfie with the Speedway GP stars of the future.

Visitors can get a photo with the Speedway GP trophy until 17:15, with vintage bikes on display and SGP merchandise available for purchase.

WHERE TO WATCH

Coverage of the DeWalt FIM SON2 can be enjoyed via discovery+ and the Eurosport App in markets where these are available.

Coverage is also available in the USA / Canada / New Zealand via Recast: www.recast.tv/fimspeedway