LINE-UP REVEALED FOR DANISH SPEEDWAY GP QUALIFIER AT VOJENS

Former Speedway GP stars Niels-Kristian Iversen, Peter Kildemand and Michael Jepsen Jensen are among the riders bidding for places in this season’s SGP qualifications rounds at Vojens on April 5.

Four places in the FIM’s international qualifying rounds will be up for grabs in Denmark’s national qualifier, with new national coach Nicki Pedersen set to offer one additional wild card place.

The country’s entrants for the Speedway European Championship qualifiers will also be decided at the Vojens event, with a similar number of places on offer. It’s unclear whether the top four will contest both the SGP and SEC qualifiers as some riders opt not to do both.

Speedway GP regulars Leon Madsen, Mikkel Michelsen and Anders Thomsen will not take part in the qualifiers and must therefore secure a top-six finish in this season’s Speedway GP World Championship to be sure of their places in the 2024 SGP series.

But Madsen is already guaranteed a place in the SEC series after being crowned champion in 2022, while fellow two-time European champion Michelsen joins him after taking the bronze medal.

As ever, the SEC champion will be handed an automatic place in the 2024 Speedway GP series, giving both riders an added incentive to push for European title No.3.

Iversen, Kildemand and Jepsen Jensen will all fight for Speedway GP returns at FIM Danish Speedway GP venue Vojens, while Danish champion Rasmus Jensen and fellow Danish international Frederik Jakobsen will be among the favourites.

Last year’s SGP2 star Benjamin Basso is in the running, along with 2021 FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship runner-up Mads Hansen, Nicolai Klindt and Jonas Jeppesen.

Andreas Lyager, Rene Bach, Tim Sorensen, Emil Breum, Jonas Seifert, Jesper Knudsen and Matias Nielsen complete the field, with Patrick Hansen and Claus Vissing named as reserves.

The four qualifiers and wild card enter the FIM’s international SGP qualification rounds on May 27 or 29, with the top riders advancing to the FIM GP Challenge at Swedish venue Gislaved on August 19. The top three riders there will be guaranteed places in the 2024 Speedway GP series.