MICHELSEN: SEEKING SMOOTHER SPEEDWAY IN 2024

European champion Mikkel Michelsen hopes to enjoy a “smooth road” in 2024 after working with a sports psychologist to find his best form in the FIM Speedway Grand Prix series.

The Danish champion lines up in Saturday’s FIM Speedway GP of Croatia in Donji Kraljevec, having qualified for this year’s series by winning his third Speedway European Championship crown in 2023.

While he enjoyed a fine SEC series, Michelsen finished 12th in Speedway GP, reaching just two semi-finals from 10 rounds.

He admits a combination of equipment and personal problems made life difficult, but he hopes these are now behind him after a winter of hard work away from the sport.

Michelsen said: “Last year, it’s no lie that going into the Speedway GP series, I was not there at all. I didn’t enjoy it and, to be honest, it’s hard to say it, but I didn’t really want to be there. Every time I came to Speedway GP, I just wanted to get it over and done with.

“This is why I have worked hard this winter to be in a better place mentally and eliminate a lot of the issues I had last year, so that I can come in with a fresh mind and go out and do the same thing I am doing in the PGE Ekstraliga and the SEC series. Hopefully this will be a turnaround point for me.

“It can’t really be any worse than last year. It’s nice to be back. I have been on the struggle bus for the last two years. Two years ago, it was with injuries and last year was just, in general, a pretty tricky season for me with a lot of struggles – personally and equipment-wise.

“We have been eliminating those issues over the winter and I have been working very hard with myself and my sports psychologist, Greg. I hope it is going to be more of a smooth road this year. I am ready for it.”

Michelsen has teamed up with sports psychologist Grzegorz Więcław, who has worked with the Polish Athletic Association. Sports psychologists are now as much a part of a professional athlete’s backup team as a physio, manager or personal trainer, and the Czestochowa and Slangerup star says his work is having a positive impact.

He said: “There has been a certain stigma about using psychologists in the past. But I am using one and a lot of riders are too. You see it in other sports as well. The best athletes work with sports psychologists. It’s just as important when it is going well as when it is going badly. I have only used one in the past when it is going badly. I am trying to be upfront about it and work on these things.

“Sometimes it is nice to talk to someone who is a bit more neutral about everything and has a different perspective or view on certain things.

“Greg is a guy who has a lot of experience with the Canadian Olympic team and also the Polish Olympic team. I feel like it has been a good fit, and I am excited to work more with him.

“Working with a sports psychologist is always something I have touched on a little bit over the years, but not something I have worked on or focused on for that matter. But now I am a bit more focused on the mental side and I feel I am in a more positive space. The mindset is different, and I feel way calmer and more prepared compared to previous years.

“I feel like a different person. There are a lot of things you can work on – personally and on the sports side. We have touched both sides of that and I feel more complete in some ways. I hope this year I have a few more tools in my toolbox for different situations, and hopefully I can use them soon.”

Michelsen admits some engine issues did not help matters in 2023. He added: “It was also something that affected my mindset a lot. Most of the races I showed up to were effectively testing. I didn’t know if it was going to be good or bad, which is why I was not there mentally in a lot of the GPs. I was thinking, ‘It’s either going to be bad, or it’s going to be very bad.’

“I didn’t at any point last year go to the tapes and feel comfortable that it was going to be a good night. This is what we have been trying to eliminate this year. I don’t have that many engines, and we are going to focus on only two tuners – not three, four or more. Hopefully that’s the recipe for success this year.”