NILSSON: OLDER AND WISER?

13/03/2023

NILSSON: OLDER AND WISER?NILSSON: OLDER AND WISER?

Swedish racer Kim Nilsson hopes years of experience on the track will help him stay calmer in the white heat of Speedway GP battle.

Nilsson stormed to victory at the 2022 FIM GP Challenge in Glasgow last August and makes his full-time World Championship debut at the FIM Speedway GP of Croatia – Donji Kraljevec on April 29.

At the age of 33, it’s unusual for a rider to earn their full-time Speedway GP break so late in their career. But Nilsson hopes years of experience racing in Europe’s top leagues will serve him well – whatever Speedway GP throws at him.

He said: “I feel that because of the age I am, I am not going to stress out too much if I don’t go well in one or two meetings. I can always put the handbrake on, have a look around and spot what’s not working rather than be stressed.

“There are such small margins between winning and losing, so you can’t expect to be winning GPs straight away. It’s a long season and my goal is to try and stay fit for the whole season. I just want to progress as the season goes on, and hopefully I can do that.”

Some might say that after his shock Speedway GP qualification in Glasgow, there is little pressure on Nilsson to pile up the points this season.

“That’s one way of looking at it,” he said. “Another way to look at it is being written off puts pressure on me to show what I can do. There are two sides to the coin.

“I don’t think anyone expects me to be in the top six or win a GP, so I don’t think I have any pressure. I will just put the pressure on myself. I want to show what I can do.

“Of course, the top six stay in for the season after, so that has to be one goal for all the GP riders. But I am pretty open-minded.

“Everything is new and there are a lot of new tracks for me. There are a few tracks I have been to once or twice, but a few years back, so I will take it as it comes and try to be as prepared as I can be for this season.”