NILSSON OPEN TO FUTURE UK RETURN

Swedish star Kim Nilsson admits he would consider a UK comeback “in the near future”, but he’s keen to focus on his Speedway GP debut season in 2023.

Nilsson is set for the biggest year of his life so far after winning the 2022 FIM GP Challenge in Glasgow to earn a full-time place in the Speedway GP elite.

Alongside his SGP World Championship rounds, he will also be competing in Sweden’s Bauhaus Elitserien for Rospiggarna, as well as German team Landshut, who race in the Polish First Division.

An increasing number of top riders are heading back to Britain’s SGB Premiership, including GB hero Dan Bewley, triple world champion Nicki Pedersen and former world No.3 Emil Sayfutdinov.

Nilsson admits he has considered competing in the UK, where he last raced with Leicester in 2017. “I have been thinking about it a few times actually,” he said.

“This year it would have been too much because of the GPs. I didn’t want to change too much. But I’m not ending my career without going back to Britain for at least a couple more seasons. Hopefully in the near future I will be back.

“There are a few tracks I could race on – maybe not too far from the airports. There are a few I really like. King’s Lynn is one and Belle Vue is a place I really like. We will see what happens.”

Nilsson is best known in the UK for his stint with Lakeside from 2011 to 2016. The Hammers left the Arena-Essex Raceway in 2018 and the Swede is gutted that they remain without a home as efforts to find a new stadium continue.

“I saw a picture of Lakeside recently,” he said. “The place is still there, but of course there’s a bit of grass on the track now. It’s just so sad to see it like that. It brings back so many memories from the years I had there – really, really good times.”