SGP3 DOUBLE FOR DANISH STAR ANDERSEN?

Danish shooting star Mikkel Andersen is determined to end his 250cc career as a double FIM Speedway Youth world champion when he defends his title in the Lantmannen Maskin FIM SGP3 Final – Malilla on Friday at 16:00 CET.

Relaunched as SGP3 in 2022 as part of global promoter Warner Bros. Discovery Sports’ vision to shine a spotlight on the stars of the future, the FIM Speedway Youth World Championship sees the sport’s top 250cc under-16 riders go wheel to wheel at the Skrotfrag Arena.

Andersen bids to make it back-to-back SGP3 titles, having established himself as the frontrunner in the 250cc class. He won last year’s FIM SGP3 Final on an epic night of racing at Wroclaw’s Olympic Stadium in Poland last August, as well as claiming the 2022 European 250cc crown.

Son of former Speedway GP winner Brian Andersen, Mikkel didn’t have things all his own way when he took second spot at Semi-Final 2 in nearby Vastervik on Wednesday. He finished second to Great Britain’s William Cairns and meeting winner Maksymilian Pawelczak in his opening two rides, before he won his final three races to score 13 points.

Andersen admits the pressure to deliver another gold medal may have hampered him in the Semi-Final, but he’s keen to triumph over a talented field in Malilla. 

Pawelczak will also fancy his chances of victory in Malilla. The Pole broke Vastervik’s 250cc track record twice on Wednesday – first recording a time of 60.6 seconds to beat Andersen and then demolishing that figure with a 59.7-second mark. The charismatic racer from Bydgoszcz, Poland is excited to test himself against the sport’s top youth stars in Malilla.

He said: “I am very happy to be here. I am very happy to go to Malilla and I hope I will do great there. I can’t tell how I will do now. It will all be about the racing. The Final will be very interesting. I have never raced in Malilla. It’s actually my first time in Sweden. But it’s great! I like the tracks here. See you in Malilla!” 

Beau Bailey of Australia also put himself among the title favourites with a brilliant battling performance to win Semi-Final 1 in Vastervik – beating British surprise package Cooper Rushen on countback after they tied on 13 points.

Bailey is making his first-ever trip to Europe in the company of former world No.3 and Australian team manager Craig Boyce and is determined to take his opportunity with both hands – just six months after starting his 250cc career.

He said: “This is my first time over here. I have been dreaming of coming over here for a while, so now I have had that chance. I have had a fair bit of competition back home and I have had to fight to get to where I am now.

“I have watched the Speedway GPs in Malilla, and it is a good track. I am looking forward to getting on it.”

It’s set to be an epic showdown for the SGP3 title with Cairns also expected to challenge. The Brit won four of his heats in Semi-Final 2 on Wednesday, with only a last place in his third ride denying him a podium finish.

Bailey isn’t the only Aussie in the running as Mitchell McDiarmid impressed on his way to third place at Semi-Final 2, scoring 13 points – matching Andersen’s points tally.

Poland’s Damian Miller tallied 12 points in the second semi – a figure matched by his fellow countryman Kacper Mania in Semi-Final 1. Mania took fourth place in the 2022 FIM SGP3 Final and was only denied a podium finish after losing out in a three-man run-off for silver and bronze with Denmark’s Villads Nagel and Poland’s Antoni Kawczynski.

Danish racer Villads Pedersen continues a hectic run of FIM Speedway World Championship events after qualifying with fourth place in Semi-Final 1. He won the FIM Speedway Youth Gold Trophy – the world’s 85cc championship – in Holsted, Denmark last Saturday. 

As well as competing in SGP3 on Friday, he will also line up in the brand-new FIM Speedway Youth World Cup (SGP4) category launching on Saturday at 14:30 CET, featuring the sport’s brightest talents aged 11 to 13 on the 190cc bike designed by Sweden’s six-time world champion Tony Rickardsson.

The iconic Malilla venue stages three FIM Speedway World Championship events this weekend. After SGP3 on Friday and SGP4 on Saturday afternoon, the world’s top riders line up in the main event – the Holmgrens Bil FIM Speedway GP of Sweden – Malilla at 19:00 CET on Saturday evening.

LANTMANNEN MASKIN FIM SGP3 FINAL – MALILLA LINE-UP: 1 Sven Cerjak (Slovenia), 2 Maksymilian Pawelczak (Poland), 3 Otto Raak (Finland), 4 Rasmus Karlsson (Sweden), 5 Damian Miller (Poland), 6 Beau Bailey (Australia), 7 Alfred Aberg (Sweden), 8 Leo Klasson (Sweden), 9 Mitchell McDiarmid (Australia), 10 Kacper Mania (Poland), 11 Mikkel Andersen (Denmark), 12 Alexander Adamson (Australia), 13 Filip Beczkowski (Poland), 14 William Cairns (Great Britain), 15 Villads Pedersen (Denmark), 16 Cooper Rushen (Great Britain). RESERVES: 17 Patrick Kruse (Denmark), 18 Jan Hlacina (Czech Republic).

MALILLA SGP3 FANZONE: FRIDAY, JULY 14

Enjoy the first of two action-packed afternoons in Malilla at Friday’s Lantmannen Maskin FIM SGP3 Final fanzone.

Friday’s fanzone opens at 12:00 CET. Fans can grab a photo with the Speedway GP trophy until 15:45 CET.

Young riders can check out the brand-new SGP4 bikes ahead of Saturday’s FIM Speedway Youth World Cup showdown.

Fans can test their reactions with a special starting machine. Vintage bikes will also be on display, and food, drink and official merchandise will be available for purchase, before racing starts at 16:00 CET.

WHERE TO WATCH: Lantmannen Maskin FIM SGP3 Final – Malilla – Friday, July 14 at 16:00 CET.

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

Coverage is also available on:

·           Poland – Eurosport Extra

·           Sweden – delayed coverage on Eurosport

·           Across the Baltics – Go3

·           United States of America / Canada / New Zealand: Recast: www.recast.tv/fimspeedway