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.”

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FIM SPEEDWAY TOP 5 MOMENTS | GORZOW

As speedway toasts its 100th anniversary season, FIMSpeedway.com looks back at the top five moments celebrated at each of our 2023 FIM Speedway venues. Today, we feature the iconic Edward Jancarz Stadium – stage for the FIM Speedway GP of Poland - Gorzow on June 24, as well as the FIM SGP2 of Poland – Gorzow on June 23.   1. BARTEK’S WILD NIGHT (2014) Fairy tales don’t get much sweeter than topping the Speedway GP podium in front of your home crowd. Polish icon Bartosz Zmarzlik zoomed to a shock third place on his series debut as a wild card in the 2012 FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Gorzow. But two years later he went all the way – sending his home fans wild as he became the youngest-ever Speedway GP winner, aged just 19 years and 140 days old. To make matters even better for the locals, he was joined on the podium by then Stal Gorzow team mates Matej Zagar and Krzysztof Kasprzak. It was the start of an incredible journey for the Szczecin-born racer as he qualified for Speedway GP full-time by winning the 2015 FIM GP Challenge in Rybnik. Since making his series debut, he has stormed to three SGP world titles and another Gorzow win at round three in 2020. While the Edward Jancarz Stadium is no longer his home track, Lublin signing Zmarzlik remains a legend in Gorzow blue and yellow.   2. DOYLE’S DUEL WITH WOFFY (2016) The Gorzow track always delivers epic action, but it was also the stage for arguably the greatest Speedway GP race of all time in 2016. Words can’t do it justice – just watch the YouTube clip here; you will not be disappointed! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytbNiiFn3qQ In short, Aussie icon Jason Doyle and British racer Tai Woffinden passed and re-passed – blink and you’d miss at least two overtakes as two of the sport’s biggest names threw everything at each other for four laps. But with one last big swing on the final turn, Doyle landed the decisive blow to claim his third win of the season, while Chris Holder quietly got the better of Zmarzlik for third as everyone was following the action at the front. It’s a race that will live forever in YouTube folklore.   3. POLE POSITION (2011) Before Gorzow staged its first Speedway GP round in October 2011, Edward Jancarz Stadium played host to the FIM Speedway World Cup Race Off and Final that summer. The Poles were red-and-white-hot favourites to top the podium, but not all was well in the early stages of the Final as a power-packed Australian side took the fight to the hosts. But cometh the hour, cometh Tomasz Gollob. The great man led from the front, hauling Poland into top gear and leading them to victory on his then PGE Ekstraliga home track. Incredibly, it turned out to be his final FIM SWC gold medal – but it was his fifth in seven seasons from 2005 to 2011 as Mr G led his proud nation to the top of the speedway world, and inspired a generation that has continued to bring home the biggest honours ever since.   4. VACULIK’S DEBUT DELIGHT (2012) When Polish hero Jaroslaw Hampel pulled out of the 2012 FIM Gorzow Speedway GP due to injury, series first reserve Martin Vaculik stepped up. Those familiar with the potential he regularly displayed in the Polish leagues or his hometown Zarnovica will not have been surprised to see him get his chance at this level. But he ended the night with his reputation enhanced dramatically as Vaculik powered to a famous win ahead of eventual world champion Holder and local hero Zmarzlik. The victory all but earned Vaculik a permanent Speedway GP wild card for 2013, and he has eventually gone on to establish himself as a regular on the sport’s biggest stage. Another Gorzow win followed in 2018 – also a remarkable moment in that it came just four months after Vaculik suffered what could have been a career-ending ankle injury at British track Swindon. Victories in Prague and Torun last season show that initial Gorzow win 11 years ago was anything but an upset – it has proved a sign of things to come.   5. THOMSEN STREAKS TO VICTORY (2022) Double Danish champion Anders Thomsen is the latest Speedway GP big gun to establish himself as a firm favourite with the Stal Gorzow fans. And their love for him only grew last June, when he roared to victory ahead of then club team mates Vaculik and Zmarzlik in the 2022 FIM Gorzow Speedway GP. When you’ve just raced to the biggest win of your career, there’s only one way to celebrate – well, for Thomsen at least. He peeled off his kevlars and took to the shale in his underpants for a cheeky victory lap. While a badly broken leg ended his 2022 season two months later at the FIM GP Challenge in Glasgow, it was the moment when Thomsen underlined that he belongs at the top level. He received a permanent wild card for the 2023 Speedway GP series and will hope that Gorzow win proves the first of many.   Find out who comes out on top at the Edward Jancarz Stadium in 2023. Tickets for the FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Gorzow on June 24 and the FIM SGP2 of Poland – Gorzow on June 23, featuring speedway’s top under-21 stars, are on sale now. Book your tickets here: https://bilety.stalgorzow.pl/

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SGP QUIZ | 2007 FIM BRITISH SPEEDWAY GP LINE-UP

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NIELSEN: COACHING DANES WAS FULL-TIME JOB FOR ME

Danish legend Hans Nielsen believes combining racing and running the national side will be no easy task for Nicki Pedersen. The triple Speedway GP world champion replaces four-time world champion Nielsen as Danish team manager ahead of the FIM Speedway World Cup’s return in Wroclaw from July 25-29. Nielsen – winner of 22 individual and world team titles as a rider – took charge of the Danes in 2016, winning two FIM Speedway of Nations bronze medals, before stepping down shortly before his team took fourth place in last year’s FIM SON Final at Vojens on July 30. Four-time FIM SWC winner Pedersen will lead the preparations for this summer’s FIM SWC along with Nielsen’s former assistant coach Henrik Moller, and could even ride in the tournament, having named himself on the Elite B squad list. Alongside his new managerial commitments, Pedersen will be racing for Danish club Holsted, Polish PGE Ekstraliga team Grudziadz and British side Peterborough. He is also starring in reality TV show, Team Pedersen, which features his family, on Denmark’s Kanal 5 and Discovery+. With so much on his plate, Nielsen admits he is surprised Denmark’s Motor Union appointed an active rider for what he feels is a deceptively demanding role. He said: “Obviously I was surprised that they picked someone who was riding at the same time. I know how busy I have been, and I feel like it has been a full-time job. I find it hard to see how he has time to do it at the same time as riding. “But obviously that’s their choice and they feel they can make it work. It’s important that he has Henrik Moller as an assistant because he is going to be a little busier than he was before with Nicki having to ride too. There probably will be more for Henrik to look after. “When I took the job, I didn’t think it would be too hard, but it was certainly a lot more work than I expected. I think Nicki will find it the same way." Nielsen admits Pedersen’s role as an active rider could also have its advantages over a team manager who may have retired many years ago or one who has never competed on two wheels. He said: “The fact he’s still riding means he’s right in there when it comes to equipment. Hopefully that can be an advantage in some cases, and he can help the team out.”

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LIEBMANN SET FOR UNDER-24 EKSTRALIGA DEBUT WITH GORZOW

German racer Celina Liebmann looks set to mix it with the sport’s top young stars in 2023 after signing for Gorzow’s Under-24 Ekstraliga side. The move was announced on International Women’s Day yesterday, which saw the German take over the @SpeedwayGP social media channels for the day, giving fans a glimpse behind the scenes of her preparations for 2023. Liebmann made history in 2022 as the first female rider to appear in an FIM Speedway final series, when she scored three championship points as the FIM SGP2 of Czech Republic – Prague wild card last May. She also featured in the FIM SGP2 of Poland – Torun last October. While she is no longer eligible for under-21 competition, the 21-year-old is still set to take a huge step forward in her career, with Gorzow handing her the chance to become the Under-24 Ekstraliga’s first female rider at Edward Jancarz Stadium. Launched in 2022, the Under-24 Ekstraliga has handed young riders from all over the world a golden opportunity to show their class in the world’s biggest speedway nation, with some going on to land senior team places. Finland’s Timi Salonen was one of its biggest success stories last year after starring for Gorzow and then taking the FIM Speedway of Nations by storm to lead his country into the Final at Vojens. Stal Gorzow president Waldemar Sadowski is delighted to add to Liebmann to the squad. He told the club’s website: “Speedway has been known as a typically male sport, which is why we greatly appreciate the fact that there are women who are trying to change this pattern. “The world is moving forward. More and more women are showing interest in motor sports. We don't have to look far: Wiktor Jasiński's sister, Karolina, successfully races motocross. At Stal Gorzow, everyone has equal chances, only the form of the rider matters.” Liebmann is joined in Gorzow by the likes of Speedway GP stars Martin Vaculik and Anders Thomsen, who race for the club’s senior side in the PGE Ekstraliga.

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