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NILSSON: TAKING MY SPACE IN SPEEDWAY GP

Swedish star Kim Nilsson pledged to “take my space” on the track after storming to an unforgettable first Speedway GP final in Teterow last Saturday.Nilsson was the only newcomer to the Speedway GP line-up for 2023 after becoming the shock winner of last year’s FIM GP Challenge in Glasgow.He collected two championship points in each of the three opening rounds in Croatia, Warsaw and Prague, but Nilsson showed his class on a technical Teterow track last Saturday, achieving his first Speedway GP heat win, semi-final and final on his way to fourth place.It’s a result the Rospiggarna and Landshut rider is keen to build on. After becoming a Speedway GP finalist, Nilsson is determined to make his presence felt on the sport’s biggest stage.“I just want to keep progressing,” he said. “Saturday was really good, but I think I can still progress more as a rider. Now I feel I am in the mix even more. I am taking my space on the track more than I did before.“I think that’s needed. No-one gives anything for free in this series. I want to be a bit harder and take my space.“I didn’t know what to expect on Saturday. I had never been to Teterow before. I just went there open-minded and found something that I thought worked in practice. I had some good starts and made some good decisions on the first corner.”Nilsson has been nursing a broken metacarpal bone in his left hand, suffered at a Polish First Division meeting in Gdansk on May 21. He admits the injury took its toll in the Prague FIM Speedway GP of Czech Republic on June 3.He said: “In the first and second rounds, I was there and felt I was in the mix. But in Prague, I didn’t feel comfortable on the bike. I struggled with the hand, and I struggled with the setups.“When I left Prague, I still didn’t know what to do. I think I tried everything and nothing worked. From the Prague meeting to this meeting, things changed completely – the feeling I have. Now I understand that I can actually ride a bike again!“I am just trying to ride through the pain and on some tracks, it is okay. On others, it is not so good. I feel I have more control from the starts now. I think that’s the biggest thing – that the injury is getting better and better.”

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ELITSERIEN | DOYLE LEADS DOMINANT INDIANS TO VICTORY

Aussie racer Jason Doyle stormed to 14 points for Indianerna as they thumped Bauhaus Elitserien rivals Rospiggarna 57-33 in Kumla on Tuesday.After finishing second in his opening ride, Doyle powered to four straight wins as the Indians dominated, with FIM Gorzow Speedway GP wild card Szymon Wozniak and Krzysztof Buczkowski both bagging 11 paid 12 points. Triple Aussie champion Max Fricke added eight paid 10.American star Luke Becker led the Rospiggarna score chart on 10 paid 11 points, with former Speedway GP star Antonio Lindback, Wiktor Przyjemski and Viktor Palovaara all scoring seven paid eight points apiece.Elsewhere, Great Britain racer Dan Bewley collected 12 paid 14 points as he led Dackarna to a 48-42 victory away to his old side Smederna. Bewley was backed up by an 11 paid 12-point haul from Polish star Maciej Janowski.World No.5 Robert Lambert notched 13 paid 16 points for Smederna, with Kacper Woryna tallying 10.In the day’s other meeting, Piraterna’s Polish contingent roared into double figures as they defeated Vastervik 54-36 in Motala.FIM GP Challenge finalist Piotr Pawlicki scored 12, with his elder brother Przemek adding 11 paid 14. Former Speedway GP star Pawel Przedpelski accrued 11 paid 12, while Oskar Fajfer registered 10 paid 12. Triple world champion Tai Woffinden led the Vastervik scoring on 11 points.

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LIONS RECRUIT GB YOUNG GUN KEMP

Great Britain Under-21 star Drew Kemp is back in the Sport Insure Premiership after signing for Leicester.One of the country’s most promising junior riders, Kemp surprisingly started 2023 without a club in any of the British leagues, but he was recently snapped up by Scunthorpe in the Cab Direct Championship.Now he’s doubling up in both of the top leagues after replacing local rider Dan Thompson in the Lions side as the club’s Rising Star.Kemp impressed as a guest with a seven paid eight-point haul against Ipswich at the Pidcock Motorcycles Arena last Thursday and makes his full-time debut at home to Belle Vue this Thursday.While club boss Stewart Dickson admits it was a tough call to drop long-time club prospect Thompson from their Premiership side, he admits the chance to recruit the triple British Under-19 champion was one he could not turn down.He said: “Firstly I’d like to thank Dan for his contribution so far this season. But it’s my job as team manager to provide the supporters with the best team possible, and I do think this change makes us stronger.“I have a responsibility to the owners and the supporters to do that, and whilst everyone saw how well Drew rode last Thursday, I also think it could help us on the away tracks.“I know it’s really tough on Dan and maybe not everyone will agree, but sometimes in this sport you have to make tough decisions and that’s what I’ve done here.”Kemp will be among the favourites to line up for GB at the FIM Speedway of Nations – SON2 event in Latvian capital Riga on August 11.

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EKSTRALIGA | HOLDER LEADS LUBLIN TO VICTORY OVER OLD CLUB TORUN

Aussie racer Jack Holder took his red-hot form to Lublin on Sunday, scoring 13 points as they defeated his old club Torun 59-31 in the PGE Ekstraliga on Sunday.Holder had spent almost his entire career in the Polish leagues in Torun colours up to the end of 2022, with the only exception being his guest appearance for Gorzow in the 2020 PGE Ekstraliga.But the rider who currently stands second in the Speedway GP World Championship came back to haunt his old club with three wins and two second places, while SGP leader Bartosz Zmarzlik zoomed to 12.FIM SGP2 frontrunner Mateusz Cierniak bagged 10 paid 12 points, with former world No.2 Jaroslaw Hampel adding 11 paid 12 and Swedish star Fredrik Lindgren collecting eight paid 11.Former world No.3 Emil Sayfutdinov topped the Torun score chart on 15 points from six races, with Robert Lambert scoring four on his old home track and Patryk Dudek registering three paid five.In the day’s other meeting, Polish racer Kacper Woryna collected 13 paid 14 points as Czestochowa romped to a 53-37 win at home to Leszno.World No.2 Leon Madsen bagged 12 paid 13 for the Lions, with Maksym Drabik adding 11 paid 12 and double European champion Mikkel Michelsen scoring 10 paid 12.Former World Under-21 champion Jaimon Lidsey was Leszno’s top scorer on 13, with Bartosz Smektala bagging eight.In the First Division, Swedish international Kim Nilsson followed up his first-ever Speedway GP final appearance in Teterow by top-scoring on 11 paid 12 points for German club Landshut as they won 51-39 at home to Gdansk.For full details of Sunday’s results, scorers and the latest league table, click here: https://speedwayekstraliga.pl/en/ 

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POLISH FRONTRUNNER ZMARZLIK ENDS WAIT FOR TETEROW TRIUMPH

Poland’s triple Speedway GP world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik was elated to end his search for a Teterow triumph after topping the Wölk FIM Speedway GP of Germany – Teterow podium on Saturday night.Zmarzlik won the final ahead of Australian duo Jason Doyle in second place and Jack Holder in third, while Sweden’s Kim Nilsson celebrated his first-ever Speedway GP final, semi-final and heat win on a remarkable night that saw him take fourth place.After three second places at the Bergring Arena in 2016, 2019 and 2022, as well as a third in 2018, Zmarzlik was delighted to have won Germany’s biggest speedway event – his second victory of the 2023 Speedway GP series after his win at the opening round in Croatia.Zmarzlik’s win moves him on to 70 championship points and extends his lead at the top of the Speedway GP standings to 12, with Lublin teammate Holder second on 58 after reaching his third straight SGP final. Doyle now holds third place on 54, with Swedish international Fredrik Lindgren fourth on 52.Polish champion Zmarzlik was delighted to extend his advantage with the 20th Speedway GP win of his career and admits finishing third in the Qualifying Practice time charts made all the difference.He said: “I am very happy about this because I have been in the final in Teterow many times, but I had never won. Today I did it and I am very proud about this.“Every meeting is so different, but Qualifying Practice went well so I was able to choose more gates on the inside.“I started the meeting from the hard gates, and I scored two points from each of those races. I didn’t make too many changes and after I went to the better gates, I won all of my heats. I am very happy about this.“The good gates helped me a little bit in the meeting, but I also did a good job in the first two races from the bad gates. When everything works well, it doesn’t matter what gate you start from.”WhatsApp Image 2023-06-10 at 21.38.24.jpeg 316.08 KBAsked the secret to his many final appearances at the Bergring Arena, Zmarzlik insisted: “I don’t know. I just want to do a very good job at every round. Teterow has been a lucky track for me. I am very happy about this.”While they are rivals at Speedway GP level, Zmarzlik and Holder are clearly great team mates away from the series. They joined forces to help Gorzow reach the PGE Ekstraliga play-off final in Poland in 2020 and now they are thriving as colleagues in Lublin.Zmarzlik may be determined to keep Holder at arm’s length in the Speedway GP world title race, but he’s also pleased to see his club teammate in fine form.He said: “Jack is also having a good season. I am also very happy about this because we race together for Lublin. But when it comes to the GP, we have to do a good job for ourselves.”Next up for the sport’s biggest stars is the FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Gorzow on Saturday, June 24, with the FIM SGP2 of Poland – Gorzow for speedway’s brightest under-21 stars on Friday, June 23.The Speedway GP event sees Zmarzlik race his first Gorzow round since departing the club at the end of last season, having spent his entire career there up to that point. While the Szczecin-born racer looks forward to his return, he is determined to remain focused on piling up the points.He said: “This was my track for so many years. I am happy about coming into a GP in Gorzow and I also want to do a good job there. Every meeting for me is the same and I will be fully focused on my riding. This is important for me.”R10_STANDINGS_9x16_A (2).jpg 763.48 KBR4_RESULTS_9x16 (1).jpg 904.33 KB 

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NILSSON: TAKING MY SPACE IN SPEEDWAY GP

ELITSERIEN | DOYLE LEADS DOMINANT INDIANS TO VICTORY

LIONS RECRUIT GB YOUNG GUN KEMP

EKSTRALIGA | HOLDER LEADS LUBLIN TO VICTORY OVER OLD CLUB TORUN

POLISH FRONTRUNNER ZMARZLIK ENDS WAIT FOR TETEROW TRIUMPH