2024 FIM WOMEN'S SPEEDWAY ACADEMY HEADS TO TETEROW IN JUNE

Speedway’s top female riders will compete in the first-ever FIM Women’s Speedway Gold Cup when the 2024 FIM Women’s Speedway Academy comes to former FIM German Speedway GP venue Teterow.With coaching from FIM race director Phil Morris and others, the FIM WSA takes place over two days from June 20-21.This will be followed by the first-ever FIM Women’s Speedway Gold Trophy on June 22, with the FIM Speedway Youth World Championship (SGP3) Semi-Finals also taking place for the sport’s top under-16 riders (open to both male and female competitors) on that day.Led by the FIM Track Racing Commission (CCP) and supported by the FIM Women in Motorcycling Commission (CFM) as part of a successful ongoing collaboration, the WSA has been created to promote gender inclusivity in the sport and encourage female participation.Participants are expected from all over the world and will receive two days of training and mentoring covering all aspects of the sport from riding technique and race craft through to mental preparation and diet.The biggest-ever weekend of FIM Women’s Speedway action follows the launch of the WSA at German track Diedenbergen in 2022, with the 2023 event taking place at Britain’s National Speedway Stadium in Manchester.Germany’s own Celina Liebmann has emerged as the sport’s top female star in recent years, competing in the 2022 FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship (SGP2), before earning herself an historic team place in British club Workington’s Cab Direct Championship side for 2024.She was joined at the 2023 WSA by leading British rider Katie Gordon and Jane Daniels, reigning FIM Women’s Enduro World Champion and 2024 Dakar Rally Women’s Champion.Janika Judeika, FIM Women in Motorcycling Commission (CFM) director, said: “This will be the third consecutive year the FIM Women’s Speedway Academy has been held and it is very encouraging to see it continue to grow and generate more and more excitement and positivity year on year. “The FIM’s Women’s Commission is dedicated to promoting inclusivity in motorcycling, and events like the WSA provide an open environment in which women can thrive. With this in mind, on behalf of the CFM, I would like to thank everyone involved for their continued hard work along with the sponsors who make this event possible.”Armando Castagna, FIM Track Racing director, stated: “The ongoing success of the FIM Women’s Speedway Academy is the direct result of the hard work and passion of the team behind it. “The FIM Track Racing Commission together with the FIM Women in Motorcycling Commission are extremely proud and are looking forward to welcoming participants from across the globe to Germany for the third edition.“Each year the WSA grows in importance, and I would like to say thank you to everyone involved in the organisation and also to all the women traveling to Teterow for what promises to be a very special occasion.”The WSA is open to female 250cc riders aged 12 or over, with the 500cc class open to riders aged 15 or over. The minimum age for taking part in the Gold Trophy event is 16 – as with all FIM Speedway senior and under-21 events.For registration and information about how to be part of the FIM Women’s Speedway Academy, please contact wsa@fim.ch. 

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SWEDISH STAR BERNTZON HEADS FOR VOJENS IN 2024

Swedish star Oliver Berntzon has the chance to reproduce his 2022 FIM Speedway of Nations magic after signing for Vojens club Sønderjylland Elite Speedway ahead of this year’s Danish Speedwayligaen season.Berntzon was the top-scoring rider of all 15 nations, when he racked up a total of 40 points across Sweden’s Semi-Final and the FIM SON Final as his country won a bronze medal two years ago.After emerging as the rider of the tournament at Vojens Speedway Center, he has attracted interest from the venue’s Danish league team SES.They bring him into a squad already featuring Speedway GP star Leon Madsen, plus Danish talents Anders Thomsen, Mads Hansen, Jesper Knudsen, Sam Jensen and 2022 SGP3 champion Mikkel Andersen. Last year’s fourth-placed SGP2 star Keynan Rew is also on the list, alongside Poland’s Marcin Nowak.Vojens boss Jacob Olsen believes Berntzon could play a key role in helping 2022 champions SES regain their Speedwayligaen crown.He said: “With Berntzon in the squad, we are strongly equipped in our efforts to exchange last year's Danish league silver for the gold we won in 2022. “Oliver has a special relationship with Vojens, where we have also seen him do well for the Swedish national team.”

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CIERNIAK: NO RUSH IN SPEEDWAY GP QUALIFYING QUEST

Double SGP2 champion Mateusz Cierniak admits he isn’t putting a date on his dream of making it into the FIM Speedway Grand Prix series as he leaves the under-21 ranks.Cierniak signed off his junior career in 2023 by winning a second straight FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship, defying a nail-biting final round in Vojens to confirm his dominance of the under-21 category, in which he has won four of the six SGP2 rounds staged over the past two years.This season sees Cierniak compete for Polish PGE Ekstraliga champions Lublin, as well as Lejonen in Sweden’s Bauhaus Elitserien and Fjelsted in the Danish Speedwayligaen, and the 21-year-old is keen to continue his rapid development in his league programme this year.The Tarnow-born young gun is being hotly tipped as a Speedway GP star of the future. While it’s a prophecy Cierniak is determined to convert into a reality, he’s not setting a target as to when he expects to line up on the sport’s biggest senior stage.He told SpeedwayEkstraliga.pl: “This is definitely my goal for the coming seasons. I don't know when exactly I will be ready to start fighting for entry into Speedway GP. “For now, I will do everything I can to collect as much experience as possible from all the competitions in which I take part. This will help me create opportunities to be a full-fledged competitor in the series.“I want to ride at the highest level possible and be a top competitor in the leagues I am participating in. I always want to improve and never rest on my laurels. My dream of becoming an ‘adult’ world champion is certainly the one I am striving for the most.”

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TUNGATE SNAPPED UP BY SMEDERNA

Australian champion Rohan Tungate has added Sweden’s Bauhaus Elitserien to his schedule after agreeing terms with Smederna.Tungate has already signed for Metalkas 2. Ekstraliga side Rybnik and makes a full-time UK comeback with Sports Insure Premiership team, the Oxford Spires.Now he will head to Eskilstuna too, where he joins the likes of former Speedway GP rider Kim Nilsson, double FIM Speedway Under-21 world champion Maksym Drabik, Vadim Tarasenko, Grzegorz Zengota and Patryk Wojdylo, plus Philip Hellstrom-Bangs, Joel Andersson and Anton Jansson.Tungate also competes in the Speedway GP qualifiers this season after winning his second Australian Championship in January.And he looks forward to lining up for the Blacksmiths in Sweden. He told the Smederna official website: “I am happy to come to Eskilstuna and look forward to a new challenge at a new club. It is a club with a strong history of success. If we look at the team, I think it will be a good season.”

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AMERICANS DEFEAT REST OF THE WORLD IN CALIFORNIA TEST

American racer Max Ruml starred as the United States scored a 61-52 victory over the Rest of the World in a test match at Kern County Raceway in Bakersfield, California on Saturday.Ruml led the charge on 13 paid 15 points from five rides, scoring four in heat 15, where double points were up for grabs.FIM North America champion Luke Becker also impressed with 12 points as he went unbeaten in his first four rides, before failing to finish the final race, heat 17.Gino Manzares notched nine from four races as he pushes for a return to European racing, while Billy Janniro and Broc Nicol both scored seven paid eight from four.Triple British champion Chris Harris was the star for the tourists on 18 points from five races, including two six-point wins.GB international Tom Brennan weighed in with a very useful 17 points from six, doubling two points to four in heat 11. His compatriot Leon Flint collected six paid eight, with Italian star Paco Castagna scoring six.

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