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HOLDER: TIME FOR NEXT AUSSIE GENERATION TO SHINE

FIM Speedway of Nations world champion Jack Holder is backing a new generation of Aussie stars to emerge following Jason Doyle’s decision to step down from the national side. Holder joined forces with Speedway GP rival Max Fricke to end Australia’s 20-year wait for a world team title when they beat Great Britain in the FIM SON Grand Final at Vojens on July 30. Former world champion Jason Doyle competed in the Semi-Final but didn’t take to the track in the Final as team manager Mark Lemon kept faith with Holder and Fricke. Doyle recently announced his retirement from national team duty, handing the gauntlet to a new generation of Aussies to go for FIM Speedway World Cup gold in Polish city Wroclaw from July 25-29. With five riders needed as the FIM SWC returns for the first time since 2017, the likes of Brady Kurtz, Rohan Tungate, Sam Masters and Jaimon Lidsey will be fighting for places, along with 2012 world champion Chris Holder. Holder is still confident the Roos have the firepower to push for a team-title double. Asked about Doyle’s decision to step down, he said: “That’s his own decision and obviously he can do what he likes. He has been there for a while now and it’s his choice to step down. “It’s the time when we needed every Australian as we go back to the SWC format. But it opens up the door for a few other youngsters and it should be good. We are Australian and we always fight to the death. There are plenty of options. We have plenty of depth in Australian speedway. There are a few of us over there wanting to represent our country.” Lublin and Sheffield star Holder can’t wait for the chance to swap his Speedway GP and club kevlars for the Aussie green and gold. He added: “It’s a good week where we take a step back from racing each other, put on the Aussie suit and race for our country. It’s always a good laugh. “We want to go there and win it again. We have the depth to do it and we are not going there to finish last – that’s for sure. “Everyone steps it up a level and we are the world champions from the Speedway of Nations. Hopefully we can do it all again.”

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NIELSEN CONTENT WITH STINT AS DANISH NATIONAL BOSS

Speedway GP legend Hans Nielsen says he’s “very happy with the job I have done” as Danish team manager, despite missing out on his 23rd FIM Speedway gold medal. The Professor won four individual world titles, seven FIM Speedway World Pairs crowns and an incredible 11 FIM Speedway World Team Cups with Denmark as a rider. Nielsen collected two FIM Speedway of Nations bronze medals as a coach in 2020 and 2021 but fell short of winning Denmark’s first gold since their 2014 FIM Speedway World Cup victory at Bydgoszcz. Asked if he regretted anything after missing out on world-glory as a manager, Nielsen said: “I don’t know about regrets or whether I could have done anything different. I am not really sure and can’t really put my finger on anything. “I enjoyed it. It has been hard work and a lot of travelling. Sure, it was a lot of pressure, and it was tough getting to know everybody when I first came in. There were a few stumbling blocks along the way. You have to expect that as a manager. “I wouldn’t say there’s one thing I would have done differently. I think I have done the best I can and I am very happy with the job I have done. “We never unfortunately won the Speedway of Nations. But with Leon picking up a couple of silver medals in those years, I helped out as much as I could there, as well as all the others who were in the Grand Prix.” Nielsen admits he takes pride in the Danish training camps he organised as riders headed for sunnier climes to warm up for the season. He said: “One of the great things was going off during the winter on our training camps. That’s one of the big things that have been new since I took over. The lads really enjoy that. “It would have been nice if we could have had the under-21s with us as well, but it’s an expensive trip. With finance not incredibly good at the DMU, we couldn’t all go. But we did get some sponsors helping out over the last few years. It’s a lot of work. You have to get sponsors and you have to get organised for trips, but that’s part of the job.”

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PEDERSEN: LOVE OF RACING KEEPS ME IN THE SADDLE

Triple world champion Nicki Pedersen insists his 2022 injury setback was never going to force him out of the saddle. The Speedway GP legend suffered a badly broken hip and pelvis in a PGE Ekstraliga crash in Grudziadz last June. His injuries could have ended the 45-year-old’s career, but incredibly, Pedersen’s training for 2023 continues apace. The former Eastbourne star is preparing for a remarkably busy season after taking over from Hans Nielsen as Danish team manager ahead of July’s FIM Speedway World Cup in Wroclaw. He’s also set to race for Holsted in his homeland and PGE Ekstraliga side Grudziadz in Poland. On top of that, the Odense-born ace is starring with his family in new Kanal 5 and Discovery+ reality show Team Pedersen, taking viewers behind the scenes of both his racing and life away from the sport. While being Danish boss and a TV star would have been enough for some, Pedersen admits he still loves life on the track and refuses to let injuries call time on his career. He said: “Before when I have broken my neck two times, everybody was thinking ‘okay, he’ll retire now. He has done his bit.’ It would have been a fair way to stop, but I don’t want to. “I still love this sport and it’s my income. It’s part of me. I still feel I put a lot into the sport. I don’t do it because of other people. I do it for myself because I can, because I enjoy it and because I love it. I still feel I have things to put into the sport. “I know the head is alright, as it always has been. I am pretty strong in my head. I haven’t had any doubts as to whether I can race the bike again or not. I haven’t thought about whether it’s going to be painful or not. I am not in any pain, so why should the pain come when I start racing? “Everything is healed up properly, which is good. I don’t have any pain at the moment at all when I am training. I just need to get fit again, get back on the bike and focus on the racing.” Pedersen admits he has had to train smart since breaking his hip. He said: “I usually run a lot. I like running. But at the moment, I am cycling instead. It’s not that I have any pain, but in the long term, it’s about not doing damage and not letting the pain return to the pelvis. “I broke the pelvis, and the left leg went through it. It’s in the right place, but instead of pushing it when you are running, it’s better to put less pressure on the pelvis by cycling.”

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DANISH CLUB VOJENS NAMED FIM SPEEDWAY LOCAL ORGANISER OF THE YEAR FOR 2022

Legendary Danish club Vojens has been crowned FIM Speedway’s Local Organiser of the Year for 2022 after staging an unforgettable FIM Speedway of Nations – with just 19 days’ notice. Vojens is the first winner of global promoter Discovery Sports Events’ new annual prize, which will be given to one FIM Speedway local organiser, which could honour anything from excellence and professionalism to those who deliver impressive improvements and innovation at their event. As well as hosting the FIM Speedway GP of Denmark – Vojens on September 10, which attracted a crowd of 12,500 fans, Vojens stepped in at the eleventh hour to stage four huge nights of FIM SON racing from July 27-30, as Australia saw off 14 other countries to win their first world team title since 2002. It was the first time the FIM SON had been staged at one venue across four straight nights as part of Discovery Sports Events’ vision to create a truly international festival of racing. Working around the clock with just 19 days to prepare, the Vojens team delivered an incredible tournament, earning them the FIM Speedway Local Organiser of the Year title. With Danish club Esbjerg withdrawing as FIM SON host in early July, Vojens CEO Jacob Olsen insisted there was no way he would allow the prestigious event to be lost to Denmark. He said: “It’s in my blood. I want Danish speedway to grow and be on the map with big events. I also really want the Danish riders to do well with the whole history of success we have in Danish speedway. “It would have been a big blow if this event had been taken out of Denmark to another nation. I didn’t have to think that much. I didn’t want the FIM SON to disappear out of the country. “It all went quite crazy when (head of DSE) François Ribeiro called me 19 days before the Speedway of Nations. It was very sad that Esbjerg couldn’t push through the event. I was on holiday in Spain with my family and our company manager Helge Frimodt Pedersen was at his summer house. Our stadium operator Jens Jorgen Forum was on holiday in the US. “At the time when François called, we were building the new grandstand, so everything was hectic. I asked him if he would give us one day and then we would come back to him if we could do it. We called the day after and said: ‘let’s go for it.’ Then the work really began. “We have talked a lot about it since the event. We can’t understand how we made the event so great. We got so much respect from the FIM and Discovery for the work and effort we put into it. I am very delighted for not only me and the company, but the whole team behind me. Of course, special thanks to Helge, who was outstanding in his role.” Olsen says the FIM Speedway Local Organiser of the Year award caps off a special 2022 season for Vojens. He said: “I am very delighted to get the prize. It’s quite special with Discovery coming on board and all these new things that are happening in the sport. Now they are offering this promoter award, which I think is a great thing. It keeps us all on our toes. “Of course, 2022 was quite a special season for us at Vojens. The Speedway GP event was great – probably the best event we have had so far with everything Discovery brings – the fanzone and whole setup made it really fantastic. The racing was some of the best we have had in Vojens for many years. “On top of all this, we won the Danish Championship with our league team Sønderjylland Elite Speedway, which was a great title for us to get. It was history for us because that was the first time Vojens has ever won the championship in the Danish league. “That gives us a bit of confidence and we have had an increase in crowds by about 30 percent. It was a really big year for us.” Congratulating the Vojens team, François Ribeiro, head of Discovery Sports Events, said: “Staging an event with a year to plan and work on the arrangements is no easy task. To deliver the FIM Speedway of Nations – four nights of racing with just 19 days to make it happen is astonishing. “With vast experience of staging big events and their incredible professionalism, we had every confidence Vojens could deliver a successful FIM SON, and we were all rewarded with some epic racing. “On behalf of the DSE team, I say a huge congratulations to Vojens, and also a big thank you to all of our local organisers, who work so hard to make FIM Speedway events possible.” Vojens is set to stage two high-stakes nights of racing in September, with the penultimate round of the FIM Speedway Grand Prix series taking place there on Saturday, September 16. There is also racing on Friday, September 15, when this year’s FIM Speedway Under-21 world champion will be crowned at the FIM SGP2 of Denmark – Vojens – the final round of the SGP2 series. “This is going to be a big year too,” Olsen said. “I have a good feeling about it. We are delighted that we are going to have SGP2 in Vojens on the Friday, which means a lot to us. We have some really good Danish riders coming through and we are also very happy we can crown the world champion in SGP2 here. “We have three really good Danish riders in Speedway GP this year with Leon Madsen as last year’s runner-up and Anders Thomsen and Mikkel Michelsen, who have a bit more experience in the series now. “I think Denmark will be very strong in the coming season and, with Nicki Pedersen coming in as team manager, I think it’s one of the best moves we have made in the sport for a long time.”

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SWEDISH STAR NILSSON UP FOR THE WORLD CUP

Swedish star Kim Nilsson believes bigger teams will create a bigger tournament as the FIM Speedway World Cup returns in Wroclaw from July 25-29. The sport’s original international team event is back for the first time in six years this summer, with nine nations battling it out for the Ove Fundin Trophy over four nights of epic racing. Countries will select a team of five riders for the competition – up from the three that contest the FIM Speedway of Nations, meaning more riders from the countries involved have a chance to go for gold. Hosts Poland are seeded straight through to the Final, with FIM Speedway of Nations world champions Australia, Great Britain, Sweden, Denmark, Czech Republic, Finland, France and Germany battling for the right to join them in the last four over two four-team Semi-Finals and the last-chance Race Off. With the FIM SON raced using a pairs format with three-man teams, it has been tougher for riders to break into their national side since the competition was introduced in 2018. Nilsson is delighted to see the FIM SWC return as it takes place once every three years. He said: “I think a format with five riders makes for a bigger crowd following it in Sweden. “If it’s five riders representing the country and not just two or three, it brings together the whole nation more. I hope this will offer something good for the crowd and bring more people to watch it. “More of the riders can show what they are capable of doing. I think it will help the countries who have worked well with the younger guys over a few years. They will have four, five, six or seven riders who could possibly fit into the team. “The nations with a narrower choice will not be as competitive. But I think a few of the nations have quite a wide range of riders who can be competitive in these meetings.”

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HOLDER: TIME FOR NEXT AUSSIE GENERATION TO SHINE

NIELSEN CONTENT WITH STINT AS DANISH NATIONAL BOSS

PEDERSEN: LOVE OF RACING KEEPS ME IN THE SADDLE

DANISH CLUB VOJENS NAMED FIM SPEEDWAY LOCAL ORGANISER OF THE YEAR FOR 2022

SWEDISH STAR NILSSON UP FOR THE WORLD CUP