Birmingham boss Nigel Tolley admits Finnish international Antti Vuolas caught the eye with his FIM Speedway of Nations heroics in Manchester after joining the Brummies for 2025.
Vuolas ended the 2024 Rowe Motor Oil Premiership season with Belle Vue, helping the club lift its second league championship in three years. He also played a key role in Workington reaching the Cab Direct Championship play-off semi-finals in Comets’ first season at that level since 2018.
The 25-year-old scored 17 of Finland’s 23 points as they finished fourth in FIM SON Semi-Final 1 at the National Speedway Stadium, losing out to Germany in the Final Qualifier.
But Tolley was delighted with what he saw and can’t wait to see Vuolas in Brummies colours alongside Slovenian star Matej Zagar, former FIM Speedway World Cup winner Michael Jepsen Jensen, Polish racer Tobiasz Musielak, former SGP2 rider Keynan Rew, Denmark’s Jonas Jeppesen and rising star Jason Edwards.
Tolley said: “Antti is a rider we’ve actually been keeping tabs on for the past couple of years now. He caught our eye, and he is someone we’ve looked at giving an opportunity previously.
“After impressing during the Speedway of Nations, Belle Vue gave him his chance in the top division, and he rewarded them by scoring some very important points.
“He showed he can handle the pressure; he showed he can come up with big results at big times, and he was a rider who made significant progress in the Premiership for someone at his level.
“He won his first-ever race at Perry Barr when he came with Belle Vue in July, and he seemed to enjoy riding our track.
“So all of that, mixed with the fact that he’s again riding for Workington in the Championship, and I think we’re going to get some real value out of Antti in 2025. I think it’s a fabulous way to complete our signings.”