Speedway GP newcomer Nazar Parnitskyi hopes more Ukrainian talents can join him on the world stage as he leads his country in its first-ever FIM Speedway World Cup Semi-Final in Landshut on Friday evening.
Ukraine takes on hosts Germany, Great Britain and Czech Republic with the winner lining up in the BOLL FIM SWC Final – Warsaw on August 29.
The 2025 SGP2 world champion represents his country twice this weekend, also making his FIM Speedway Grand Prix debut in the WWK Schwaiger & Partner FIM Speedway GP of Germany – Landshut on Saturday.
Parnitskyi’s promotion into Speedway GP following triple world champion Tai Woffinden’s withdrawal due to injury is a huge moment for his country as he becomes their first-ever full-time SGP rider.
With Ukraine battling against Russia’s invasion at home, staging racing in his homeland is impossible and practice sessions are also rare.
Parnitskyi is pleased that his country can be represented on the SWC stage for the first time, and he hopes a time will come when the next generation of Ukrainian stars can follow him into the big time.
He said: “I feel so good that Ukraine is trying to join the best teams in the world. I am aware of Ukraine’s position right now, but I hope that in the future, there will be more talented riders from Ukraine. I am convinced that there are many young, talented riders back home. One day, hopefully the war will be over and that will create an equal chance for those riders to develop their skills.
“Because of the war, and because of the danger of a bomb falling, it’s very hard to even organise training sessions. It’s impossible to organise a tournament. It’s oh so hard to leave the country for those young people and go to Poland or other nations, even to train. That’s a real problem, making it almost impossible to practise speedway in Ukraine.”
Parnitskyi is proud to give Ukrainian fans some racing to enjoy – even if getting to speedway meetings is currently a struggle. He said: “I am proud of being that Ukrainian rider, who also brings the attention of fans from Ukraine, who keep their fingers crossed for me. I feel the mission I have. Due to modern technology, they can use the internet and watch the racing in Ukraine and all over the world just like that.”
Parnitskyi’s fans follow him on track in some of the most unusual places, with soldiers even tuning into his 2025 SGP2 events on the frontline. “I can confirm I have seen pictures of somebody watching me, taken in the trenches,” he said. “They were keeping their fingers crossed for me – the message was, ‘You fight, we fight!’”
Despite his desire to fight for his country on the track, Parnitskyi is keeping his feet on the ground and setting achievable goals ahead of his SGP debut season. He said: “I treat Speedway GP with no pressure. My expectation is to do my best.
"I would be glad if I could be in the top three in one of the rounds. The key thing for me is to develop myself step by step, year by year. I want to be a better and better rider.
“I feel so good. I feel excited about it. I was invited into the Speedway GP series, but we have had a shortage of time to get ready, to be honest. We have done our best to prepare as much as we can, and in the best way. We have everything under control.
"I don’t put any pressure on myself. I have already had heat races with these riders, and I feel I can do this. I treat Speedway GP like a step in my career in order to develop myself.”
Despite his elevation into Speedway GP, Parnitskyi is ready to do double duty on the FIM Speedway weekends in Malilla, Lodz and Vojens as he seeks SGP2 qualification to defend his FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship.
He said: “For me, it was really good to win SGP2. It has given me the self-confidence, and I can count three Speedway GP rounds when I will ride just after SGP2. That gives me more information about the track and probably a better chance to find the right setups.”