Polish sensation Franciszek Szczyrba sent the home crowd wild as he held his nerve to lift the FIM Speedway Youth World Championship with victory in the Beckhoff FIM SGP3 Final – Wroclaw on Friday.
Despite a second spot in his opener, the Rybnik-trained racer powered to four straight victories at Wroclaw’s storied Olympic Stadium to claim the world’s under-16 250cc title on 14 points.
Former SGP4 champions Brady Landon from the USA and Danish racer Elias Jamil Jensen tied on 13 points with double SGP4 silver medallist Cooper Antone of Australia, forcing a run-off for the silver and bronze medals.
In an epic four-lap shoot-out, Landon followed up his 2024 SGP4 win by bagging SGP3 silver, while Jamil Jensen secured bronze, with Antone falling just short of the podium in a thrilling finale, raced in front of 3,100 fans – an unprecedented attendance for a youth speedway event.
Szczyrba insists he didn’t feel any jitters as he won a restarted heat 19 to secure the gold medal. He said: “I didn’t feel any pressure. I knew I needed to win this race to become SGP3 world champion, and I did it. I don’t feel it right now, but when I am home, I will be jumping with happiness.”
Szczyrba’s victory saw him add to the European 250cc Speedway Championship he won in 2025, and he would love to follow up his Wroclaw win by retaining the continental crown and claiming national success. He said: “Next this season, I hope to be Polish champion. Maybe I could win the European Championship for a second time this year. I’ll try and win every race and have fun.”
American star Landon was crowned 2024 SGP4 champion and followed that up with an action-packed display on his way to silver in Wroclaw as he signed off his SGP3 career.
He said: “This feels pretty awesome. I had a good day. There were a couple of rough races, but that run-off was a crazy race. I picked gate three and it was a little risky. I knew there was some dirt out there. When I made that start, I was pretty stoked. Elias almost came under me or around me a few times, so I was just trying to hold him off for the whole race.
“I didn’t bring home a win this year, but we’ll see what I can do next year. I don’t know what I will be doing, but SGP2 is next.”
After becoming the inaugural SGP4 champion in 2023, Jamil Jensen was pleased to add SGP3 bronze to his growing CV.
He said: “It was pretty good. I knew Brady was pretty fast in the run-off and also Cooper, so there was a lot of pressure for me.
“I thought Brady made a brilliant start and I was thinking I needed to get on the inside of him. That was impossible, so I tried the outside. That was also impossible, so I just had fun and made sure I got that third place.”
Jamil Jensen admits Denmark’s triple FIM Speedway world champion Erik Gundersen – a renowned 250cc youth coach – has played a huge role in his journey to the FIM Speedway podium once again.
He enthused: “Erik is a very big help. I talk with him nearly every day. He’s really good to talk to outside of the track. On the track, he’s a big help – giving us tips and helping the pressure go down. He’s just a good manager to have and I couldn’t think of anyone else who could help me that much.”
The racing continues on Saturday as the iconic Olympic Stadium hosts the DEWALT FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Wroclaw – the 300th SGP event since the series was famously launched in the city on May 20, 1995.
Full Beckhoff FIM SGP3 Final – Wroclaw results can be found HERE.
