Polish stars Wiktor Przyjemski and Maksymilian Pawelczak and Danish racer Mikkel Andersen won their SGP2 qualifiers as 12 of this year’s FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship riders were confirmed on Saturday.
Przyjemski, who won the 2024 SGP2 series, powered to victory with a 15-point maximum in his qualifier at Czech track Pardubice.
He was joined in progressing by Denmark’s William Drejer, Czech talent Adam Bubba Bednar and Australian racer Mitch McDiarmid, with all three riders finishing on 12 points. Drejer won a run-off for second place ahead of Bednar in second and McDiarmid in third.
There was one shock exit in Pardubice as reigning champion Nazar Parnitskyi missed out on 11 points alongside Sweden’s former SGP3 champion Rasmus Karlsson. They must now cross their fingers that they receive one of the three permanent wild cards for SGP2, awarded by the SGP2 Commission soon.
Elsewhere, Przyjemski’s Bydgoszcz teammate Pawelczak, SGP3 champion in 2024, topped the podium in the qualifier at former FIM Slovenian Speedway GP venue Krsko, winning a run-off with Denmark’s Villads Nagel in second and Britain’s SGP3 bronze medallist William Cairns in third after the trio tied on 14 points.
The final qualification spot in Krsko was claimed by former SGP3 silver medallist Beau Bailey from Australia, who scored 11. His qualification means all three of the podium finishers from the 2024 FIM SGP3 Final – Gorzow qualified from this event.
Local favourite Sven Cerjak just missed out on 10 points, while SON2 world champions Mario Hausl and Bartosz Banbor both fell short on eight.
In the other qualifier at Danish track Fjelsted, last year’s SGP2 bronze medallist Andersen defied his recent injury struggles to take victory, winning a run-off with Poland’s Kevin Malkiewicz after they tied on 14 points.
Poland’s Antoni Mencel returns to the SGP2 line-up after finishing third, while Denmark’s Nicolai Heiselberg is back in the FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship after taking fourth spot on 11.
German racer Janek Konzack, American star Slater Lightcap and Britain’s Luke Killeen all missed out on nine, with Australia’s Tate Zischke and Sweden’s Leo Klasson exiting on eight.
The series launches with the BST FIM SGP2 of Sweden – Malilla on Friday, July 10, with round two at Polish club Lodz on July 31 and the finale at legendary Danish venue Vojens on September 11.
SGP2 LINE-UP SO FAR: Wiktor Przyjemski (Poland), William Drejer (Denmark), Adam Bubba Bednar (Czech Republic), Mitch McDiarmid (Australia), Mikkel Andersen (Denmark), Kevin Malkiewicz (Poland), Antoni Mencel (Poland), Nicolai Heiselberg (Denmark), Maksymilian Pawelczak (Poland), Villads Nagel (Denmark), Will Cairns (Great Britain), Beau Bailey (Australia), plus three wild cards.
PARDUBICE RESULT: 1. Wiktor Przyjemski 15, 2. William Drejer 12+3, 3. Adam Bubba Bednar 12+2, 4. Mitch McDiarmid 12+1, 5. Rasmus Karlsson 11, 6. Nazar Parnitskyi 11, 7. Patrick Hyjek 9, 8. James Pearson 8, 9. Adam Nejezchleba 7, 10. Ace Pijper 6, 11. Tino Bouin 5, 12. Max Perry 5, 13. Mika Frehse 3, 14. Wilbur Hancock 2, 15. Alfons Wiltander 2, 16. Jan Hlacina 0.
FJELSTED RESULT: 1. Mikkel Andersen 14+3, 2. Kevin Malkiewicz 14+2, 3. Antoni Mencel 12, 4. Nicolai Heiselberg 11, 5. Janek Konzack 9, 6. Slater Lightcap 9, 7. Luke Killeen 9, 8. Tate Zischke 8, 9. Leo Klasson 8, 10. Erik Persson 7, 11. Luke Harrison 4, 12. Matys Sambarrey 4, 13. Otto Raak 3, 14. Damirs Filimonovs 3, 15. Tim Widera 2, 16. Nicolas Hohlbein 2, 17. Bastian Pedersen 1.
KRSKO RESULT: 1. Maksymilian Pawelczak 14+3, 2. Villads Nagel 14+2, 3. Will Cairns 14+1, 4. Beau Bailey 11, 5. Sven Cerjak 10, 6. Mario Hausl 8. 7. Bartosz Banbor 8, 8. Roman Kapustin 7, 9. Niklas Holm Jakobsen 7, 10. Gregor Zorko 7, 11. Zoltan Lovas 6, 12. Sammy van Dyck 5, 13. Makar Levishyn 3, 14. Jaroslav Vanicek 2, 15. Jan Jenicek 2, 16. Kevin Melato 1.