The fight to decide the 2025 FIM Speedway Under 21 World Champion (SGP2) gets under way this coming Saturday (24 May) when the first of this year’s three Qualifying rounds are staged at Pardubice in the Czech Republic and Glasgow in Great Britain.
- Qualifying begins for 2025 FIM Speedway Under 21 World Championship
- Racers from fourteen nations in action in Pardubice and Glasgow
- Poland’s Wiktor Przyjemski returns to defend his SGP2 crown
SGP2 is the final stepping stone for the world’s leading young riders who want to make the move into the FIM Speedway Grand Prix (SGP) elite and an integral part of global promoter Warner Bros. Discovery Sport’s mission to develop the next generation of Speedway stars.
The top four riders from each Qualifying round will progress to the three-round Final series where they will be joined by three wild cards selected by the FIM SGP Commission along with one local wild card and two track reserves chosen by the relevant National Federation.
Since 2021 the SGP2 series has been dominated by up-and-coming Polish stars and, after winning last season, Wiktor Przyjemski will begin the defence of his title in Pardubice where he will have to contend with seventeen other fiercely competitive riders all looking to dethrone him.
With thirteen nations from three continents represented in the Czech Republic, a truly international atmosphere is guaranteed and while at this early stage it is tough to identify contenders, going on last year’s form Przyjemski can expect a strong challenge from Norway’s Mathias Pollestad who claimed the 2024 championship bronze medal.
Denmark’s William Drejer made the cut last season and will be hoping for a repeat performance and there is a lot of interest in twenty-year-old US rider Alex Martin – the 2024 American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Speedway National Under 21 Champion – as well as two-time British Under 21 Speedway Champion Samuel Hagon. 2024 3P Logistics FIM SGP2 of Sweden - Malilla © Jesper Veldhuizen Also in action in Pardubice, nineteen-year-old James Pearson from Australia who helped his country to the bronze medal in last year’sFIM Speedway of Nations Under 21 (SON2) competition and is a proven competitor on an international stage, as is home rider Matous Kamenik who also represented his country in the 2024 SON2.
The Glasgow entry is headed by dynamic Dane Mikkel Andersen who finished fourth in last year’s Finals, but the 2022 FIM Speedway Youth World Champion (SGP3) faces a tough test in the Scottish city where riders from nine nations and three continents will line-up.
Britain’s Dan Thompson represented his country at the 2024 SON2 and will want to shine at his home Qualifying round while sixteen-year-old Australian Alex Adamson – who is racing in Denmark this season – is being tipped as a potential future star of the sport.
Tate Zischke is another talented Australian with the nineteen-year-old making waves in Britain where he is based and the Down Under contingent in Glasgow is completed by twenty-year-old Michael West who is also based in Europe.
Former AMA Speedway National Under 21 Champion Slater Lightcap and Timmy Dion will represent America in Glasgow, while other 2024 SON2 competitors include Villads Nagel from Denmark and Jan Jenicek from the Czech Republic.
All the action from Glasgow will be streamed LIVE on FIM-MOTO.TV with the broadcast starting at10:30am (local time). For more information click here.
The third and final 2025 SGP2 Qualifying round will be held at Debrecen in Hungary on 7 June before the three Finals are staged at Målilla in Sweden on 4 July, Riga in Latvia on 1 August and Vojens in Denmark on 12 September.
GLASGOW STARTING LIST HEREPARDUBICE STARTING LIST HERE
For more information click here.