Swedish star Casper Henriksson admits standing alone within the FIM Speedway Underneath-21 World Championship has helped his profession progress as he prepares for the Virkvarn FIM SGP2 of Sweden – Malilla on Friday.
Henriksson flies the house flag within the opening spherical of the 2025 SGP2 collection alongside wild card and Lejonen teammate Sammy van Dyck, because the pair tackle the game’s high under-21 stars – simply 24 hours earlier than the Virkvarn FIM Speedway GP of Sweden – Malilla additionally takes place at Skrotfrag Enviornment on Saturday night time.
The 2024 SGP2 high 4 have all re-qualified for the championship as Poland’s reigning champion Wiktor Przyjemski defends his crown, whereas Ukrainian runner-up Nazar Parnitskyi, Norway’s third-placed Mathias Pollestad and Danish sensation Mikkel Andersen in fourth all bid to enhance on final 12 months’s outcomes, together with their fellow returning star William Drejer of Denmark.
It’s Henriksson’s fourth and ultimate marketing campaign within the collection because the 21-year-old isn’t eligible for the 2026 competitors, so he’s decided to make his mark on this 12 months’s championship.
Henriksson races in Sweden’s high two leagues for Bauhaus Elitserien champions Lejonen and Swedish Allsvenskan facet Ornarna in crew competitors, in addition to representing Gniezno in Polish Nationwide League.
However the double Swedish Underneath-21 champion says the problem of competing as a person over the 23-heat Speedway GP format, full with Qualifying classes, in SGP2 has helped him to develop as a rider.
He mentioned: “I’ve gained a bit extra expertise by using in SGP2, and it’s extra of a mentality factor, I really feel. You develop extra as an individual than you do in a league assembly.
“Within the league racing, you’ll be able to possibly have a nasty assembly and your crew nonetheless wins. However in SGP2, you might be on their own, so you might be fairly susceptible if the assembly doesn’t go in addition to you need it to.
“That’s why it is advisable be affected person and take each warmth like a brand new warmth, and you may’t get fed up after the primary one. It’s rather a lot about mentality.”
Henriksson is the one member of the 2025 SGP2 line-up to have competed in every of the final three collection. He’s decided to capitalise on that have as he bids to raised the purpose he scored in Malilla final 12 months.
He mentioned: “I’ve been by way of all of the collection since we began with SGP2. I certified within the first 12 months in 2022, and I’ve been in ever since, in order that’s fairly good. I’ve gained expertise over the past three years. That is my final 12 months, so I’m going to take each alternative I can get.
“I had a gathering in Sweden on Tuesday, and everybody was developing and saying that they will come to Malilla and cheer for me. Plenty of Swedish followers are going to return, so hopefully it goes properly. Final season in Malilla was a catastrophe, however hopefully it would go higher this 12 months.”
Henriksson was twelfth within the SGP2 standings final time period and is eager to enhance on that consequence, alongside along with his finest end of fifth place total a season earlier.
Whereas he additionally opened that 2023 collection by scoring some extent at spherical one in Czech capital Prague, he adopted it with two ultimate appearances – taking fourth spot on the Polish occasion in Gorzow and second place on the ultimate spherical on storied Danish monitor Vojens.
The previous three SGP2 collection have been received by Polish riders, however Henriksson hopes he could make the Swedish flag fly excessive in Malilla.
He mentioned: “I do know I can do it as a result of two years in the past, after we had the final spherical in Vojens, I used to be main for 3 laps and (Damian) Ratajczak handed me on the final lap. If all the pieces is working properly, I can do it. Hopefully some nations apart from Poland can do some successful.”
This 12 months’s returning stars are joined in SGP2 by 2023 collection members Norick Blodorn of Germany and Slovenia’s Anze Grmek.
The road-up is accomplished by Polish newcomers Kevin Malkiewicz, Jan Przanowski and Antoni Mencel, British duo Jake Mulford and Dan Thompson, Aussie racer Mitchell McDiarmid and Czech expertise Adam Bubba Bednar.
With golf equipment all around the continent watching on, Henriksson is aware of Friday’s SGP2 in Malilla is a large probability for each rider to place themselves within the store window for the world’s high groups.
He mentioned: “It’s a giant alternative for the long run to get into the large leagues and experience with the large guys. Many crew managers are watching this assembly, so you need to present your self and the way good you might be.”
Tickets for Friday’s Virkvarn FIM SGP2 of Sweden – Malilla are nonetheless accessible on-line. Safe your spot on the Skrotfrag Enviornment HERE now. Tickets for Saturday’s Speedway GP can be bought HERE.
VIRKVARN FIM SGP2 OF SWEDEN – MALILLA LINE-UP IN FIM RANKING ORDER WITH RIDER NUMBERS:
999. Mathias Pollestad (Norway)
37. Norick Blodorn (Germany)
97. Mikkel Andersen (Denmark)
505. Wiktor Przyjemski (Poland)
785. Nazar Parnitskyi (Ukraine)
72. Jake Mulford (Nice Britain)
545. William Drejer (Denmark)
802. Kevin Malkiewicz (Poland)
310. Jan Przanowski (Poland)
226. Anze Grmek (Slovenia)
305. Antoni Mencel (Poland)
43. Casper Henriksson (Sweden)
27. Mitchell McDiarmid (Australia)
79. Adam Bubba Bednar (Czechia)
237. Dan Thompson (Nice Britain)
16. Sammy van Dyck (Sweden – wild card)
17. Rasmus Karlsson (Sweden – first monitor reserve)
18. Noel Wahlquist (Sweden – second monitor reserve)
WHERE TO WATCH
Protection of the Virkvarn FIM SGP2 of Sweden – Malilla will be loved by way of Max, HBO Max and discovery+ platforms in markets the place these can be found. Viewers in different international locations all over the world can discover protection on the Racer Community HERE.
Phrases by Speedway GP – Characteristic Picture courtesy of Marcin Karczewski
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