New Danish champion Michael Jepsen Jensen admits he brought one of his most storied engines out of semi-retirement to punch his ticket into the 2025 Deluxe Homeart FIM Speedway GP of Denmark – Vojens on September 13.
MJJ won the Danish Championship Final in Brovst on Wednesday night to claim his first national title – as well as the wild card for Denmark’s biggest speedway event.
The legendary Vojens Speedway Center celebrates 50 years of racing by staging a Weekend of Champions on September 12 and 13, where this year’s Speedway GP series, SGP2 (the FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship) and the FIM SGP4 World Championship will all reach their climaxes.
Jepsen Jensen famously topped the 2012 FIM Nordic Speedway GP podium at Vojens, passing Danish legend and three-time Speedway GP world champion Nicki Pedersen on the last lap of the final to take a dramatic victory.
Incredibly, the same engine Jepsen Jensen raced to that win at Vojens powered him to his first Danish Championship. And he may even bring it to his first Speedway GP appearance since 2018 as he prepares to take on the best riders in the world once again.
He said: “That would be a cool story – to win in Vojens again 13 years later on the same engine. That would be quite fun.
“I barely use that engine anymore. I got it fixed by Johnsy (tuner Peter Johns) last winter because I hadn’t touched it for 10 years. Last year, I used it a couple of times. This year, I have used it twice and again on Wednesday night. I barely use it – normally it’s hanging on the wall, but it’s still doing well, which is quite fun.
“I think some of the new ones are a little bit better, but something in me told me I should ride it on Wednesday and it did great.”
Jepsen Jensen raced to FIM Speedway World Cup gold with Denmark in 2012, as well as the FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship alongside his Vojens victory during that unforgettable season.
Despite that flying start to his career and then appearing full time in the 2015 Speedway GP series, finishing 11th, MJJ has largely spent the last decade in the SGP wilderness.
But his Danish title win came as no surprise after an astonishing resurgence in his career over the past 12 months. He was signed by Polish PGE Ekstraliga club Grudziadz to replace the injured Jason Doyle for the second half of the 2024 season and roared into red-hot form.
Asked if had any doubts that he could return to his former glory, he said: “Of course – there have been plenty. But there is no secret to what’s happening. I have been putting a lot of work in along with the people behind me, especially my wife. They have been making these things possible and it’s something we have done over many years.
“Last year before the Grudziadz deal, we put everything into it, and I trusted my equipment and myself. Of course, the opportunity I got there helped me to show what I am capable of doing. If I had done the same, but maybe in Poland’s second league, it wouldn’t have been as impressive. We have been fighting hard to get back into this position, and it’s super cool to be there.”
Jepsen Jensen may yet arrive in Vojens as a full-time Speedway GP rider for 2026 as he will contest the FIM SGP Challenge at Danish club Holsted on August 9, where the top four riders will earn guaranteed places in next year’s SGP series.
He is also a member of the Speedway European Championship line-up for this year, with the champion guaranteed a spot in Speedway GP for 2026. The SEC series concludes on September 19 – six days after the Deluxe Homeart FIM Danish Speedway GP.
If MJJ fights his way back into the Speedway GP line-up, he is determined to use his wild-card appearance in Vojens to prepare for 2026.
He said: “We will have the FIM SGP Challenge beforehand, where I will have the chance of qualifying for Speedway GP next year. If that’s possible, then this meeting in Vojens is going to be a little more important for me – for my build-up for next year.
“We will see what happens in the next few months. I am doing my best to prepare for what’s to come. If the opportunity to come back happens, I will try to be ready for it.
“There are still a few things we are trying to organise and sort out if we’re going to do it because I only want to get back if I feel I can do it properly. It looks like that will be possible and, as things are adding up, I am super hungry and I will be ready for what’s to come.”
Jepsen Jensen would love to repeat his 2012 Vojens victory as a wild card – a win he feared wasn’t going to happen after 20 heats.
He recalled: “I think on the TV graphics, I was out. But after the final calculations, I actually made it into the semi-finals.
“I remember only one start was won from gate two throughout the whole meeting. It was very bad, and I had it four times. I had it twice in the main 20 heats and then again in the semi-final and final.
“I made it happen from gate two, and it was amazing. It was an awesome night – one of the first meetings ever where I could feel the atmosphere from the spectators. The backing in Vojens has been incredible many times. I hope it will be the same once again this year.”
Tickets for Vojens’ FIM Speedway Weekend of Champions on September 12 and 13 are still available online. Witness the crowning of the 2025 Speedway GP, SGP2 and SGP4 champions – book HERE now.
Words by Speedway GP – Images courtesy of Jarek Pabijan
