Polish team manager Rafal Dobrucki believes being busy will help 16-year-old sensation Maksymilian Pawelczak star on his FIM Speedway of Nations – SON2 debut at Torun’s Marian Rose Motoarena on Friday.
Last year’s SGP3 FIM Speedway Youth world champion Pawelczak only celebrated his 16th birthday on September 21, meaning he has been eligible for professional, 500cc competition for less than two weeks.
But Dobrucki has called the Bydgoszcz shooting star up to help reigning champions Poland chase a record-extending 18th FIM Team Speedway Under-21 World Championship – and a 12th on the bounce – as they take on Australia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Latvia and Sweden in an epic 28-heat battle for gold.
Pawelczak teams up with 2023 SGP2 FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship silver medallist Damian Ratajczak and No.3 Antoni Kawczynski – a 2022 SGP3 bronze medallist, who helped host club Torun win their first PGE Ekstraliga title since 2008 in Lublin last Sunday.
Dobrucki called up Pawelczak as a replacement for another Bydgoszcz-born star, 2024 SGP2 world champion Wiktor Przyjemski, who withdrew due to an ongoing ankle injury. While losing the Polish Under-21 champion comes a blow, Pawelczak has started his professional career in red-hot form.
He scored 10 paid 11 points on his Bydgoszcz debut in the Metalkas 2. Ekstraliga club’s promotion-relegation play-off against PGE Ekstraliga side Gorzow, beating 2025 Speedway GP duo Andzejs Lebedevs and Martin Vaculik in an incredible performance. With Pawelczak’s season still at full throttle, Dobrucki had no hesitation in throwing him into SON2 action.
He said: “We want to save Wiktor. He has still been participating in meetings – hard meetings like the Polish league finals and also SGP2 in Vojens. We don’t want to take the risk of giving him a place in the team. His health is most important.
“We changed for a young guy in Maksymilian, who needs experience for sure. But he is performing well, and he is still racing this season, so this is a good point. A lot of the other guys had meetings – but a few weeks ago. Maksymilian is young, but it will be a good experience for him.”
Competing for Poland in an SON2 event comes with pressure – especially after the country’s two decades of dominance in a competition that they have won every year since 2014. They have only failed to top the podium three times in 20 years.
But Dobrucki is backing his riders to carry this weight of expectation. He said: “Pressure is everywhere in sport – it’s normal. It’s just another Final. We have good young riders. We have some injuries this year as well, but at the moment, everything is okay.”
The Poles defend the SON2 world title they clinched in Manchester last summer, taking on 2024 silver medallists Sweden, who track SGP2 star Casper Henriksson alongside 2023 SGP3 world champion Rasmus Karlsson and No.3 Erik Persson.
Last year’s bronze medallists Australia are led into action by SGP2 rider Mitchell McDiarmid and Tate Zischke, with 2024 team member James Pearson captaining the side at No.3.
Great Britain’s challenge is led by SGP2 racer Dan Thompson, who joins forces with Scunthorpe star Luke Harrison and Oxford talent Luke Killeen at No.3.
The Danes bring a stellar side to Torun, featuring 2025 SGP2 bronze medallist Mikkel Andersen and in-form skipper Bastian Pedersen – nephew of triple Speedway GP world champion Nicki Pedersen. This year’s SGP2 first substitute Villads Nagel lines up at No.3 for team manager Hans Andersen.
The Germans name SGP2 star Norick Blodorn and 2025 Pardubice Golden Ribbon winner Mario Hausl in a promising pairing, which joins forces with history-making No.3 Hannah Grunwald. If called into action, the 2025 FIM Women’s Speedway Gold Trophy winner becomes the first female rider to compete in the FIM SON at senior or junior level.
The Czech side is spearheaded by Adam Bubba Bednar – a teenage sensation who won a crucial Final Qualifier against Ukraine as the senior side reached its first FIM Speedway of Nations Final since 2022 with third place at Semi-Final 2 on Wednesday. Bednar teams up with Jan Jenicek and No.3 Jaroslav Vanicek.
Latvia completes the line-up as 2024 starting pair Nikita Kaulins and Artjoms Juhno return. They link up with their Lokomotiv Daugavpils teammate Damirs Filimonovs, who starts at No.3.
Tickets for Friday’s SON2 event and Saturday’s FIM Speedway of Nations Final showdown, featuring hosts Poland, Australia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Great Britain, Latvia and Sweden, are still available online. Secure your spot at Torun’s Marian Rose Motoarena HERE now.
2025 FIM SPEEDWAY OF NATIONS – SON2 STARTING LINE-UPS:
TEAM A – POLAND: 1. Maksymilian Pawelczak, 2. Damian Ratajczak (captain), 3. Antoni Kawczynski. Team Manager: Rafal Dobrucki.
TEAM B – GREAT BRITAIN: 1. Dan Thompson (captain), 2. Luke Harrison, 3. Luke Killeen. Team Manager: Neil Vatcher.
TEAM C – AUSTRALIA: 1. Mitchell McDiarmid, 2. Tate Zischke, 3. James Pearson (captain). Team Manager: Mark Lemon.
TEAM D – GERMANY: 1. Norick Blodorn (captain), 2. Mario Hausl, 3. Hannah Grunwald. Team Managers: Sascha Dorner / Mathias Bartz.
TEAM E – DENMARK: 1. Bastian Pedersen (captain), 2. Mikkel Andersen, 3. Villads Nagel. Team Manager: Hans Andersen.
TEAM F – CZECH REPUBLIC: 1. Adam Bubba Bednar (captain), 2. Jan Jenicek, 3. Jaroslav Vanicek. Team Manager: Zdenek Schneiderwind.
TEAM G – SWEDEN: 1. Casper Henriksson (captain), 2. Rasmus Karlsson, 3. Erik Persson. Team Manager: Linus Sundstrom.
TEAM H – LATVIA: 1. Nikita Kaulins (captain), 2. Artjoms Juhno, 3. Damirs Filimonovs. Team Manager: Vladimirs Vagels.
Words by FIM Speedway – Feature Image by Jarek Pabijan
