The line-up for the 2025 FIM SGP2 series has been confirmed as Australia’s Mitchell McDiarmid, Czechia’s Adam Bubba Bednar and Great Britain’s Dan Thompson complete the field as permanent wild cards for the FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship series.
Fifteen riders from 10 different countries will compete across three rounds, which follow the Speedway GP format, starting with the Virkvarn Jord och Skog AB FIM SGP2 of Sweden – Malilla on July 4. The action then moves to the DeWalt FIM SGP2 of Latvia – Riga on August 1, with the champion crowned at the Deluxe Homeart FIM SGP2 of Denmark – Vojens on night one of FIM Speedway’s Weekend of Champions on September 12.
McDiarmid represents Australia in the series after narrowly missing out on qualification following a run-off at the SGP2 qualifier in Debrecen, Hungary last Saturday. He competes for Zielona Gora in Poland, as well as racing for the Oxford Cheetahs in Britain’s Cab Direct Championship.
Prague rider Bednar is Czechia’s next great hope on the world stage and has impressed with Gorzow in Poland, as well as finishing second in the 2023 Czech Championship, aged 16.
British talent Thompson was unable to compete in his SGP2 qualifier in Glasgow, Great Britain due to a broken scaphoid. But the 2024 SGP2 series substitute has starred with Ipswich in Britain’s Rowe Motor Oil Premiership, as well as Glasgow in the Cab Direct Championship.
The trio takes on the 12 riders who qualified for SGP2 by achieving top-four finishes at the three qualification rounds in Pardubice (Czechia) and Glasgow (Great Britain) on May 24 and Debrecen (Hungary) on June 7.
All of last season’s SGP2 top four are back to compete for FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship gold, as 2024 champion Wiktor Przyjemski of Poland, Ukrainian runner-up Nazar Parnitskyi, Norwegian bronze medallist Mathias Pollestad and Denmark’s fourth-placed Mikkel Andersen made it through the qualifiers.
Sweden’s Casper Henriksson competes in what will be his fourth consecutive and final SGP2 series, with Denmark’s William Drejer also a returning star from the 2024 field.
German racer Norick Blodorn is back in SGP2 after a year’s absence after winning the Debrecen qualifier with a 15-point maximum, while Slovenia’s Anze Grmek also makes his first appearance in the competition since 2023.
Poland will have three new representatives in the championship alongside returning Lublin racer Przyjemski as Grudziadz riders Kevin Malkiewicz and Jan Przanowski compete, alongside Leszno prospect Antoni Mencel.
Thompson is joined in flying the GB flag by Jake Mulford – a talented track-racing all-rounder, who won the 2024 Rowe Motor Oil Premiership with Manchester club Belle Vue. He also won the 2024 FIM Long Track Under-23 World Cup and is a multi-time British Grasstrack champion.
Should any of the 15 regular SGP2 stars be unable to compete in a round due to injury, illness or other reasons, 2024 SGP2 star Villads Nagel of Denmark is the first substitute in line to replace them. He is joined on the standby list by Sweden’s Sammy van Dyck, Australia’s Tate Zischke, Austria’s Sebastian Kossler and Latvia’s Nikita Kaulins.
FULL FIM SPEEDWAY UNDER-21 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (SGP2) 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 (Great 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 (Great Britain)
SUBSTITUTES
108. Villads Nagel (Denmark)
150. Sammy van Dyck (Sweden)
131. Tate Zischke (Australia)
609. Sebastian Kossler (Austria)
23. Nikita Kaulins (Latvia)
Words & Feature Image by SGP
