Swedish star Casper Henriksson admits standing alone in the FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship has helped his career progress as he prepares for the Virkvarn FIM SGP2 of Sweden – Malilla on Friday.
Henriksson flies the home flag in the opening round of the 2025 SGP2 series alongside wild card and Lejonen teammate Sammy van Dyck, as the pair take on the sport’s top under-21 stars – just 24 hours before the Virkvarn FIM Speedway GP of Sweden – Malilla also takes place at Skrotfrag Arena on Saturday night.
The 2024 SGP2 top four have all re-qualified for the championship as Poland’s reigning champion Wiktor Przyjemski defends his crown, while Ukrainian runner-up Nazar Parnitskyi, Norway’s third-placed Mathias Pollestad and Danish sensation Mikkel Andersen in fourth all bid to improve on last year’s results, along with their fellow returning star William Drejer of Denmark.
It’s Henriksson’s fourth and final campaign in the series as the 21-year-old is not eligible for the 2026 competition, so he is determined to make his mark in this year’s championship.
Henriksson races in Sweden’s top two leagues for Bauhaus Elitserien champions Lejonen and Swedish Allsvenskan side Ornarna in team competition, as well as representing Gniezno in Polish National League.
But the double Swedish Under-21 champion says the challenge of competing as an individual over the 23-heat Speedway GP format, complete with Qualifying sessions, in SGP2 has helped him to develop as a rider.
He said: “I have gained a bit more experience by riding in SGP2, and it’s more of a mentality thing, I feel. You develop more as a person than you do in a league meeting.
“In the league racing, you can maybe have a bad meeting and your team still wins. But in SGP2, you are all alone, so you are quite vulnerable if the meeting doesn’t go as well as you want it to.
“That’s why you need to be patient and take every heat like a new heat, and you can’t get fed up after the first one. It’s a lot about mentality.”
Henriksson is the only member of the 2025 SGP2 line-up to have competed in each of the last three series. He’s determined to capitalise on that experience as he bids to better the point he scored in Malilla last year.
He said: “I have been through all the series since we started with SGP2. I qualified in the first year in 2022, and I have been in ever since, so that’s quite nice. I have gained experience over the last three years. This is my last year, so I am going to take every opportunity I can get.
“I had a meeting in Sweden on Tuesday, and everyone was coming up and saying that they are going to come to Malilla and cheer for me. Lots of Swedish fans are going to come, so hopefully it goes well. Last season in Malilla was a disaster, but hopefully it will go better this year.”
Henriksson was 12th in the SGP2 standings last term and is keen to improve on that result, along with his best finish of fifth place overall a season earlier.
While he also opened that 2023 series by scoring a point at round one in Czech capital Prague, he followed it with two final appearances – taking fourth spot at the Polish event in Gorzow and second place at the final round on storied Danish track Vojens.
The past three SGP2 series have been won by Polish riders, but Henriksson hopes he can make the Swedish flag fly high in Malilla.
He said: “I know I can do it because two years ago, when we had the last round in Vojens, I was leading for three laps and (Damian) Ratajczak passed me on the last lap. If everything is working well, I can do it. Hopefully some nations other than Poland can do some winning.”
This year’s returning stars are joined in SGP2 by 2023 series members Norick Blodorn of Germany and Slovenia’s Anze Grmek.
The line-up is completed by Polish newcomers Kevin Malkiewicz, Jan Przanowski and Antoni Mencel, British duo Jake Mulford and Dan Thompson, Aussie racer Mitchell McDiarmid and Czech talent Adam Bubba Bednar.
With clubs all over the continent watching on, Henriksson knows Friday’s SGP2 in Malilla is a huge chance for every rider to put themselves in the shop window for the world’s top teams.
He said: “It’s a big opportunity for the future to get into the big leagues and ride with the big guys. Many team managers are watching this meeting, so you have to show yourself and how good you are.”
Tickets for Friday’s Virkvarn FIM SGP2 of Sweden – Malilla are still available online. Secure your spot at the Skrotfrag Arena HERE now. Tickets for Saturday’s Speedway GP can also be purchased 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 (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)
16. Sammy van Dyck (Sweden – wild card)
17. Rasmus Karlsson (Sweden – first track reserve)
18. Noel Wahlquist (Sweden – second track reserve)
WHERE TO WATCH
Coverage of the Virkvarn FIM SGP2 of Sweden – Malilla can be enjoyed via Max, HBO Max and discovery+ platforms in markets where these are available. Viewers in other countries around the world can find coverage on the Racer Network HERE.
Words by Speedway GP – Feature Image courtesy of Marcin Karczewski
