Latvian shooting star Francis Gusts is determined to make more FIM Speedway history in his home city as he lines up in the DeWalt FIM SGP2 of Latvia – Riga on Friday evening.
Gusts joins wild card Nikita Kaulins in flying the home flag in round two of the FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship (SGP2) at Bikernieki – Latvia’s leading motorsport venue on the outskirts of its stunning capital Riga.
The opening round at Swedish venue Malilla on June 14 saw Polish riders pack the podium as Wiktor Przyjemski took the win ahead of runner-up Bartosz Banbor and third-placed Sebastian Szostak. Gusts collected seven points at the Skrotfrag Arena, but he’s determined to improve on that tally when he lines up on the Riga track where his speedway career began.
History was made by Latvia’s under-21 team in 2023, when Gusts led them to the country’s first FIM Speedway team medal as they picked up FIM Speedway of Nations – SON2 bronze.
The 21-year-old is in his final year as an SGP2 rider and is yet to win a round. He would love to follow up last season’s SON2 success by ensuring the Latvian national anthem is played loud and proud at Bikernieki on Friday.
He said: “Last year’s SON2 event was a pretty good meeting for me, and I would like to do the same in SGP2.
“Of course, it would be great to win here. Everyone wants to win. I do not have a long time left in SGP2 – this is my last year. It’s my last chance.
“It’s always fun to ride in Riga because it’s my home track. I started my speedway career here. Of course, the Latvian fans are the best, so it will be very good to compete here.”
Gusts hopes his experience on a technical Bikernieki track will give him the edge over his international rivals.
He added: “I think I have an advantage because I have done some laps here. I really feel confident for Friday. We will see how my form, the track and the starts will be. But I feel pretty confident about it.”
The next step for Gusts is to chase a spot in the FIM Speedway Grand Prix series in the coming years. While he accepts that he isn’t currently ready to race in the senior World Championship, he hopes he can follow 2024 Speedway GP star Andzejs Lebedevs in flying the Latvian flag on the sport’s biggest stage.
He said: “This will be a too big a step for me now. I want to make small steps, but if the time comes, it would be nice. I am watching the guys on TV and of course I would love to try Speedway GP.”
Gusts will be among the track reserves for Saturday’s OlyBet FIM Speedway GP of Latvia – Riga at what’s set to be a packed stadium. With two days of epic FIM Speedway action in store, Gusts hopes fans will have a great time in Latvia – at Bikernieki and beyond.
He said: “I hope a lot of fans will come to Latvia because Riga is a wonderful city. It’s very beautiful, especially the old town. The rest of Latvia is great – there is lots of nature.
“I hope a lot of tourists will come here and see Latvia has the potential to grow speedway. I hope speedway in Riga grow after these races and new riders will come. Then maybe there will be a very strong national team in the coming years.”
Tickets for the DeWalt FIM SGP2 of Latvia – Riga on Friday and Saturday’s OlyBet FIM Speedway GP of Latvia – Riga are still available online.
Secure your spot at Bikernieki and book HERE now.
DeWALT FIM SGP2 OF LATVIA – RIGA STARTING LINE-UP (in FIM ranking order with rider numbers):
785. Nazar Parnitskyi (Ukraine)
355. Sebastian Szostak (Poland)
43. Casper Henriksson (Sweden)
388. Bastian Pedersen (Denmark)
505. Wiktor Przyjemski (Poland)
117. Jesper Knudsen (Denmark)
110. Jakub Krawczyk (Poland)
545. William Drejer (Denmark)
999. Mathias Pollestad (Norway)
144. Francis Gusts (Latvia)
22. Leon Flint (Great Britain)
243. Philip Hellström-Bängs (Sweden)
137. Bartosz Bańbor (Poland)
108. Villads Nagel (Denmark)
97. Mikkel Andersen (Denmark)
16. Nikita Kaulins (Latvia – wild card)
17. Damirs Filimonovs (Latvia – first track reserve)
18. Artjoms Juhno (Latvia – second track reserve)
Words by Speedway GP – Feature Image by Jarek Pabijan
