Poland’s Wiktor Przyjemski wins 2024 FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship

Polish shooting star Wiktor Przyjemski was elated to overcome “a very stressful time” and hold his nerve to seal the FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship at the DeWalt FIM SGP2 of Poland – Torun on Friday.

Przyjemski finished second in the final event of the three-round series, claiming the SGP2 gold medal when he took victory in semi-final one – putting the title beyond the reach of Ukrainian rival Nazar Parnitskyi.

The fast-starting Parnitskyi joined Przyjemski in the final with victory in semi-final two as he secured the SGP2 silver medal, before Norwegian star Mathias Pollestad raced to an unforgettable victory in the DeWalt FIM SGP2 of Poland – Torun final, bagging the SGP2 bronze medal in the process.

The final was restarted twice after Sweden’s Philip Hellstrom-Bangs collided with Przyjemski and was disqualified in the first run of the race, before Parnitskyi picked up drive and fell in the second rerun, leaving him placed third on the night.

Przyjemski comfortably claimed the gold medal on 56 points, with Parnitskyi on 46 in second and Pollestad just three behind on 43 in third, edging out Denmark’s 16-year-old sensation Mikkel Andersen (39) in fourth spot and Hellstrom-Bangs (36) in fifth for the last place on the podium.

The night belonged to pre-event favourite Przyjemski, who won the opening round in Malilla, Sweden on June 14 and finished second to Parnitskyi at round two in Latvian capital Riga on September 6.

With Przyjemski coming into the round, needing a place in the final to be certain of the gold medal, he admits it was far from an easy night.

He said: “I am going to celebrate tonight – that’s for sure. For the last two weeks, it has been a very stressful time for me. I knew that I had a lead. An eight-point advantage is a good lead.

“But still, I had to advance to the final. I knew that I had to do it and that was very stressful for me, coming into this final round in Torun. But I am really happy I made it, and that’s all that matters.

“I am very excited because the gold medal I have around my neck right now is the most important thing.

“This season wasn’t easy for me. It was very difficult when we started in the winter – I got injured so I couldn’t prepare for the season as I wanted to. But I am the SGP2 world champion and that’s what is most important at the moment.”

Przyjemski also won his third FIM Speedway of Nations – SON2 gold medal with the Polish Under-21 team in Manchester, Great Britain on July 12 and has helped Polish champions Lublin reach the PGE Ekstraliga play-off final after making a huge move from his hometown team Bydgoszcz last winter. Now Przyjemski hopes to build on a stellar season in 2025.

He said: “This season has been very good for me. It was my first season in the Ekstraliga, and I feel like I am doing some good work for my club, scoring some crucial points for Lublin. I am in the PGE Ekstraliga final with my teammates right now.

“The gold medal in SGP2 is a big achievement. I think if I work really hard this winter, next season could be even better.”

Pollestad’s Torun triumph was the biggest individual success on the world stage by a Norwegian-born rider since Rune Holta won the 2010 FIM Scandinavian Speedway GP at Swedish track Malilla on his way to fourth place in that year’s FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship – while representing Poland.

Having brought the Norwegian flag well and truly back into the FIM Speedway spotlight, Pollestad was delighted to deliver a night to remember after semi-final exits in rounds one and two. He said: “I feel very good because I struggled a little bit in the first SGP2 meeting in Malilla. That wasn’t the best. In Riga, I didn’t have my own bike and raced on borrowed equipment.

“In this meeting, someone told me that if I got a good result in Torun, it was possible to take the bronze medal. I just had to do everything I could to make my fans at home proud. The last meeting I did here in the Under-24 Ekstraliga for Stal Gorzow was pretty good.

“I just didn’t talk too much. I focused on every heat and made good starts. I had to try to set up the bike for the starts and I had some good mechanics, who really put in the work and helped me a lot. I am very happy.”

Pollestad is by far Norwegian speedway’s brightest prospect and hopes to keep starring for his country on the world stage.

He said: “I hope that we can have a Norwegian rider who is on top. I will try my best in the winter to be better.”

Report by Speedway GP – Images by Jarek Pabijan