DeWalt FIM SGP2 of Latvia – Riga winner Nazar Parnitskyi hopes he’s the first of many Ukrainian stars to top the FIM Speedway podium after racing to an historic victory at Bikernieki on Friday.
Parnitskyi, 17, became the first Ukrainian winner of a major FIM Speedway event when he triumphed at round two of the FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship after an epic final showdown with Denmark’s 16-year-old sensation Mikkel Andersen.
Andersen – in his first season in 500cc competition – blazed around Parnitskyi going into the last lap of a wheel-to-wheel final, but the 2022 FIM Speedway Youth (SGP3) world champion crashed after picking up too much drive as he flew into bends one and two.
This allowed Parnitskyi to pounce for the win, with Poland’s Wiktor Przyjemski following him home in second place to claim an eight-point lead at the top of the SGP2 standings going into the final round of the series in Polish city Torun on September 27.
Przyjemski has 38 points in first place overall, with Parnitskyi now second on 30 heading to Torun. Whether or not he overhauls Przyjemski for an historic title triumph in three weeks, Parnitskyi is already elated to have celebrated the biggest Ukrainian victory on a speedway track – and he hopes it will inspire a new generation of riders from his country to follow him on to the world stage.
He said: “I am very happy and proud to represent my country. Hopefully in the future there will be more racers from Ukraine, and we can all represent our country.
“I think we had a really good and fair battle between me and Mikkel Andersen. I am happy we could have that fight, and it wasn’t only about the start. On the first corner, we changed position, and it was a very fun race.”
Asked about his title chances in Torun, Parnitskyi is keeping his feet firmly on the ground as he goes for gold.
He said: “What can I say? We will race the last round in Torun, and we will see what the future brings.”
If Przyjemski reaches the DeWalt FIM SGP2 of Poland – Torun final on September 27, the Lublin rider will become Poland’s latest FIM Speedway Under-21 world champion.
He hopes a partisan Polish crowd at the final round can see him take the title. He said: “Obviously we have a lot of Polish World Under-21 champions. I hope I will be the next one.
“We have the final round in Torun, and that’s not my favourite track. But I will go there, do my best and hopefully I can win the title.
“I had a lot of luck today. I couldn’t find the speed, although I made good starts and that’s what matters. I was able to put some vital points on to my standings.
“I am eight points ahead of my rivals, but I have to be focused. It is great for me that the final round will be staged in Poland. I think I will get some support from the Polish fans, and that’s really important for me. Hopefully I will make everybody happy.”
Third-placed Andersen topped the timing charts in Qualifying Practice for the second time in as many rounds. He scored seven points in his five heat races – just scraping into the semi-finals on countback.
But Andersen found fantastic pace when it mattered most and was elated to reach the SGP2 rostrum in his debut season.
He said: “I am pretty pleased to be on the podium. It’s definitely not what I expected at the start of the meeting. I had a really bad start.
“I had a bit of luck in my semi-final. There were only three riders after Sebastian Szostak was disqualified, but that’s speedway sometimes. I am just happy to be on the podium. I am happy with what I have done this year. I have improved a lot by riding with all the top boys.”
Results
Standings
Words by Speedway GP – Images by Jarek Pabijan
