Speedway GP2 in Malilla: Wiktor Przyjemski beats three Danes in the final

With three race wins, Wiktor Przyjemski got off to a perfect start in the first SGP2 race at Malilla, and the 2024 U21 World Champion led the standings after three heats ahead of Will Cairns, Kevin Malkiewicz and Mikkel Andersen. However, Przyjemski and Cairns both suffered a slump from the fourth heat onwards, with Przyjemski managing to score just two more points and Cairns only one. For both Przyjemski and Cairns, the loss of points meant they had to contest the Last-Chance heats, whilst the Danes Mikkel Andersen and Villads Nagel secured direct qualification for the final with 13 points each.

In the first Last Chance heat, Kevin Malkiewicz initially took the lead, but William Drejer did not give up and managed to overtake him on the third lap, edging past the Pole by the narrowest of margins at the finish.

In the second semi-final, Przyjemski rediscovered his form, giving his pursuers no chance right from the start and thus securing the final place in the final. “The start of the event went brilliantly for me, as did the final. We did make a few mistakes in the middle section, but we managed to pull ourselves together again,” said the Pole, analysing his evening’s racing. “We didn’t change anything about our set-up from qualifying during the 20 heats. It stayed the same, and we only made a small adjustment for the last-chance race – that paid off. Before the final, we made further changes to the set-up; that move was the right one too.”

Die Top-3 von Malilla (v.l.): Andersen, Przyjemski und Nagel

Foto: jarek pabijan

Przyjemski got off to a brilliant start from the white grid position and was able to pull away from his three Danish rivals in the final, whilst at the back of the field William Drejer knocked Villads Nagel off his bike and was disqualified. “Of all three victories in Malilla, this one was the hardest to achieve. Before the final, I had no confidence in our set-up. I didn’t believe the risk we’d taken would pay off. But it did pay off, and I’m very happy about that,” said Przyjemski, who has now won an SGP2 race in Malilla for the third time in a row.

The second of three SGP2 events will take place as part of the Grand Prix in Łódź, Poland, on 30 July, with the showdown on 11 September in Vojens, Denmark.

Results: Speedway GP2, Malilla, Sweden: