2023 FIM Speedway GP of Sweden – Malilla
Great Britain’s Dan Bewley surprised at Sweden’s Holmgrens Bil FIM Speedway GP event – Malilla this weekend, defying injury to fight back to winning form. It was not a memorable event for the Australian, with Max Fricke in sixth, Jack Holder seventh and Jason Doyle 16th…
The Cumbrian racer claimed his third Speedway GP win in less than a year after brilliantly overtaking Martin Vaculik at the end of the third round to take the final win over the Slovak star in second, with Patryk Dudek of Poland finished third.
Swedish hero Fredrik Lindgren rose to the top of the heat table, but the world No 4 was knocked out of the final after colliding with race leader Vaculik, bringing the race to a halt.
Bewley took full advantage in the rerun and his victory came just days after he suffered a major fall while racing for English club Belle Vue in a Sports Insure Premiership match at Wolverhampton in Monday.
The world No 6 admits the effects of that fall have hampered him in his league matches at the Swedish circuit Gislaved on Tuesday and the British venue Ipswich on Thursday, so he very exhilarating to feel so much better when that matters most in Malilla.
And he admitted he enjoyed the shock win for him, adding to his Cardiff and Wroclaw wins from August 2022.
Dan Bewley
“This week I did not expect this result at all. It’s been a tough week, but we’ve kept working and here we are. We were trapped. This is actually a bit different from the GPs I won last year. I didn’t start in the final. I had to work for it. The whole week has been hard work, and sometimes it’s a little different when you have to work harder. I withdrew from the meeting on Tuesday. I think I would be better on Wednesday to go on Thursday at Ipswich. But it was probably the worst meeting I’ve had in a while. I don’t know what’s going to happen when we get here, but we just thought I’d have a few days off, and that was good. I’m glad I was safe and didn’t clean anyone up! Luckily, I’m still on the two-wheeler and I’m actually feeling pretty good now. It was a good turning point.”
The win moves Bewley up to fifth place in the Speedway GP standings with 69 points – level with Vaculik in fourth but ranked lower due to the Slovak rider’s extra final appearances.
The British tennis player is 33 points behind the leader of the series Bartosz Zmarzlik. The Pole excelled in the semi-finals with 12 points, but still 20 points ahead of nearest rival Lindgren in second place.
Bewley’s win is a huge boost for the Belle Vue star as the UK’s FIM Speedway GP – Cardiff are fast approaching on September 2. He can’t wait to get back to the Principality Stadium – where he won his first Speedway GP.
The Speedway GP series pauses pending the return of the Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup in the Polish city of Wroclaw from July 25 to 29, featuring the defending champions Poland, FIM Speedway of Nations 2022 world champions Australia, England, Sweden, Denmark, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany and the French tournament debutant team.
Sweden’s FIM Speedway GP 2023 results
Ranking after 2023 SGP of Sweden
