SGP3 World Championship
Polish sensation Maksymilian Pawelczak lifted the FIM junior speedway world championship for under-16 250cc stars thanks to some super-fast starts, leaving his rivals behind to win all five races at Edward Jancarz Stadium.
Even after winning his opening four heats, Bydgoszcz rider Pawelczak still had to deliver in the final race of the night when he took on Australian challenger Beau Bailey in round 20. But Pawelczak showed spirit steel to overtake the New South Wales star as the Pole progressed with the SGP3 silver medal he won at Sweden’s Malilla venue in 2023.
Bailey won the silver medal with 13 points, and Britain’s William Cairns won the bronze medal with 12 points.
All eyes are on Pawelczak as Poland’s best gold medal hope, especially after he won the Semi-Final by a maximum 15 points in Teterow, Germany last Saturday. But the teenager admits he thrives on the pressure of delivering Poland’s first FIM Junior Road World Championship since Gorzow rider Oskar Paluch topped the podium in 2021.
Maksymilian Pawelczak
“I like racing and I like to have some pressure on me. That’s what I love. Winning in my hometown is an amazing feeling. I’m speechless. We did everything we could in the pits and gave it 100%. I’m very happy about that. Last year I was second and this year I knew I had to win gold. I’ve always wanted to be world champion and I’ve made my dream come true. We worked very hard from the start and as you can see it worked out. I’m very happy about that. We tried to get the best setup possible and we did it.“
Pawelczak now has his sights set on climbing the SGP pyramid, with SGP2 – the FIM Speedway World Championship for under-21s – his next step as he graduates up to 500cc competition.
Runner-up Bailey was pleased to see a year of hard work pay off as he progressed to ninth place in the 2023 FIM SGP3 – Malilla final.
Beau Bailey
“IThis is a better result than last year – silver medal. Since the 2023 Final, I’ve been mainly practicing starting and trying to improve my setup for smoother tracks. But focusing on gating is the main thing. I still have a little more time before I get into 500cc racing, but we’ll see how next year goes. I can go back to SGP3. Let’s see.”
Bailey would be one of the leaders if he returned, but third-placed Cairns has now joined Pawelczak in the move to 500cc racing as he celebrates his 15th birthday on Saturday.
After a second place in the opening heat and a third place in the crucial heat 10, which pitted him against Pawelczak, Cairns was happy to fight for the bronze medal. He sealed it with a crucial win in his final race, the 17th lap, which saw him fall after an epic battle with Elias Jamil Jensen, with the Dane being disqualified and Cairns awarded three points.
William Cairns
“I cycled very well. The beginning didn’t work for me. I got T-boned in my last race, which is always exciting after starting from the back. In the first heat I didn’t have the speed so we dropped the sprocket and then I got better off the start and found the speed. That gives me more confidence and I just need to stay calm and try not to lose my temper. We continued our efforts and things went well.“
Cairns is set to sign for an undisclosed club in England’s WSRA National Development League – his first step into senior 500cc competition. His father, Paul, owns Leicester Lions – a Rowe Motor Oil Premiership club with a second team in the NDL. But Cairns said his next move will be revealed soon.
William Cairns
“I ride a 500cc bike at home and tomorrow I might be in the National League. That would be great fun. I can’t really say too much yet. I have a contract somewhere but I can’t say where at the moment. My dad has just bought Leicester so he’d definitely love to take me there. But I’ve had a lot of clubs ask me to ride and I’ve chosen the one that I feel is right for me.”
The second Australian in the final, Jordy Loftus (Loftus Racing Team), finished 13th in a big learning curve for the 15-year-old Queenslander.
World championship action continues in Gorzow on Saturday night with the Polish ISS FIM Speedway GP – Gorzow, as four-time Speedway GP world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik returns to the venue where he transformed from a raw rookie to a living legend of the speedway.
SGP3 Result 2024
