2024 FIM Speedway Youth World Cup – SGP4
American young gun Brady Landon took the win at the second-ever FIM Speedway Youth World Cup (SGP4) with a 15-point maximum at Swedish venue Målilla on Saturday.
The SGP4 project made its debut last year as part of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports’ vision to train a new generation of champions, with six-time world champion Tony Rickardsson designing a 190cc bike to train the sport’s newest riders, aged between 11 and 13. Riders from nine different countries and four different continents headed to the iconic Målilla racetrack in the Swedish forests, battling it out over a hard-fought 20 heats on the Skrotfrag Arena’s training track.
Landon, 13, went unbeaten over five races to take gold. Australia’s Cooper Antone finished in second with 13 points and Denmark’s Niklas Bager took third with 10 points, repeating their podium positions from the SGP4 event in 2023.
Landon was delighted to take home the title in his first-ever SGP4 championship after making the long trip over to Sweden from California.
Brady Landon
“I’m feeling super stoked with everything. My coach Gino Manzares helped me so much – it wouldn’t have been possible without him. It was a lot of fun and I love this track and the competition. I hope to carry on with speedway as far as it takes me. Maybe I can be world champion one day.”
Runner-up Antone from Albury-Wodonga, located on the New South Wales-Victoria border, loved the experience at his second SGP4. Antone was also second in 2023.
Cooper Antone
“I’m feeling pretty stoked. I was happy to ride here again. I was hoping to win it this time around, but I wasn’t able to. Brady was just better today. He won every race he could. Niklas was riding really well as well. So, I can’t blame anything.”
Third-placed Bager said: “I fought very hard. The other guys were very good. I did what I could to win. It wasn’t good enough to be first today. But I’m feeling happy with my result. It was a good track, the event was very well organised, and the motorbikes are very well prepared. It was good fun!”
The event culminated in a close battle for the medals, with Australia’s Sonny Spurgin, Swedish stars Adrian Axelsson and Fabian Magnusson, and Ukrainian racer Arsen Mykulchyn all finishing on nine points, falling just short of the podium.
There was also a memorable moment for Czech charger Stepanka Nyklova as SGP4’s first female racer collected a heat victory on her way to a fantastic five points.
Swedish legend Tony Rickardsson
“What an absolutely fantastic show you guys put on. I couldn’t believe the excitement on the racetrack. I think my heart stopped about four times each race! I just couldn’t believe how well everything was running, the organisation all-round has been fantastic. Being here is awesome. The racing the guys put on today was just second to none. I think this was one of the best Grand Prix meetings I’ve ever seen, even compared to Speedway GP, so thanks guys, you did a fantastic job!
“I think we need to give the parents a big applause for putting in the effort too. I know it’s not a cheap thing to fly halfway across the world to let the kids compete here, but it really made our day to have these guys over here. So, thanks to everyone, all of the sponsors and the parents, who are mechanics and managers at the same time.
“We’ve proved that the SGP4 concept works in real life. It’s really important for us to grow the sport and make it more available for more families. This is a program to reach all the way down to grassroots level and reach riders and families from new countries and new areas.”
SGP4 2024 Results
- Brady Landon (USA) 15 pts
- Cooper Antone (Australia) 13 pts
- Niklas Bager (Denmark) 10 pts
- Sonny Spurgin (Australia) 9 pts
- Adrian Axelsson (Sweden) 9 pts
- Fabian Magnusson (Sweden) 9 pts
- Arsen Mykulchyn (Ukraine) 9 pts
- Tino Stjernegaard Olsen (Denmark) 8 pts
- Andzejs Smulkevics (Latvia) 8 pts
- Augusto Camoriano (Argentina) 7 pts
- Kensei Matsudaira (USA) 7 pts
- Stepanka Nyklova (Czech Republic) 5 pts
- Texas Johansson (Sweden) 5 pts
- Erik Barth (Germany) 3 pts
- Harald Fohlin (Sweden) 2 pts
- Eddie Ljung (Sweden) 2 pts
1. Brady Landon (USA) 15 pts
2. Cooper Antone (Australia) 13 pts
3. Niklas Bager (Denmark) 10 pts
