2023 FIM Speedway GP of Sweden – Malilla
Great Britain’s Dan Bewley surprised at the Holmgrens Bil FIM Speedway GP of Sweden – Malilla event this weekend, defying injury to fight back to winning form. It wasn’t quite as memorable event for the Aussies, with Max Fricke finishing sixth, Jack Holder seventh and Jason Doyle 16th…
The Cumbrian snatched his third Speedway GP win in less than a year after slipping superbly past Martin Vaculik at the end of lap three to win the final ahead of the second-placed Slovak star, with Poland’s Patryk Dudek third.
Swedish hero Fredrik Lindgren stormed to the top of the heat score chart, but the world No.4 was disqualified from the final after colliding with race leader Vaculik, bringing the race to stop.
Bewley took full advantage in the re-run and his victory comes just days after he suffered a heavy fall of his own while racing for British club Belle Vue in a Sports Insure Premiership match at Wolverhampton on Monday.
The world No.6 admits the effects of that fall hampered him in league matches at Swedish track Gislaved on Tuesday and British venue Ipswich on Thursday, so he was elated to feel far better when it mattered most in Malilla.
And he admits he enjoyed what was a shock victory 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 has been such a tough week, but we kept working and here we are. We got stuck in. This actually feels a little bit different to the GPs I won last year. I didn’t make the start in the final. I had to work for it. It has been hard work all week, and sometimes it’s a little different when you have to work harder. I pulled out of the meeting on Tuesday. I thought I was better on Wednesday to ride on Thursday at Ipswich. But that was probably the worst meeting I have had for a while. I didn’t know what to expect coming here, but we just thought I’d have a few days off, and it was good. I am just happy I was safe and didn’t clean anyone up! Luckily, I stayed on two wheels, and I actually feel pretty good now. It has been a good turnaround.”
Victory sees Bewley surge up to fifth place in the Speedway GP standings on 69 points – level with Vaculik in fourth but placed lower due to the Slovak’s additional final appearances.
The Brit is 33 points behind series leader Bartosz Zmarzlik. The Pole exited at the semi-final stage with 12 points, but still holds a 20-point advantage of nearest rival Lindgren in second place.
Bewley’s victory comes as a huge boost to the Belle Vue star with the FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Cardiff rapidly approaching on September 2. He can’t wait to return to the Principality Stadium – scene of his first-ever Speedway GP win.
The Speedway GP series takes a pause for the return of the Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup in the Polish city Wroclaw from July 25-29, featuring reigning champions Poland, 2022 FIM Speedway of Nations world champions Australia, Great Britain, Sweden, Denmark, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany and tournament debutants France.
2023 FIM Speedway GP of Sweden Results
Standings following 2023 SGP of Sweden
