FIM SPEEDWAY: SUNDSTROM, SON DOOR STILL OPEN FOR LINDGREN

Swedish team manager Linus Sundstrom revealed he hasn’t given up on tempting world number three Fredrik Lindgren to compete in the FIM Speedway of Nations in Torun.

Lindgren announced that he wouldn’t be continuing his season into SON week, with the Swedes taking on Great Britain, Germany, Latvia, Italy, Slovenia and Norway in Semi-Final 1 on September 30.

There’s no doubt the 2022 and 2024 SON bronze medallists’ chances of reaching the Final would be increased with Lindgren in the side, and Sundstrom is still keeping the door open for the nation’s speedway hero – should he change his mind and wish to race.

He said: “Freddie announced during the winter that he would step down from the Swedish national team. But when we are getting closer, I will definitely give him a ring and ask if he is still standing by his decision. The worst thing we can get is a no.”

Should Lindgren decline the offer, the likes of former Speedway GP stars Kim Nilsson and Oliver Berntzon, double Swedish champion Jacob Thorssell and former Finnish international Timo Lahti, who now represents Sweden, could be among the contenders to start.

Sundstrom is also urging the nation’s next generation to step up. He said: “It’s time to give a chance and it’s time for the riders to grab the chances they are given as well. We have a younger generation coming through – we saw Sammy van Dyck and Casper Henriksson in SGP2 recently.

“We have Philip Hellstrom-Bangs, who rode in SGP2 last year. He is a racer and signed for Czestochowa in the winter. He hasn’t had much track time, but he is back in the team now.

“The guys behind Freddie must work really hard to get closer to him. He has been the best Swedish rider by far for many years, without any question.”

Sundstrom hopes Lindgren will continue to inspire his compatriots on the track for some time, even with his 40th birthday approaching in September.

Lindgren is showing no sign of being ready to retire. But Sundstrom said: “Sooner or later, it is going to happen, and it’s a tough one. I hope he keeps going for a few more years and continues being that important idol for the guys behind him.”

Sundstrom coaches Sweden’s top riders from senior to youth level, and also runs the Swedish Speedway Academy – a fantastic project aiming to inspire more young riders to the sport’s highest level. He admits the SON taking place later in the season has had its plus points in his first year in the job. He said: “I am starting to feel a little warmer in my role. It’s my first year and we are halfway through the 2025 season. Team-wise, the SON is the biggest event of the year by far. 

“I am pretty pleased it’s at the end of the season. It allows me to get more used to the job and all the different meetings I have to go to.”