HOLDER EYES SUPER SATURDAY IN TORUN AFTER FIM SON SEMI-FINAL 2 VICTORY
Australian ace Jack Holder insisted “we’ll save the best for Saturday” after leading the Roos through to the FIM Speedway of Nations Final with victory in Semi-Final Two in Torun, Poland on Wednesday evening.
The men from Down Under topped the score chart on 41 points, with Denmark also qualifying for the Final, finishing second on 37.
Czech Republic punched the seventh and last ticket for the Final by seeing off Ukraine 6-3 in an epic Final Qualifier to reach their first FIM SON Final since they finished fifth at the 2022 tournament in Vojens, Denmark.
They join host nation Poland and Semi-Final 1 top trio Sweden, Great Britain and Latvia in what’s set to be an epic battle to become 2025 FIM Speedway world team champions.
Victory in Semi-Final 2 belonged to a power-packed Aussie side, with skipper Jack Holder starring on 18 points, while world No.2 Brady Kurtz collected 14 and 2017 Speedway GP world champion Jason Doyle notched nine.
Holder was delighted to see all three riders play their part in the team’s victory and insists there’s more to come in the Final.
He said: “The plan was to use everyone and get everyone dialled in for the big one on Saturday. I’m happy to get through and get the win on the night. That was even better, but we’ll save the best for Saturday. If we all turn up on Saturday and do what we did on Wednesday, I can’t see why we won’t be standing on the top.”
Team manager Mark Lemon admits his side’s high-scoring heroics have given him the nicest of problems as he decides which riders will take to the track on Saturday night.
He said: “I have probably a bigger headache than I had before the start of the meeting, to be honest. Brady, Jack and Jason all rode tremendously. I think they oozed class, which was great to see. It’s a Semi-Final and we came here to qualify. The aim was to get to the Final, which we have done. We haven’t won a Semi-Final for a number of years now, so that’s kind of nice.
“The boys rode really well. They rode great as a collective. I think they learned lots as the track changed. They adapted really well, and this was a very good outcome for us.”
Danish champion Michael Jepsen Jensen topped his side’s scoring on 16 points, with fellow 2026 Speedway GP qualifier Leon Madsen registering 15 and skipper Mikkel Michelsen adding six points.
The Aussies took victory on the night after winning their head-to-head race with the Danes 7-2. But Madsen says his side learned lessons from the Semi-Final as they seek to top the podium on Saturday. He said: “It was a good night. We tested a lot of things. We had a good night together. We were working very well together as a team.
“Australia beat us in our race with them, so now we know what to do differently on Saturday. I don’t mind them beating us now if we beat them on Saturday.
“There are a lot of good teams in the Final on Saturday. It’s going to be a very close race. I think it will be a good race. The margin between winning and coming last will be very small. To win, we will need all riders in the team to perform at their best. That’s what we are going to try to do. It’s going to be a close and great battle on Saturday.”
Danish boss Nicki Pedersen saw his side win 2024 FIM SON Semi-Final Two, only to finish sixth in the Final. He is determined to learn from that disappointment as the team bids for its first FIM SON world title and the country’s first world team crown since 2014.
He said: “I think we learned a lot, even last year in Manchester. We were really strong in the Semi-Final. We were so happy we beat the Australians then, but we forgot there was also a Final that we needed to do well in. We plan to do it a little bit differently this year.
“We mixed it a little bit more with the riders this year. We said we would gamble a little bit with different setups and try a few riders here and there. We knew Australia would be strong and the battle was always going to be between Denmark and Australia.
“It will be a completely different format on Saturday with different riders. We just wanted to get through here. Saturday is the next step, and everyone has to put 10 percent more into it. We have a few days off now and we look forward to Saturday.”
Czech skipper Jan Kvech led his side’s scoring on 16 points, with teenage sensation Adam Bubba Bednar adding eight, as well as collecting a cool and composed victory ahead of Ukraine’s Nazar Parnitskyi in the Final Qualifier, while Kvech claimed the all-important third place ahead of Marko Levishyn for a 6-3 win.
Kvech insists there is no pressure on his side ahead of Saturday’s Final on his Polish home track in Torun. He said: “We qualified for the Final and that was important for us. I’m very happy with the team performance. Bubba Bednar is a young Czech talent, and he did a very good job.
“We made mistakes in some heats, so we had to choose start positions second for the Final Qualifier, which was a little bit worse for the Czech team. But now we can focus on the Final. We don’t have any pressure, which is sometimes good. We just want to enjoy the Final. We can enjoy the meeting and make a good result hopefully.”
Delighted team manager Zdenek Schneiderwind added: “I’m very, very happy. We have a young team and for us, reaching the Final is a big success.
“The Final will be a new day, and we will see what happens.”
The starting line-ups for the FIM Speedway of Nations Final will be announced very soon.
Following the completion of the FIM SON Semi-Finals, the participating nations are now confirmed for the 2026 FIM Speedway World Cup.
Host nation Poland is guaranteed a place in the Final, along with the winner of this year’s FIM Speedway of Nations – or the runners-up if Poland tops the podium.
The Semi-Finals will take place in Germany and Latvia, with these countries seeded into the rounds as host nation. Final qualification guarantees that Australia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Great Britain and Sweden will at least earn a place in the 2026 FIM Speedway World Cup Semi-Finals. They are joined by Ukraine and Norway – two countries taking part in the SWC for the very first time.
After Thursday’s rest day in Torun, the 2025 FIM Speedway of Nations continues on Friday with SON2 – the FIM Team Speedway Under-21 World Championship, as hosts Poland chase an 18th gold medal against Australia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Latvia and Sweden.
The FIM SON then climaxes with Saturday’s senior Final as Poland bids for a first SON gold medal against Australia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Great Britain, Latvia and Sweden.
Tickets for Friday and Saturday’s title deciders are still available online. Secure your spot in Torun HERE now.
2025 FIM SPEEDWAY OF NATIONS SEMI-FINAL 2 SCORES:
1. AUSTRALIA 41: 1. Brady Kurtz 14, 2. Jack Holder 18, 3. Jason Doyle 9.
2. DENMARK 37: 1. Leon Madsen 15, 2. Michael Jepsen Jensen 16, 3. Mikkel Michelsen 6.
*3. CZECH REPUBLIC 27: 1. Vaclav Milik 3, 2. Jan Kvech 16, 3. Adam Bubba Bednar 8.
*4. UKRAINE 32: 1. Nazar Parnitskyi 21, 2. Marko Levishyn 11, 3. Roman Kapustin DNR.
5. FRANCE 22: 1. Dimitri Berge 16, 2. David Bellego 6, 3. Mathias Tresarrieu 0.
6. FINLAND 18: 1. Jesse Mustonen 3, 2. Antti Vuolas 15, 3. Tero Aarnio 0.
7. ARGENTINA 12: 1. Fernando Garcia 2, 2. Cristian Zubillaga 8, 3. Facundo Albin 2.
- After Final Qualifier
