THJ SEEKS STOCKHOLM SPUR FOR 2015

New Swedish champion Tomas H Jonasson hopes to use his Tegera® Scandinavian FIM Speedway Grand Prix wild card ride at Stockholm’s Friends Arena on September 27 as a launch pad for a full SGP season.

THJ has been handed the famous No.16 for the sixth time in his career, having made three wild card appearances in Malilla and two in Gothenburg, where he finished fourth in 2012.

Jonasson could arrive in Stockholm for the penultimate SGP event of the season with his place in the 2015 World Championship confirmed if he finishes in the top three at the GP Challenge in Lonigo on September 20.

The Swedish international, who has been in stunning form for table-topping Vetlanda in the Swedish Elitserien, believes his previous SGP outings have prepared him well for a shot at the big time.

He said: “It’s something I’ve been working on for quite a while and it’s good that I’ve had a few wild cards, so I know what it’s all about.

“I’ll have a really good head start when I get into the series in terms of equipment and my organisation has got a lot better this year. We really feel we could be there now and I just hope I can get in.”

Jonasson is joined at the Friends Arena by track reserves Oliver Berntzon and Jacob Thorssell.

Berntzon, who wears the No.17 race jacket, exploded on to the international stage this summer as part of the Swedish team which finished fifth in the Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup.

FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship finalist Thorssell lines up at No.18 on the back of a season which has seen him come of age at the top level, with strong performances for Vetlanda and British Elite League team Wolverhampton.

Last year’s Scandinavian SGP winner Niels-Kristian Iversen misses the event due to knee ligament damage. His place in the field is taken by SGP first reserve Michael Jepsen Jensen.

The referee in Stockholm is Great Britain’s Craig Ackroyd.