West Cumbrian ace Dan Bewley has officially been confirmed as taking part in next season’s FIM Speedway Grand Prix series.
Aussie star Jack Holder, 25, and Great Britain racer Dan Bewley, 22, of Maryport, will replace Artem Laguta and Emil Sayfutdinov.
It follows the FIM’s decision to suspend the Russian riders’ licences until further notice in the wake of the Ukraine invasion.
There were indications earlier in the week that Bewley, as second substitute rider, would join Holder as replacements for the Russian duo and that has now been confirmed.
Bewley told Cumbria Crack: “It’s an awesome feeling to be conformed as riding in the Grand Prix but at the same time I feel gutted for Artem.
“We are team-mates in Poland and he is a really nice bloke, He’s a friend and we go motocrossing together as well as riding speedway.”
Bewley will not be riding for a British team in 2022 because of international regulations, but will race for teams in Poland and Sweden.
However he is looking forward to defending his Peter Craven Memorial Trophy title at Belle Vue a week on Monday.
Holder was named as first substitute rider for the 2022 series after some impressive seasons across Europe’s top leagues, which saw him heavily tipped as a future Speedway GP star.
As younger brother of 2012 Speedway GP world champion Chris Holder, the 25-year-old has been a regular visitor to the Speedway GP pits over the past decade. But now the Torun and Sheffield rider finally gets his chance to shine on the sport’s biggest stage in his own right alongside fellow Aussie icons Jason Doyle and Max Fricke.
Holder made his Speedway GP debut as a track reserve at the 2016 FIM Australian Speedway GP in Melbourne, scoring two points on the night Chris famously topped the podium. The 2020 Australian Championship runner-up also served as wild card in the 2020 FIM Torun Speedway GP double-header, scoring 12 championship points across the two nights.
Bewley is called up after being named as this season’s second Speedway GP substitute, joining GB heroes Tai Woffinden and Robert Lambert.
The Cumbrian racer wrote his name in British speedway folklore when he teamed up with Lambert, Woffinden and Tom Brennan to help Great Britain to their first world team title in 32 years at the FIM Speedway of Nations Final in Manchester last October.
Bewley was drafted in for day two of the event on his UK home track when Woffinden crashed out on day one, and joined forces with Lambert to beat title favourites Poland 5-4 in the Grand Final.
The 22-year-old also helped Polish side Wroclaw win their first PGE Ekstraliga title in 15 years last season, as well as leading Belle Vue into the SGB Premiership Grand Final. He lines up for Wroclaw again in 2022, but has swapped Belle Vue for Swedish side Smederna.
Bewley will also compete in the Speedway European Championship after taking fifth place in the 2021 series.
He has previously made one Speedway GP appearance as a track reserve at the 2018 FIM British Speedway GP in Cardiff.
The FIM board’s decision on Russian riders’ licences can be changed at any time with immediate effect – depending on the evolution of the situation in Ukraine.
The 2022 Speedway GP series gets underway with the FIM Speedway GP of Croatia – Gorican on April 30.
Updated 2022 FIM Speedway Grand Prix line-up
95. Bartosz Zmarzlik (Poland)
71. Maciej Janowski (Poland)
66. Fredrik Lindgren (Sweden)
108. Tai Woffinden (Great Britain)
30. Leon Madsen (Denmark)
46. Max Fricke (Australia)
69. Jason Doyle (Australia)
505. Robert Lambert (Great Britain)
105. Anders Thomsen (Denmark)
54. Martin Vaculik (Slovakia)
323. Pawel Przedpelski (Poland)
155. Mikkel Michelsen (Denmark)
692. Patryk Dudek (Poland)
25. Jack Holder (Australia)
99. Dan Bewley (Great Britain)
