ELITSERIEN: Nilsson best Swede in regular season

1. Kim Nilsson

30 year old Swedish speedway rider, Kim Nilsson finishes third in the overall individual ranking after the regular season. This year he has been racing for Avesta Masarna and scored 2.524 making him the highest scoring rider who has competed in every round.

2. Jacob Thorssell

In second place is Dackarna’s Jacob Thorssell, who continues to enjoy his racing at Målilla where he won the Swedish national championship earlier this summer. He is in seventh in the overall list with 2.310.

3. Antonio Lindbäck

Just behind him in eighth place overall, and therefore the third best Swede in the league, is Masarna’s Antonio Lindbäck. He has had very disappointing season in the Ekstraliga with Zielona Gora and a torrid time in the SGP series this year. But in his home nation he continues to be one of the country’s top riders with a heat average of 2.279.

Nilsson, Thorssell and Lindbäck are also the highest scoring riders who have participated in all eight matches of this shortened season. That reflects their commitment to Swedish speedway – and that they have avoided injury so far this year.

The statistics also show that there are seven Swedish riders who are in a class of their own above the rest of their compatriots this year. This group all have averages above 2.100. Not only that, but six of them are competing in Poland, five in the eWinner1 league with only Lindbäck in the top division. The exception to the rule is Motala Piraterna’s Jonas Davidsson. It shows the positive circle of being better and getting to compete against some of the world’s top riders week-in-and-week-out which in turn improves your performance.

Below this small group is a significant drop down to the next best Swedish riders, a group of four, who have a heat average between 1.524-1.641 putting them in 27th-30th out of the 59 riders in Elitserien who have a rolling average.

Swedish speedway can be excited over Oliver Berntzon’s inclusion in next year’s SGP Series. But the statistics point to a worrying development in Swedish speedway where the national league is not fostering home grown riders who are racing at the top end of the sport. The current leader of the SGP, Fredrik Lindgren, is by far and a way the best active Swedish rider at the moment. But it seems like there is a long way down to the country’s next best riders, despite some high scores in this year’s individual lists.

TOP 11 SWEDISH RIDERS IN ELITSERIEN AFTER REGULAR SEASON

3. Kim Nilsson – Masarna 2.524

7. Jacob Thorssell – Dackarna 2.310

8. Antonio Lindbäck – Masarna 2.279

10. Jonas Davidsson – Piraterna 2.152

12. Oliver Bernzton -Dackarna 2.129

13. Pontus Aspgren – Indianerna 2.105

14. Timo Lahti – Rospiggarna 2.100

27. Mathias Thörnblom – Lejonen 1.641

28. Linus Eklöf – Lejonen 1.571

29. Linus Sundström – Västervik 1.545

30. Tomas Jonasson – Rospiggarna 1.524