Poland reclaimed the FIM Speedway of Nations SON2 title in dramatic fashion at Prague’s Marketa Stadium on Friday night, while Australia came agonisingly close to a podium finish after ending the event locked on points with Germany and Great Britain.
The 2026 FIM Team Speedway Under-21 World Championship went down to the final heat, with Polish stars Wiktor Przyjemski and Bartosz Banbor delivering when it mattered most to secure a 7-2 victory over Denmark in the decisive 28th race of the night. Poland finished on 45 points, reclaiming the SON2 crown ahead of Denmark (37), while Germany claimed bronze after a countback separated a three-way tie for third.
For Australia, it was a frustrating near miss. Team Australia – led by captain Mitchell McDiarmid alongside Tate Zischke and Beau Bailey – finished level on 33 points with Germany and Great Britain but was ultimately classified fifth after the podium positions were decided on bonus points.
Germany secured bronze after registering five 5-4 heat wins to earn five bonus points, while Great Britain’s three bonus points placed them fourth. Australia finished with two bonus points despite matching both nations on total points.
McDiarmid spearheaded the Australian challenge with 19 points, while Bailey added 14 after replacing Zischke following the second heat. The Aussies remained firmly in podium contention throughout the night before narrowly missing out in one of the closest finishes in recent SON2 history.
But the night belonged to Poland, with skipper Przyjemski claiming his fourth SON2 title in five seasons in what was his final appearance at under-21 level.
“I am very proud. I need to thank my teammates because they worked hard for it,” Przyjemski said after the victory. “It’s an early gift for my birthday tomorrow. This is the fourth time I have won, and this is the sweetest one because a last-heat decider was a crucial part of the deal.”
Przyjemski and Banbor combined superbly in the final heat to deny Denmark after Banbor had bounced back from a crash in Poland’s penultimate outing.
“I am feeling great,” Banbor said. “It has been a really tough day for me, especially after the crash. I had many, many nerves in the last-heat decider and many emotions. But I am really proud of myself that I won this thing again with Wiktor.”
Denmark was forced to settle for silver for the second straight season, with Villads Nagel scoring 23 points and Bastian Pedersen adding 14. Nagel admitted the result stung after pushing Poland all the way.
“It was a tough one tonight. It’s never easy to beat the Poles,” Nagel said. “We got the silver medal. Overall, it’s okay. I am still disappointed, but it is what it is.”
Germany’s bronze medal effort was led by Mario Hausl (17 points) and Janek Konzack (13), while Hannah Grunwald made history as the first female rider to compete in SON2, contributing three points including a second place in Heat 24.
“I got a great result with my teammates today,” Hausl said. “It’s always a teamwork day when you race in SON2. It’s great to be back on the stage again.”
The action at Prague’s Marketa Stadium continues tonight with the FIM Speedway GP of Czech Republic, where Australians Jason Doyle, Jack Holder, Brady Kurtz and Max Fricke will all be in action. Live coverage will be available on Kayo and Fox Sports from 2:40am AEST Sunday.
2026 Speedway of Nations SON2 results – Prague
1 Poland – 45 Points
2 Denmark – 37 Points
3 Germany – 33 Points
4 Great Britain – 33 Points
5 Australia – 33 Points
6 Czech Republic – 27 Points
7 Sweden – 23 Points
8 Ukraine – 21 Points
