When SES - Sønderjylland Elite Speedway with a year's delay makes its debut in the Metal Speedway League in 2021, the audience can look forward to experiencing the 20-year-old Anton Karlsson as one of the team's C-drivers.
After Andreas Jonsson's and most recently Antonio Lindbäck's career stop, a generational change at the top of the Swedish speedway has begun in earnest. In the coming years, it will be young profiles such as Oliver Berntzon, Jacob Thorsell, Alexander Woentin and Anton Karlsson, who together with the Andorra-based veteran Frederik Lindgren will carry on the proud Swedish speedway traditions.
Anton Karlsson, who is part of the Swedish U21 national team squad, was born and raised quite close to Stena Arena in Vestervik which is located in the beautiful Swedish archipelago.
As a child he became a member of the club, and is now one of the profiles on Vestervik's team, which also consists of two future colleagues from SES - Sønderjylland Elite Speedway. Thus, the Danish champion Anders Thomsen and Mads Hansen also drive for Vestervik, which in 2020 reached the semifinals of the Swedish team championship.
- It was through Helge Frimodt Pedersen that I heard more than a year ago about the new initiatives at Vojens Speedway Center and the establishment of SES - Sønderjylland Elite Speedway. I would very much like to be a part of that project, because it will undoubtedly benefit my development as a professional speedway driver, and the track in Vojens itself also has a special sound for Swedish drivers, says Anton Karlsson.
When the cornona virus slowed down the Metal Speedway League in 2020, Anton Karlsson got in touch with Fjelsted, and played four 1st division matches for the Funen club.
- I would like to drive as much as possible in 2020, and apart from some national team matches in the youth direction, I do not know much about the Danish tracks, so it was nice to get in action for Fjelsted, says Anton Karlsson.
This winter, the young Swede is training physically and working in a bicycle shop in Vestervik, while he, like the rest of the European speedway riders, is looking forward to a new season, where it will hopefully be possible to get back to something resembling a normal speedway- existence.