Individual European Champion A.D. 2020 will be selected in five tournaments, hosted this year only in Poland. In July four stadiums will be attended by riders who will also fight for a pass to the Speedway Grand Prix for the 2021 season. Three objects will return to the series of competitions in the Tauron SEC, while one will debut.
The biggest attention in this year's cycle will certainly be focused on Torun's Motoarena. This is where the competition will start on 4th of July and 25 days later also medals will be awarded there. No one needs to be convinced of the attractiveness of the track at this venue. Riders have repeatedly said that the best racing track is there. Undoubtedly many events could be called very interesting, which is why the organizers of both the Tauron Speedway Euro Championship and the Speedway Grand Prix return regularly to that place. Thanks to this, fans can hope on the show at a really high, world-class level. Motoarena named after Marian Rose will appear in the Tauron SEC cycle for the fourth and fifth time. Previous final rounds at this venue were hosted in 2015, 2017 and 2019. The current record (56,50) of this 318-meter track belongs to Jack Holder, who set it on 20th of August 2017.
The next stadium where riders will appear this year, fighting for the medals of the Individual European Championships, will be the one in Bydgoszcz. The track (384 meters) record holder is Emil Sayfutdinov (59,64 – 8th of May 2011). The series will debut at the stadium named after Marshal Józef Piłsudski and the second of this year's final rounds will be held there. Fans in Bydgoszcz have repeatedly witnessed great events and the Speedway Grand Prix rounds have been held there as many as 16 times in 1998-2010 and 2013-2014. Tomasz Gollob, the best Polish rider in history, had great successes on it and his actions have been remembered by fans for a long time. This year's Tauron SEC participants will write a new story and will undoubtedly try to create a show worthy of this place.
The third of the finals will take place in Gniezno, at the stadium named after colonel Franciszek Hynek. This object hosted participants of the series quite recently, because two years ago. The track also has a length of 348 meters and its record holder is Antonio Lindbäck, who on 4th of August 2012 covered 4 laps in time 61,78. Competitors say about the track that it is specific, but some have problems at the gates. In the 2018 season Kai Huckenbeck made a surprise there, because he was not the favorite and despite that he checked into the grand finale. However, such events definitely add variety to the competition and a similar scenario can’t be ruled out this year. Some riders know this track better, others less so it can be a riddle for some. However, if only everyone will try to give their best, then the event in Gniezno can also stick in the memory of the fans for a long time. In recent years at this venue competitions were held as part of the U-21 Individual World Championships, Speedway World Cup and U-21 Team European Championships.
The penultimate round will take place on 22nd of July 2020 in Rybnik. Malcontents complained about the local track many times, even after it has been modernized in recent years. However in the last final of the Tauron SEC series in 2016 the fans witnessed the wonderful performance of Nicki Pedersen. Three time Individual World Champion in the whole competition lost only one point and won the gold medal, despite the fact that before this final round he was in the 9th position in general classification. In addition there was many rain before the meeting and the track was good after preparations made by organizers. In previous years there were also the final battle for the U-21 Team World Championship and the final of qualification to the speedway elite – Speedway Grand Prix Challenge. Troy Batchelor set the track record in Rybnik, which is 595,5 meters long. The Australian did it on 6th of April 2019 in a match with Orzel Lodz, interrupted by rain, covering 4 laps in time 62,74.
Five tournaments, hosted on four tracks are waiting for fans in this year's Tauron Speedway Euro Championship. Will Torun’s Motoarena be the most interesting? Or maybe – contrary to appearances, a very interesting competition will take place in Rybnik? What will the final rounds look like in Bydgoszcz and Gniezno? We will find out about this in July, but the fans should not be bored watching this year's rounds of the Individual European Championships.
