The Road to the 2026 Speedway Euro Championship

After three qualifying rounds and the SEC Challenge, the full lineup for this year's Speedway Euro Championship has finally been confirmed. With that in mind, it is worth looking back at everything that happened before July 18.

The top six riders from last season were already guaranteed a place in the championship: Patryk Dudek, Andžejs Lebedevs, Leon Madsen, Kacper Woryna, Nazar Parnitskyi and Michael Jepsen Jensen. The remaining spots had to be earned through the qualifying rounds.

The first two qualifying meetings took place on April 25. We begin our recap in Stralsund, where the action got underway several hours before the meeting in Austria.

On the German track, still known for its traditional black surface, Rasmus Jensen looked completely at home. The Dane was a late addition to the field after replacing the injured Anders Thomsen. He went on to defeat brothers Przemysław and Piotr Pawlicki in the run-off to claim victory. Tom Brennan and Kim Nilsson also secured their places in the SEC Challenge.

Nilsson's road was bit painful. The Swede crashed in his opening ride and was briefly taken to the ambulance for medical assessment. Fortunately, he escaped without any serious injuries and was able to continue competing.

Stralsund Qualifying Round Results (source: SportoweFakty.wp.pl)

1. Rasmus Jensen (Denmark) – 12+3 (3, 3, 0, 3, 3)

2. Piotr Pawlicki (Poland) – 12+2 (3, 2, 3, 2, 2)

3. Przemysław Pawlicki (Poland) – 12+1 (3, 3, 1, 3, 2)

4. Tom Brennan (Great Britain) – 11 (3, 0, 2, 3, 3)

5. Kim Nilsson (Sweden) – 11 (F, 2, 3, 3, 3)

The top five riders qualified for the SEC Challenge.

6. Václav Milík (Czech Republic) – 10 (2, 1, 3, 2, 2)

7. Kevin Wölbert (Germany) – 9 (2, 1, 3, 0, 3)

8. Jacob Thorssell (Sweden) – 9 (2, 3, 2, 1, 1)

9. Mathias Pollestad (Norway) – 8 (1, 3, 1, 1, 2)

10. Dimitri Bergé (France) – 7 (1, 2, 2, 2, 0)

11. Anže Grmek (Slovenia) – 5 (0, 2, 2, 1, 0)

12. Marko Levyshyn (Ukraine) – 5 (0, 1, 1, 2, 1)

13. Mika Meijer (Netherlands) – 4 (2, 0, 0, 1, 1)

14. Mario Hausl (Germany) – 3 (1, 1, 0, 0, 1)

15. Jevgeņijs Kostigovs (Latvia) – 1 (1, 0, F, 0, 0)

16. Antti Vuolas (Finland) – 0 (0, 0, –, –, –)

17. Hannah Grunwald (Germany) – 0 (F, 0, 0)

Key:

• F – fall/excluded after a fall

• – – did not start

In Mureck, the meeting was dominated by riders who compete for Gezet Stal Gorzów in the Polish league. Paweł Przedpełski topped the standings with 14 points. He was followed by Czech rider Adam Bednář, while fellow Czech Jan Kvěch completed the top three.

The remaining two places in the SEC Challenge went to Maciej Janowski and Timo Lahti. The Swedish rider was the only competitor to defeat Przedpełski in a heat during the meeting.

Mureck Qualifying Round Results (Sources: Baansportfansite.nl / SportoweFakty.wp.pl)

1. Paweł Przedpełski (Poland) – 14 (3, 3, 2, 3, 3)

2. Adam Bednář (Czech Republic) – 13 (3, 3, 2, 3, 2)

3. Jan Kvěch (Czech Republic) – 12 (3, 2, 3, 3, 1)

4. Maciej Janowski (Poland) – 11 (3, 2, 3, 3, F)

5. Timo Lahti (Sweden) – 11 (2, 3, 3, 1, 2)

The top five riders qualified for the SEC Challenge.

6. Jonas Knudsen (Denmark) – 10 (2, 2, 1, 2, 3)

7. Leon Flint (Great Britain) – 9 (1, 2, 2, 2, 2)

8. Stanisław Melnychuk (Ukraine) – 8 (0, 1, 3, 1, 3)

9. Norick Blödorn (Germany) – 8 (1, 3, 0, 1, 3)

10. Sebastian Kössler (Austria) – 6 (2, 1, 1, 0, 2)

11. Matic Ivačič (Slovenia) – 5 (1, 0, 2, 2, 0)

12. Nicolas Vicentin (Italy) – 5 (2, 0, R, 2, 1)

13. Zoltán Lovas (Hungary) – 3 (0, 1, 1, 0, 1)

14. Daniil Kolodinsky (Latvia) – 2 (R, 1, 1, R, –)

15. Milen Manev (Bulgaria) – 1 (1, 0, 0, 0, T)

16. Luka Omerzel (Slovenia) – 1 (1)

17. Andrei Popa (Romania) – 0 (R, 0, 0, 0, 0)

18. Gregor Zorko (Slovenia) – 0 (0)

Key:

• F – fell/excluded after a fall

• R – retired

• T – excluded for touching the starting tapes

• – – did not start

The final qualifying round took place on May 16, with Lamothe-Landerron hosting a European Championship qualifier for the second consecutive year.

Three-time European Champion Mikkel Michelsen was in a class of his own in France, recording a perfect 15-point maximum. Home rider David Bellego finished second and may have experienced a sense of déjà vu. Back in 2014, at the European Under-19 Championship semi-final in Mâcon, he also had to settle for runner-up spot behind an unbeaten rider, as Adrian Cyfer completed a flawless meeting.

The remaining SEC Challenge qualification places went to Adam Ellis, Kai Huckenbeck, and Mads Hansen, who rounded out the top five.

Lamothe-Landerron Qualifying Round Results(Sources: live.baansportfansite.nl / SportoweFakty.wp.pl)

1. Mikkel Michelsen (Denmark) – 15 (3, 3, 3, 3, 3)
2. David Bellego (France) – 13 (3, 3, 3, 2, 2)
3. Adam Ellis (Great Britain) – 12 (2, 3, 2, 3, 2)
4. Kai Huckenbeck (Germany) – 12 (2, 3, 2, 2, 3)
5. Mads Hansen (Denmark) – 11 (3, 1, 3, 1, 3)

The top five riders qualified for the SEC Challenge.

6. Oliver Berntzon (Sweden) – 10 (1, 1, 2, 3, 3)

7. Grzegorz Zengota (Poland) – 10 (1, 2, 3, 2, 2)

8. Steven Goret (France) – 9 (2, 2, 1, 3, 1)

9. Valentin Grobauer (Germany) – 6 (3, 1, 0, 1, 1)

10. Paco Castagna (Italy) – 6 (0, 2, 1, 2, 1)

11. Daniel Klíma (Czech Republic) – 5 (1, 0, 2, 0, 2)

12. Glenn Moi (Norway) – 3 (2, 1, 0, 0, 0)

13. Sven Cerjak (Slovenia) – 3 (1, 2, 0, F, 0)

14. Mathias Tresarrieu (France) – 2 (0, 1, 1)

15. Otto Raak (Finland) – 1 (0, 0, 0, 1, 0)

16. Truls Kamhaug (Norway) – 1 (F, 0, 1, 0, –)

17. Jordan Dubernard (France) – 1 (1, 0)

18. Francis Gusts (Latvia) – 0 (R, –, –, –, –)

Key:

• F – fell/excluded after a fall
• R – retired (mechanical failure)
• – – did not start

The final stage of the qualification process took place on June 13 in Lonigo, Italy. Italian rider Nicolas Covatti was awarded a wildcard for the meeting.

The event was brought to a premature end after four rounds of heats due to adverse conditions. Jan Kvěch emerged on top with 11 points. The top six riders secured their places in the 2025 Speedway Euro Championship series: Jan Kvěch, Maciej Janowski, Mikkel Michelsen, Rasmus Jensen, Przemysław Pawlicki, and Piotr Pawlicki.

SEC Challenge Results – Lonigo (meeting abandoned after four rounds)

1. Jan Kvěch (Czech Republic) – 11 (3, 2, 3, 3)

2. Maciej Janowski (Poland) – 9 (2, 2, 3, 2)

3. Mikkel Michelsen (Denmark) – 8 (1, 3, 3, 1)

4. Rasmus Jensen (Denmark) – 7 (0, 3, 1, 3)

5. Przemysław Pawlicki (Poland) – 7 (3, R, 3, 1)

6. Piotr Pawlicki (Poland) – 7 (3, 1, 2, 1)

The top six riders qualified for the 2025 Speedway Euro Championship.

7. Mads Hansen (Denmark) – 6 (1, 3, 1, 1)

8. Adam Ellis (Great Britain) – 6 (2, 2, 2, 0)

9. Paweł Przedpełski (Poland) – 5 (0, 3, 0, 2)

10. Nicolas Covatti (Italy) – 5 (3, F, F, 2)

11. Kim Nilsson (Sweden) – 5 (1, 1, F, 3)

12. Tom Brennan (Great Britain) – 5 (2, 1, 2, 0)

13. David Bellego (France) – 5 (1, 0, 2, 2)

14. Kai Huckenbeck (Germany) – 5 (2, 2, 1, 0)

15. Timo Lahti (Sweden) – 3 (0, F/T, 0, 3)

16. Adam Bednář (Czech Republic) – 1 (0, R, 1, 0)

17. Giovanni Nichele (Italy) – 0 (E)

18. Kevin Melato (Italy) – NS

Key:

• R – retired

• F – fell/excluded after a fall

• F/T – fell and/or excluded for touching the starting tapes (as recorded in the official result)

• E – excluded

• NS – did not start

The lineup was completed by three permanent wild cards. They were awarded to Adam Ellis, Kai Huckenbeck, and Mathias Pollestad, who became the first Norwegian rider in the history of the SEC series.

In the meantime, Rasmus Jensen was suspended by the Danish federation, meaning the Dane had to be replaced by Kim Nilsson. The Swede was the first reserve rider for the championship.