FIMTrackRacing

👏 Ashton Boughen (VRX Dirt Store Ducati) leads 2026 FIM Flat Track World Championship into round two

Full report ➡️ https://www.fimflattrack.com/boughen-leads-2026-fim-flat-track-world-championship-into-round-two/ [gallery50677]/0

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💪 FIM Speedway Grand Prix Qualifying rounds are go for Germany, Slovakia and Great Britain

A truly international combined entry of fifty-four riders from nineteen countries and four continents are preparing to contest three FIM Speedway Grand Prix Qualifying rounds – beginning this coming weekend (24-25 May) at Abensberg in Germany – in a bid to secure four valuable places in the 2027 FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship ( ).

FIM-MOTO TV will stream all three FIM Speedway Grand Prix Qualifying rounds and the FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship Challenge LIVE with a full pass covering all four events available now priced at €55.90 and a single-event pass for the Challenge on sale for just €9.90.

With only the top seven from this season’s SGP series guaranteed a place on the startline in 2027, the Qualifying rounds are an essential part of the process for racers hoping to test their talents against the world’s elite. This always ensures an exciting mixture of established SGP stars aiming to confirm their participation in next year’s top-flight lining up behind the tapes alongside an army of ambitious hopefuls looking to make the grade.

Following Abensberg, this season’s other Qualifying rounds are both scheduled for 30 May with the action divided between Žarnovica in Slovakia and Glasgow in Great Britain. The top five finishers from each will then transfer to the FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship Challenge that this year is scheduled to take place at Terenzano in Italy on 25 July where the final four will be decided.

The Qualifying rounds get under way in the Wack Hofmeister Speedway Stadium in Abensberg where among the pre-race favourites are Poland’s Dominik Kubera and Germany’s Kevin Wölbert who both contested the opening round of this year’s SGP series where Kubera – the winner of last season’s SGP World Championship Challenge – made a solid start in tenth.

Of course, the talented pair are not the only riders in action in Bavaria determined to transfer to Terenzano and included among the entry are Anders Thomsen from Denmark – who won his Qualifying round last year in Žarnovica – as well as Czech hero Jan Kvech and Latvia’s Francis Gusts who also both made the cut in their 2025 Qualifying rounds.

This year’s line-up for Žarnovica is equally impressive with Poland’s Kacper Woryna, who leads the 2026 SGP title chase following round one at Landshut in Germany and who was third at this fixture last season, starting as the rider in form. However, he faces some seriously fast opposition from riders including Michael Jepsen Jensen from Denmark, local hero Martin Vaculik and Latvian Andzejs Lebedevs who all made it through to the 2025 SGP World Championship Challenge where Lebedevs finished fourth.

Jepsen Jensen and Lebedevs have many seasons of SGP competition under their belts – including this year’s opening round where they both scored points – while thirty-six-year-old Vaculik won an FIM bronze medal in the 2023 SGP series.

Robert Lambert is also expected to be a contender at Žarnovica and the twenty-eight-year-old British rider – the SGP silver medallist in 2024 – has started the season in fine form with a fourth-placed finish at Landshut earlier this month.

After finishing first and third at last season’s Qualifying round in Abensberg, Kai Huckenbeck from Germany and Jack Holder – a two-time FIM Speedway of Nations champion with Australia – are tipped to excel in Glasgow, but they too will be facing a quality field with fierce competitors including Daniel Klima from the Czech Republic, fast Finn Antti Vuolas and Britain’s Adam Ellis who all contested last year’s Qualifying rounds.

Guaranteed a rousing reception, home favourite and current Glasgow Tigers team member Chris Harris will also be in action and the vastly experienced forty-six-year-old – who scored his first SGP point in 2003 and won the Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain in 2007 – can count on fervent fan support as he aims to emulate his more recent FIM Long Track World Championship form on the shorter shale circuit.

The action from Abensberg is scheduled to get under way on 25 May at 14:00 (local time) with racing at Žarnovica set to start on 30 May at 14:20 (local) time before the tapes go up at Glasgow later the same day at 19:10 (local time).

👍 Boughen takes FIM Flat Track World Championship lead with dynamite debut

Series newcomer Ashton Boughen ( VRX Dirt Store Ducati) turned the 2026 FIM Flat Track World Championship on its head on Saturday afternoon, storming to a stunning victory at the opening round at Roden in the Netherlands and sealing an incredible debut win both for himself and for the Italian manufacturer that celebrated its entry into the series with two riders on the podium.

With interest in the extended ten-round championship at an all-time high and a number of new competitors and manufacturers lining up at the Speed Centre Roden for the Netherlands’ debut on the championship calendar, there was a sense of anticipation in the paddock where a truly international entry of riders from twelve countries and two continents had assembled.

Defending champion Ervin Krajčovič (KTM) sewed up his second title in three years last season, but the Czech hero could only claim a tentative fourth in the opening eight-lap Heat as Britain’s Jack Bell (Triumph) celebrated his twenty-third birthday with victory ahead of Ondřej Švédík (KTM) and Tim Neave (VRX Dirt Store Ducati).

Following a restart, the second Heat saw a tapes-to-flag victory for eighteen-year-old Boughen who wasted no time in throwing the gauntlet down to his rivals, although he was forced to fight hard as Spain’s Gerard Bailo (Zaeta) – champion in 2022 – poured on the pressure with his favoured inside lines allowing him to close through the turns before the British rookie pulled clear with faster, wider lines along the straights.

Local hero Maikel Dijkstra then took a popular victory ahead of Italy’s Daniele Tonelli (TM) and William Bonnici (Suzuki) from France to complete the first block of racing.

Since finishing second in 2023, Bailo has struggled to replicate his title-contending form, but the Spaniard looked back to his best when he swept by Tonelli during the early stages of the fourth Heat to record an impressive win with the Ukraine’s Stanislav Ohorodnik taking third from the Czech Republic’s Švédík, last season’s bronze medallist.

Krajčovič then claimed his first Heat victory of the campaign ahead of Bell and Dutch racer Menno van Meer (Honda) as Boughen slipped to fourth before Britain’s Neave led home his compatriot and series newcomer Gary Birtwhistle (Royal Enfield) who was representing the famous manufacturer on its championship debut.

Sharing the lead with Bell at the halfway mark, Bailo’s second victory of the afternoon – this time at the expense of Švédík and van Meer – moved him into a clear lead as Tonelli won from Bell and Boughen and Krajčovič led home Dijkstra and Bonnici.

With the top ten riders following the Heats transferring directly to the Grand Final and the next ten contesting the Last Chance Heat, tensions were running high as Švédík led home van Meer and Krajčovič. Neave then picked up his second win of the afternoon, this time ahead of Bell who also booked his place in the Grand Final along with Tonelli and Bonnici, before Boughen led home Bailo for a second time with Dijkstra’s third ensuring he also progressed.

After finishing one-two in the Last Chance Heat, Ohorodnik and Dutch racer Stef Hamstra (KTM) took their places alongside the automatic qualifiers for the twelve-lap Grand Final before Boughen launched into the lead around the opening turn chased by Tonelli, Neave and Bailo.

The Italian moved to the front at the end of lap one, but there was nothing to choose between the leading trio as Boughen and Bailo forced their way to the front and Neave began to apply pressure in fourth before taking third from Tonelli at half-distance.

With Boughen again running wide lines and Bailo favouring the inside, lap-after-lap the Spaniard appeared to draw level through the sweeping turns before Boughen pulled clear on the straights to claim an historic debut victory as Bailo was forced to defend in the closing stages from Neave.

Bell put the seal on a famous day for British racers with an impressive fourth ahead of Krajčovič and Tonelli as Hamstra, Van Meer, Bonnici and Dijkstra completed the top ten.

The focus now shifts to Terenzano in Italy for round two on 30 May.

With its mix of established stars, fast-rising talent and series newcomers, the 2026 FIM Flat Track World Championship is taking shape to be one of the most exciting in the sport’s history and FIM-MOTO TV will stream all rounds LIVE including behind-the-scenes footage, interviews and expert analysis.

🏍️ Royal Enfield to contest 2026 FIM Flat Track World Championship

The FIM is delighted to announce that the 2026 FIM Flat Track World Championship will benefit from the participation of another manufacturer following the news that the historic Royal Enfield marque will field a team in the extended ten-round series for the very first time this season.

Royal Enfield’s hopes will rest on the shoulders of Dirt Craft race school founder Gary Birtwistle who will debut its Sherpa FT Mk2 model in the series and the fortunes of the manufacturer, that can trace its origins back one-hundred-and-twenty-five years, are in good hands. A two-time national champion in this highly-specialised and spectacular discipline, the experienced thirty-six-year-old British racer – who has competed throughout Europe and the USA – will debut the soon-to-be-launched machine at the opening round this coming Saturday (9 May) in Roden in the Netherlands.

As a mark of the series’ increasing popularity, this year’s championship has been extended from six to ten rounds and for the first time in its history will travel outside of Europe when it signs off with two dates in Argentina over the weekend of 24-25 October with the full schedule taking racers to eight countries and two continents over an intense five-and-a-half-month time period.

Armando Castagna, Director of the FIM Track Racing Commission, said: “These are very exciting times for the FIM Flat Track World Championship with growing interest coming from manufacturers, riders and fans as word spreads about what a fast, spectacular and spectator-friendly series this is. The involvement of such a long-established and highly-regarded manufacturer as Royal Enfield comes at a very opportune time and is yet further confirmation of the attraction of Flat Track racing. I am looking forward to seeing how the newly extended season unfolds and wish all riders and teams the very best of luck.”

With its mix of established stars, fast-rising talent and series newcomers, the 2026 FIM Flat Track World Championship is taking shape to be one of the most exciting in the sport’s history and FIM-MOTO TV will stream all rounds LIVE including behind-the-scenes footage, interviews and expert analysis.