FIMTrackRacing

💪 Boughen extends his FIM Flat Track World Championship lead in Italy

Series pace-setter Ashton Boughen (VRX Dirt Store Ducati) made it back-to-back Grand Final victories and underlined his status as a serious title contender when he produced a perfect performance to extend his advantage in the 2026 FIM Flat Track World Championship at round two, staged on Saturday evening in Terenzano in Italy.

The British teenager, a sensational winner on his series debut at the opening round in the Netherlands earlier this month, was in dominant form at the Terenzano Speedway Arena and took maximum points from his four eight-lap Heat races before fighting to a hard-earned victory in the Grand Final ahead of Spanish former champion Gerard Bailo (Zaeta) and defending champion Ervin Krajčovič (KTM) from the Czech Republic.

Under a clear sky and in dry conditions, Krajčovič got his evening off to a winning start ahead of the British pairing of Tim Neave (VRX Dirt Store Ducati) and Gary Birtwistle (Royal Enfield) and Bailo then led home Frenchman Sébastien Jeanpierre before Boughen opened his account with a clear-cut victory over Czech racer Ondrej Svedik.

Using wide lines to maintain his momentum, Boughen then recorded another comfortable win – this time ahead of Krajčovič – before home favourite Daniele Tonelli (TM) won from Finland’s Saku Purtilo (Honda) and Svedik defeated Neave.

Already out in front on his own following two blocks, once Bailo had beaten Krajčovič and on-form British rider Jack Bell (Triumph) it was time for Boughen to make it three in a row with a narrow victory ahead of Svedik before Neave claimed his first win of the evening chased by American former champion Sammy Halbert (Picasso Engineering).

With the top ten riders after the Heats progressing directly to the twelve-lap Grand Final and the next ten fighting it out in the Last Chance Heat to determine the final two places on the grid for the programme’s main event, there was a lot resting on the fourth block of racing.

Already safely through to the Grand Final, Krajčovič led home the Ukraine’s Stanislav Ohorodnik before Boughen maintained his unbeaten record with victory over Bell and Svedik won from Jeanpierre.

Halbert – the champion in 2024 – missed the opening round, but was back in action in Italy with a deal to help develop the Swiss-designed OMT 450 project bike and after finding himself in the unfamiliar position of lining up in the Last Chance Heat, the thirty-eight-year-old powered his way into the Grand Final along with Argentina’s Santiago Arangio (Zaeta).

Bailo has started the season in impressive form and the 2022 champion led the Grand Final away from the line with Krajčovič on his shoulder and Boughen running his favoured outside line in third before Neave slipped underneath him to demote his team-mate.

On lap five, Krajčovič briefly wrestled the lead from Bailo, only for the Spaniard to grab it straight back, but Boughen was up to third again and looking menacing and three laps later he made a decisive move, diving down the inside of Bailo and the defending champion in one dramatic charge to take a lead he refused to relinquish.

Bailo – who won the bonus point for the fastest lap in the Grand Final – and Krajčovič continued their race-long battle and completed the podium with Bell and Neave rounding out the top five.

The 2026 FIM Flat Track World Championship now takes a four-week break before the action resumes at Teterow in Germany on 27 June when Boughen will start with a six-point lead over Bailo who, in turn, is already nine points clear of Krajčovič.

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.

👏👏👏 Unbeatable Becker in control at opening FIM Speedway Grand Prix Qualifying round

America’s Luke Becker produced a dominant performance at Abensberg in Germany today where he won all five of his Heat races to claim maximum points and come out on top at the first of this year’s three FIM Speedway Grand Prix Qualifying rounds.

Leading home an international top five featuring riders from four countries and three continents, the twenty-seven-year-old – who failed to progress beyond the Qualifying stage last season – booked his position behind the tapes at the FIM SGP World Championship Challenge in Terenzano in Italy on 25 July where four places in the 2027 FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship ( ) will be up for grabs.

Becker will be joined in Terenzano by Sweden’s Kim Nilsson, Australians Rohan Tungate and Keynan Rew and Poland’s Dominik Kubera who fought their way into the all-important top five across twenty closely contested Heats in the Wack Hofmeister Speedway Stadium in Bavaria.

France’s Dimitri Bergé defeated Kubera in their opening Heat, Nilsson got the better of Tungate and Latvia’s Francis Gusts beat local hero Kevin Wölbert before Becker led home Rew to conclude the opening block of racing.

Tungate then defeated compatriot Rew and Nilsson maintained his one-hundred per cent record with victory ahead of German racer Norick Blödorn as Gusts beat Kubera and Becker claimed his second win of the afternoon, this time at the expense of Jan Kvěch from the Czech Republic.

The third block of racing got under way with a showdown between the so-far-undefeated Becker and Nilsson and it was the rider from California who emerged on top before Tungate raced to his second win of the programme, this time chased by Niccolo Percotti from Italy. Kubera then won from Blödorn and Rew defeated Slovenian Matic Ivacic as the battle for a place in the top five continued to rage.

Blödorn kept himself in contention when he beat Bergé at the start of the fourth block of racing as Gusts followed Rew across the line and Becker booked his place in Terenzano when he led home Tungate and Kubera before Nilsson made it three wins from four starts with victory ahead of Germany’s Valentin Grobauer.

Having started the day among the pre-race favourites, Wölbert claimed a consolation victory from Bergé as the concluding block of racing got under way before Becker completed his domination with a fifth win, this time from Grobauer.

The final two Heats proved to be pivotal with Kubera winning from Nilsson and Rew and Tungate getting the better of Gusts to set up a run-off for second, that was won by Nilsson from Tungate, before Rew led home Kubera and Gusts in a run-off for fourth, fifth and sixth that dropped the thirty-two-year-old Latvian out of contention for a place in Terenzano.

The focus now shifts to 30 May and the final two Qualifying rounds in Žarnovica and Glasgow with the action from Slovakia scheduled to start at 14:20 (local) time before the tapes go up in Great Britain at 19:10 (local time).

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.

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Dutch date for 2026 U23 World Cup

The next generation of Long Track stars will showcase their talents this coming Saturday (9 May) when the 2026 FIM Long Track U23 World Cup is staged at the Speed Centre Roden in the Netherlands.

Preceding the opening round of the 2026 FIM Flat Track World Championship that takes place at the Dutch venue later the same day, the fourth edition of the FIM Long Track U23 World Cup will bring the sport’s leading young riders together for a competition that represents a major step on the career ladder.

By performing in front of a sizeable crowd of passionate fans, the potential stars of the future will get a genuine feel for the atmosphere of performing at an elite level that matches perfectly with the FIM’s forward-thinking ethos of encouraging, inspiring and developing young talent.

Out of the sixteen-strong entry, eleven riders are veterans of the 2025 competition and last season’s entire top five will return for another attempt at the title with twenty-three-year-old Timo Wachs from Germany aiming to defend the crown he won last year in his home country.

On that memorable evening in the Reiterwaldstadion Vechta, Wachs dropped just one Heat win on his way to the top step of the podium and this time around he will once again have to contend with strong opposition from the likes of Denmark’s Patrick Kruse as well as the talented French trio of Théo Ugoni, Tino Bouin and Noah Urda who completed the top five in 2025

Wachs, Kruse and Bouin all translated their undoubted talent into points in last season’s FIM Long Track World Championship – valuable experience they will hope to put to good use in Roden – while Britain’s Jake Mulford, who won the FIM Long Track U23 World Cup two years ago, will be attempting to regain the title following two scoring rides in the 2025 top-flight series that saw him end the year ranked an impressive fifteenth.

For Wachs, Ugoni and Bouin, this will be their fourth consecutive appearance in the FIM Long Track Under 23 World Cup and this experience could be decisive, although there is no shortage of ambitious young riders with their sights set on what could be a breakthrough performance.

Out of the other returning riders, the highest-placed finisher last year was Jan Hlačina from the Czech Republic in seventh, two places above Germany’s Tim Widera who in turn was just one position ahead of Niek Meijerink who will enjoy home advantage on Saturday, but with so much talent on display – including Dutch fast female Nynke Sijbesma – the final result is too close to call.

The action from Roden is due to get under way with tapes up on the first of fifteen Heat races scheduled for 12:15 (local time).

FIM-MOTO TV brings you LIVE coverage of the FIM Long Track Under 23 World Cup in Roden, Netherlands, so you won’t miss a moment as the world’s top young riders go head to head. Click here for further information.