EUROPEAN PREVIEW

There are three meetings taking place in Slovenia, Denmark and the Czech Republic, with four places available from each event. The SGP2 line-up will be completed by three permanent wild cards – so fifth place in the qualifiers could also be useful – along with a wild card at each of the three rounds of the full series.

Dan Gilkes and Drew Kemp both race at Pardubice, Anders Rowe is in action at Vojens, and Leon Flint races at Krsko in a meeting which also includes defending SGP2 Champion Mateusz Cierniak.

The full SGP2 series takes place on the evenings before this season’s Grand Prix meetings at Prague, Gorzow and Vojens.

Meanwhile the permanent wild card nominations for the upcoming Speedway Euro Championship have resulted in good news for Adam Ellis, who is back in the series for a second season.

Ellis was in good form during his SEC qualifier at Terenzano, having scored seven points from his first three rides, before being forced to withdraw due to injury.

Now he gets another chance at the full series, which gets underway at Czestochowa on June 17 and also takes in rounds at Gustrow, Bydgoszcz and Pardubice.

Connor Bailey was the highest GB scorer in this week’s Under-24 Ekstraliga fixtures, as he picked up 7+2 for Wroclaw in their 58-32 defeat at Gorzow. Nathan Ablitt also rode for the visitors in that meeting, scoring one point.

Elsewhere, Leon Flint scored 4+1 for Ostrow as they lost 32-28 in a curtailed meeting at Czestochowa, but Alex Spooner failed to score for Lublin in their 50-40 win over Grudziadz. The other meeting saw Krosno defeat Torun 53-37.

In this week’s Swedish Bauhaus-Ligan matches, Piraterna picked up the biggest result with a 55-35 win over Lejonen, including a 13+2 paid maximum from Przemyslaw Pawlicki.

Both of Great Britain’s riders were on the losing side in away matches, although Robert Lambert reached double figures with 10+1 for Smederna as they lost 49-41 at Indianerna, for whom Jason Doyle scored 13+1.

Meanwhile Rospiggarna took a 48-42 win over Dackarna with Kim Nilsson scoring a 15-point maximum, whilst Dan Bewley collected eight for the visitors.

Both Smederna and Dackarna remain without a league point so far, whilst Indianerna, Piraterna and Rospiggarna have joined Vastervik, who did not race on Tuesday, on four points.

Great Britain finished third in Thursday’s FIME European Team Championship Semi-Final at Stralsund, just one point behind the second-placed Czech Republic.

Sweden took the remaining place in the Final with a convincing display to score 38 points, with the Czechs on 29, GB on 28 and Germany on 25 after a close contest. Tom Brennan top-scored with 12 points with his best support coming from Rowe on 8 whilst Flint scored 6, and Kemp and Gilkes 1 apiece.

The PGE Ekstraliga returns this weekend with Leszno and Czestochowa kicking things off on Friday evening in a clash between two sides who are joint third in the standings.
Bottom club Grudziadz have only one point so far, and they face the toughest of tests at home to Wroclaw, who have won all five of their matches so far.

Tai Woffinden and Bewley are named at No.1 and No.2 in the line-up for the league leaders, whilst the hosts will hope Max Fricke can continue his good form and that Nicki Pedersen’s fitness issues are behind him.

Robert Lambert is in action for Torun on Sunday as they look to move up from sixth place in the table – but the visitors are second placed Lublin, who have four wins from five so far.

In theory, Torun’s task is made easier by the absence of the injured Dominik Kubera for the visitors, but last year he was also missing for their trip to the Marian Rose Motoarena, and Lublin still came away with a 48-42 victory.

Sunday’s other fixture features Krosno defending their unbeaten home record at home to Gorzow, who are seventh in the table.

In Division One, the clash between leaders Zielona Gora and second placed Ostrow has been postponed due to the visitors’ Francis Gusts racing in an SGP2 qualifier.

That means Lodz have the chance to move into second place if they can win at bottom club Rybnik on Saturday, whilst on Sunday Bydgoszcz host Poznan with both sides on four points so far, and Gdansk – also on four – take on Landshut, who have just one win from five matches.

Opole lead Division Two ahead of Sunday’s fixtures, and they race at home to Gniezno with Ellis lining up for the home side.

Elsewhere, with second placed Rzeszow not racing, Rawicz can move above them if they win at bottom club Pila, whilst Tarnow face Daugavpils with both sides level on three points.