EUROPEAN PREVIEW - SGP Challenge

Image courtesy of Steve Hone Photography

And whilst Andzejs Lebedevs is currently in the top six of this year’s standings, the others are all outside the top seven with just two rounds remaining. Therefore, the best opportunity for the likes of Dominik Kubera, Jan Kvech, Anders Thomsen, Martin Vaculik and Kai Huckenbeck to ensure their continuation may well come on Saturday in Denmark.

Competition in the GP Challenge is always fierce with just four qualifying places available, and several riders from outside the current Grand Prix ranks will have their eyes on a prize.
That includes SEC regulars Michael Jepsen Jensen, Leon Madsen and Kacper Woryna who, like Lebedevs, also have a chance of winning that title which also carries a GP berth for 2026.

The Holsted line-up also features former GP riders Matej Zagar and Kim Nilsson, home racer Rasmus Jensen, and younger competitors such as Mathias Pollestad, Francis Gusts and Mateusz Cierniak, the latter of whom is also currently an SEC rider. Kevin Wolbert is the second German in the field with ten different nationalities represented.

The top four automatically become GP riders for 2026, but if any subsequently qualify by finishing in the top seven of the GP standings this year, places pass down the GP Challenge finishing order.

This does not apply if the SEC winner also finishes in the top four of the Challenge, and in that case the additional place would be decided by nominated selection.

Meanwhile it’s a significant weekend in Poland with the final rounds of league matches in all three leagues, with positions to be decided ahead of the play-offs.

The only major issue to be resolved in the Ekstraliga is the last place in the top four, and that is heavily in favour of Grudziadz, who are level on points with Zielona Gora but lead them in the standings.

There is little prospect of that changing as Zielona Gora head to champions and league leaders Lublin on Friday, where an away win would be a huge upset given that Lublin have lost only one match all season.

And even if there is the biggest shock of the season, GKM would still have the opportunity to turn it back around in their favour as they host struggling Czestochowa on Sunday.

Elsewhere, GB stars Dan Bewley and Robert Lambert go head-to-head at Wroclaw on Sunday as Torun visit in a meeting which will decide second place overall. Torun are favourites for that spot as they are three points ahead of Wroclaw and they lead 49-41 for the bonus point – but regardless of the outcome, the sides may well be set to meet again soon with much more at stake.

Lublin will have the right to choose opponents in the play-offs, and they can be expected to select the fourth-place team, which would mean a Torun/Wroclaw Semi-Final would be next on the agenda.

In Metalkas 2. Ekstraliga the main issues ahead of the play-offs are also decided, and leaders Leszno completed their regular campaign on Thursday with an extraordinary 69-21 away win at Tarnow, who have finished bottom with problems both on and off track.

Leszno have finished with 13 wins out of 14 and a total of 33 points, and their likely title challengers are Bydgoszcz who round off at home to Lodz on Sunday, where Tom Brennan will be looking for another good performance ahead of the play-offs.

The other top four qualifiers are Krosno, who host Ostrow on Saturday with the visitors hoping to be boosted by the return of Luke Becker but have lost Frederik Jakobsen with a broken wrist, and Rzeszow who are away at Poznan on Sunday.

The weekend schedule in the National Speedway League starts with the meeting of the bottom two as Opole host Krakow on Friday with Richard Lawson in the visitors’ line-up for their final match of the season.

Opole then race at second-placed Gniezno on Sunday with Adam Ellis racing for the home side, whilst Gdansk have already confirmed top spot ahead of their trip to Landshut who include both Charles Wright and Leon Flint.

Finally, Daugavpils are secure in the top four prior to their meeting at third placed Pila.