EUROPEAN WEEKEND PREVIEW

The standout fixture of Round 1 is Torun v Wroclaw on Sunday evening with both sides expected to be firmly in the mix for a top four finish.

Lambert is back with a Torun team which has grown in strength since their recent return to the top flight, whilst Bewley now races in the same Polish side as his Belle Vue team-mate Brady Kurtz who is the big winter signing for Wroclaw having helped Rybnik to promotion last year.

The first meeting of the British riders is scheduled for Heat 4, and other highlights include Heat 9 where Lambert and Patryk Dudek go up against Kurtz and Artem Laguta; whilst in Heat 11, Bewley and Laguta face Dudek and Mikkel Michelsen.

The opening match of the weekend takes place on Friday as Zielona Gora take on champions Lublin, with the visitors having a very familiar line-up featuring four GP riders fronted by Bartosz Zmarzlik, whilst Leon Madsen makes his debut for the home side.

An early decision was taken due to the weather forecast to postpone the Czestochowa/Grudziadz fixture, which will now take place on Saturday, and it means Jason Doyle will start his second spell with the hosts by taking on the club for whom he rode last season.

Injury curtailed that campaign for the Australian, with much debate then surrounding his exit from GKM, who have retained the services of Michael Jepsen Jensen alongside Max Fricke who is another facing his former club.

Sunday’s other fixture sees promoted Rybnik, in the top flight for the first time since 2020, taking on Gorzow in an intriguing fixture which appears to offer the hosts a chance of starting with a win.

Former World Champions Chris Holder and Nicki Pedersen both return to Ekstraliga action for Rybnik, with GP racers Martin Vaculik and Andzejs Lebedevs, along with Anders Thomsen, leading the charge for Gorzow. Pedersen last rode for Rybnik in 2003, and in that season he helped them win promotion to the Ekstraliga.

The schedule in Metalkas 2. Ekstraliga is split over Saturday and Sunday, with the opening meeting featuring Rzeszow and Poznan.

The home side have had to rebuild following the loss of Tai Woffinden, with David Bellego coming into a side which includes Birmingham’s Keynan Rew, whilst UK regulars Ryan Douglas and Norick Blodorn line up for the visitors.

Attention then switches to Lodz where Tom Brennan makes his debut for Bydgoszcz, who are expected to mount another strong promotion challenge this season.

Brennan and Szymon Wozniak are both high-profile signings for the club, the latter returning to his first Polish side, and they complete a strong top five with Alexandr Loktaev, Kai Huckenbeck and Krzysztof Buczkowski.

Sunday’s schedule kicks off with the clash between Ostrow and Krosno, featuring UK regulars Luke Becker for the hosts and Tobiasz Musielak for the visitors, whilst relegated Leszno race their first match in the second tier at home to promoted Tarnow.

Josh Pickering and Ben Cook both line up for the hosts, with Matej Zagar included for the visitors, whose own opening home fixture next weekend against Ostrow is already off due to stadium work which is yet to be completed.

The opening round of third tier National League matches also takes place on Sunday, with six of the seven teams in action.

Charles Wright makes his debut for Landshut, where he is scheduled to race alongside his Oxford Spires team-mate Erik Riss as they travel to relegated Gdansk.

The home side have a strong Danish connection including Niels-Kristian Iversen, Benjamin Basso and Tim Sorensen.

Meanwhile Adam Ellis has switched from Pila to Gniezno over the winter, and his first appearance for his new club is in their away trip to Opole – the club he raced for in 2023 - with Sam Masters also in the visiting team who will be well fancied for a promotion push this season.

The other fixture in the competition sees Latvian club Daugavpils race at home to Pila.