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 (SGP).
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).
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. For more details and to sign up click here.