FIM SPEEDWAY: KVECH HOPES FOR SGP CHALLENGE SUCCESS

Czech champion Jan Kvech bids to build on the biggest season of his career so far by sealing a spot in the 2025 FIM Speedway Grand Prix series at the FIM SGP Challenge in Pardubice, Czech Republic on Friday, October 4.

Kvech is one of 16 riders battling it out for four places in the 2025 Speedway GP series on the opening night of Pardubice’s storied Golden Helmet weekend, which draws fans from all over the world.

He takes on the likes of Speedway GP rivals Dominik Kubera of Poland and Kai Huckenbeck from Germany, SGP substitutes Max Fricke of Australia and Rasmus Jensen from Denmark, plus Poland’s former world number two Patryk Dudek, Danish Champion Anders Thomsen and Australia’s FIM Speedway of Nations silver medallist Brady Kurtz.

The line-up also features Britain’s double FIM SON world champion Tom Brennan, Polish Speedway European Championship bronze medallist Kacper Woryna, Polish former Speedway GP star Przemyslaw Pawlicki, double Swedish Champion Jacob Thorssell, Italian champion Paco Castagna, German star Kevin Wolbert, Danish international Frederik Jakobsen and Australia’s 2020 FIM Speedway Under-21 World Champion Jaimon Lidsey, who won his title in Pardubice.

Former SGP2 and SON2 silver medallist Kvech fought his way through the 2023 FIM SGP Challenge in Gislaved, Sweden to take his place in Speedway GP for the first time this year – stepping into the line-up after Martin Vaculik qualified in Sweden, but later finished in the SGP top six, along with fourth-placed Robert Lambert.

Despite ending a testing campaign 15th in the SGP World Championship on 52 points, he signed off with an impressive charge to his first-ever Speedway GP semi-final at the DeWalt FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Torun last Saturday.

Kvech hopes to take that momentum to Pardubice, where he will be roared on by a sizeable Czech crowd. After becoming the country’s first full-time Speedway GP rider since Lukas Dryml in 2008, the new Czech champion would love to extend his SGP career into 2025.

He said: “There is always a chance I could get through the SGP Challenge. There are 16 riders, and everybody wants to win. I will go there with a clear head. I hope I will have a good setup with my bike. If I feel good, I know I can get into Speedway GP for next season.

“This season was very hard. But I have gained more experience and the experience I am getting I will build on for next season. I want to be a better racer than I was this season.” 

Kvech leads the action in Vojens. PHOTO: Marcin Karczewski

While Prague racer Kvech knows he carries the hopes of the Pardubice crowd on his shoulders, he hopes to make the most of his experience on the Czech tracks in one of the biggest meetings of his career so far.

He said: “I know all the tracks in the country, and I can practice on them. Sometimes it’s good to race at home; sometimes it’s not the best because there is more pressure and more of your fans there. But I want to go there with a clear head. If I race there like I did in Torun, I have a big chance.”

Kvech raced to 11 championship points at the Speedway GP series finale in Torun and was delighted to end a challenging season by underlining the progress he has made on the sport’s biggest stage.

He said: “I feel very good. I want to say thank you to my engine tuner and my team because it was a very hard season. In the end, we have seen the progress and the series has been better and better. I am very happy about that.”

Kvech and Huckenbeck will battle for Speedway GP places on Friday. PHOTO: Jarek Pabijan

The 2025 Speedway GP line-up is starting to take shape with Poland’s five-time Speedway GP world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik, Great Britain’s new world number two Robert Lambert, Swedish bronze medallist Fredrik Lindgren, GB racer Dan Bewley, Slovak star Martin Vaculik and Aussie ace Jack Holder guaranteeing their places by finishing in the SGP World Championship’s top six. They are joined in gaining automatic qualification by Latvia’s Andzejs Lebedevs, courtesy of his second Speedway European Championship win.

Along with the top four finishers at the FIM SGP Challenge, the final Speedway GP places for 2025 will be allocated to four wild cards, selected by the SGP Commission, with the final line-up to be announced in the coming days. 

Live coverage of the FIM SGP Challenge is available online via the FIM’s streaming service FIM-MOTO.TV.

FIM SGP CHALLENGE LINE-UP (in riding order):

1. Jacob Thorssell (Sweden)

2. Przemyslaw Pawlicki (Poland)

3. Patryk Dudek (Poland)

4. Jaimon Lidsey (Australia)

5. Kai Huckenbeck (Germany)

6. Kacper Woryna (Poland)

7. Jan Kvech (Czech Republic)

8. Tom Brennan (Great Britain)

9. Frederik Jakobsen (Denmark)

10. Anders Thomsen (Denmark)

11. Kevin Wolbert (Germany)

12. Brady Kurtz (Australia)

13. Paco Castagna (Italy)

14. Max Fricke (Australia)

15. Dominik Kubera (Poland)

16. Rasmus Jensen (Denmark)

17. Jan Macek (Czech Republic)

18. Daniel Klima (Czech Republic)