Lambert and Huckenbeck top Speedway Grand Prix Qualifying rounds

Robert Lambert and Kai Huckenbeck led home their rivals in Saturday’s concluding two 2026 FIM Speedway Grand Prix Qualifying rounds – staged at Žarnovica in Slovakia and Glasgow in Great Britain – to book their places in the FIM SGP World Championship Challenge.

With the top five from both Žarnovica and Glasgow joining the top five from the first round at Abensberg in Germany earlier in the week, the fifteen qualifiers – who will be fighting for four priceless places in the 2027 FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship (SGP) – have now been decided for the showdown at Terenzano in Italy on 25 July.

The action got under way in the afternoon at the Speedway Stadium Žarnovica where Australia’s Jaimon Lidsey picked up the first win of the programme ahead of Oliver Berntzon from Sweden before Latvian Andzejs Lebedevs – who was fourth in last season’s FIM SGP World Championship Challenge – won from Czech racer Adam Bubba Bednar.

British star Lambert then picked up an important early win ahead of the hotly-tipped pairing of Polish racer Kacper Woryna – who sits second in the SGP standings after two rounds – and Danish rival Michael Jepsen Jensen, who were second and fifth in the 2025 FIM SGP World Championship Challenge, with Italy’s Felipe Nicolas Covatti completing the opening block of racing with victory chased by home favourite Martin Vaculik.

Vaculik had the passionate fans on their feet with victory in his second Heat and Jepsen Jensen and Woryna then both claimed their first wins of the afternoon before Lambert dropped a point against Lidsey.

Following further wins for Woryna, Lambert and Lebedevs, Bednar then forced Lidsey to drop a point resulting in a three-way tie for the lead between Woryna, Lambert and Lidsey with two blocks remaining.

Lambert then made it three wins from four starts followed by further victories for Lebedevs, Jepsen Jensen and Lidsey, leaving the British and Australian riders tied at the top on eleven points, one clear of Lebedevs and two ahead of Woryna with Vaculik’s score of eight putting him in an all-important fifth place.

Victory in his fifth Heat ahead of Lebedevs pulled Jepsen Jensen back into contention as the Latvian confirmed his place at Terenzano and Bednar, with his second win, also kept his hopes of progressing alive. Lambert then rubber-stamped his appearance in Italy with a fourth victory as a retirement ended Vaculik’s hopes and the twenty-eight-year-old – SGP silver medallist in 2024 – was guaranteed the top step of the podium when Lidsey followed Woryna home in the final Heat, with both riders making the cut for the FIM SGP World Championship Challenge.

The final place in Terenzano went to Jepsen Jensen following a run-off with Bednar for fifth before Lebedevs defeated Woryna in a run-off for third.

With the five riders from Žarnovica decided, focus switched to Glasgow where the final five places were on the line and the home supporters were given good reason to cheer when, following early wins for Australian Jack Holder and Germany’s Huckenbeck, British favourites Adam Ellis and Chris Harris also claimed victories in their opening Heats.

Huckenbeck took his second win of the night ahead of Poland’s Piotr Pawlicki – who had followed Harris across the line first time out – and Frederik Jakobsen from Denmark won from 2022 SGP bronze medallist Maciej Janowski before Harris beat Holder and twenty-four-year-old rising British star Anders Rowe led home Jonas Knudsen.

After starting with two third places, Victor Palovaara from Sweden claimed his first win of the night chased by Ellis – who was slipping out of contention following a no-score in his second Heat – and Huckenbeck took a point from Harris before Holder, who is currently fifth in SGP, beat Rowe and Jakobsen defeated his compatriot Knudsen.

Pointless through the opening three Heats, Norway’s Lasse Fredriksen took a consolation victory before Poland’s Janowski won from Rowe, Huckenbeck maintained his one-hundred per cent record ahead of Holder and Palovaara came out on top of a battle with Harris to set up a dramatic final block.

Rowe signed off with a win to ensure his progression to Terenzano where he will be joined by Holder – who made the cut with a second behind Britain’s Tom Brennan – and Huckenbeck who completed his maximum to sail through and after Holder had won a run-off for second with Rowe, Jakobsen and Harris claimed the final two qualifying positions following a run-off with Janowski.

Žarnovica Results