Individual Speedway Euro Championship: wild cards announced
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The FIM Europe has selected five riders who will compete in this year’s European Championship, as well as four reserves who will wait for their chances.
Antonio Lindbaeck from Sweden fought for a spot in the SEC Challenge in Hungary and competed in additional races. In the end, he lost the competition to Andreas Lyager, but fans of this fierce rider can rest assured. The bronze medalist of SEC in the 2015 season will join the lineup of TAURON SEC 2023.
In Częstochowa, Guestrow, Bydgoszcz, and Pardubice, we will also see Andzejs Lebedevs from Latvia. The 2017 European champion needs no special introduction. The Cellfast Wilki Krosno rider definitely has an appetite for winning a medal. He particularly likes the track in Guestrow, where he finished second in 2017.
In Guestrow, German fans will warmly welcome Kai Huckenbeck, who is a hero among the local fans. He also received a wild card for the 2023 season. Seven years ago, Huckenbeck claimed third place. One of the top riders in the Polish First League will certainly add color to this year’s competitions.
Another permanent wild card goes to Vaclav Milik. The experienced rider will appear at all four venues, but his heart will surely beat faster in Pardubice. The Czech can count on support from the local fans. In 2022, he came very close to winning the Zlata Prilba, but his main focus is on the fight for medals. In 2016 and 2017, he respectively took home the silver and bronze medals in the SEC series.
The TAURON SEC 2023 will also have a representative from Great Britain. Adam Ellis received the last wild card. The 27-year-old is certainly capable of causing some surprises, and his excellent performances on Polish tracks have not gone unnoticed by the organizers.
The reserves for the series will be: Timo Lahti (Finland, R1), Szymon Woźniak (Poland, R2), Niels Kristian Iversen (Denmark, R3), and Mads Hansen (Denmark, R4).
We add the top five from TAURON SEC 2022: Leon Madsen, Janusz Kołodziej, Mikkel Michelsen, Patryk Dudek, and Dominik Kubera. The qualifiers in Nagyhalasz were: Dimitri Berge, Kacper Woryna, Grzegorz Zengota, and Jan Kvech. This ensures that we will see representatives from at least eight countries in the TAURON SEC 2023, and it is highly likely that there will be nine. Timo Lahti will most likely start the competition in Częstochowa, replacing the injured Kubera.
TAURON SEC 2023 Line-Up
Leon Madsen (Denmark) #30
Janusz Kolodziej (Poland) #333
Mikkel Michelsen (Denmark) #155
Patryk Dudek (Poland) #692
Dominik Kubera (Poland) #415
Dimitri Berge (France) #96
Kacper Woryna (Poland) #223
Jan Kvech (Czech Rep.) #201
Grzegorz Zengota (Poland) #29
Andreas Lyager (Denmark) #114
Antonio Lindbaeck (Sweden) #85
Andzejs Lebedevs (Latvia) #129
Kai Huckenbeck (Germany) #744
Vaclav Milik (Czech Rep.) #225
Adam Ellis (Great Britain) #299
Reserve Riders
R1 – Timo Lahti (Finland) #98
R2 – Szymon Wozniak (Poland) #48
R3 – Niels Kristian Iversen (Denmark) #88
R4 – Mads Hansen (Denmark) #266
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