American idol Sammy Halbert begins the defence of his FIM Flat Track World Championship powered by HKC Koopmann, Anlas, Kineo and Blackburst this coming Sunday (25 May) at Terenzano in north-east Italy and the thirty-seven-year-old is on a mission to dominate in 2025.

In just his second year in the championship, the former American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Grand National Champion and X-Games gold medallist raced to the title with a one-hundred per cent podium record – an impressive feat given the close and competitive nature of the sport – and this season he is looking for even more success.

“My goal is to win the championship, but also I’d honestly like to win every race,” he said. “It will not be easy by any means, but for sure I’d like to win more races than I did last year and if I can win or come close to winning every Grand Final that would be amazing. I know I’m capable of it and I’m hoping the bike this year that I’m riding is a little bit faster. I’m looking for more holeshots and more wins and, ultimately, the championship.”

Halbert’s 2024 run of two victories, three seconds and a third across the six rounds tells a tale of blistering speed and incredible consistency, but it was by no means easy for the rider from the Pacific Northwest and he had to fight every step of the way with his main opposition coming from last year’s defending champion Ervin Krajčovič.

The Czech hero remained in contention for the full duration of the campaign and won the last two Grand Finals of the year, but ultimately he had no answer to the American’s relentless pressure and Halbert clinched the crown by four points following a dramatic season showdown in Debrecen in Hungary.

“It felt great to win the title and it was a huge relief after going there in 2023 kind of expecting to win straight away and then not getting it done. I had a really consistent year last year with podiums at every round, but Ervin kept it close and kept the pressure on.

“Last year I was back at the top of my game in America as well – fighting for podiums and wins – and it was the same in Europe. I didn’t win every race [in Europe] like I wanted to and I think that shows how high the level is in the world championship. It’s a different style of racing so for an American to go over and compete is not an easy feat.”

Halbert’s 2025 season started in January with the Race of Champions at Valentino Rossi’s Italian ranch and then continued through to Daytona in March for one of the biggest AMA Flat Track races of the year. Now he is fully focussed on defending his FIM World Championship crown, making for a racing programme he describes as a series of waves where timing is crucial if he is to perform at his best.

“The way I do my schedule now is interesting. I did a big push in the winter to prepare to race at Rossi’s ranch in January because that’s one of the most physically demanding and challenging events I do. After that I kind of backed off a little and then pushed again for Daytona in March before taking a small break and lately I’ve been pushing hard and riding a lot and I feel as though I’m just starting to peak again now and I’ll carry that through until the season wraps up.”
To stay fully up to date with the 2025 FIM Flat Track World Championship powered by HKC Koopmann, Anlas, Kineo and Blackburst please download the Sportity App and use the password FIMFT to access Flat Track news.