British lion Tim Neave (Ducati – VRX Dirt Store Ducati) roared to the top of the 2026 FIM Flat Track World Championship standings with his second victory in seven days tying him for the series lead with his compatriot and team-mate Ashton Boughen after emerging on top of a delayed Final as round four was staged in Donji Kraljevec, Croatia, on Saturday night.

  • Round four of FIM Flat Track World Championship takes place at Donji Kraljevec
  • Tim Neave makes it back-to-back wins to tie series lead with Ashton Boughen
  • Defending champion Ervin Krajčovič climbs to third in the standings

False starts and a series of crashes in the impressive Stadion Milenium forced multiple restarts of the programme’s main race, but when the Final eventually got under way cleanly at the eighth attempt it was the thirty-one-year-old who kept his cool amid soaring tensions.

With the race distance halved to six laps and riders starting line astern in the order they were running when the most recent red light came on, Neave got away at the front of the field and led from start to finish to draw level with Boughen – who could only manage sixth – at the top of the standings before a thirteen-point gap to defending champion Ervin Krajčovič (KTM Schruf – Zucco Racing) from the Czech Republic.

At three-hundred-and-five metres, the Donji Kraljevec is the series’ shortest so far this season and the slippery surface pushed the world’s leading Flat Track racers to their limit as favoured lines switched from the outside to the inside and riders fought for the slightest advantage.

Czech racer Ondřej Svědík (KTM Schruf – Zucco Racing) opened his account with a win from Neave and 2024 champion Sammy Halbert (Picasso Engineering OMT Squadra Corse Italiana) before Boughen – who held a nine-point championship lead after winning the opening two rounds – took victory ahead of Krajčovič.

Spain’s Gerard Bailo (Zaeta) completed the opening block with victory from the British pairing of Jack Bell (Triumph) and Gary Birtwistle (Dirt Craft powered by Royal Enfield), but it was a bright beginning to a tough nightshift for the former champion who started the programme tied for second with Neave.

American star Halbert was chased across the line by Bailo and Argentinian Mathias Lorenzato to claim his first win of the night at the start of the second block and Krajčovič then led home Birtwistle before Svědík maintained his unbeaten record when he defeated Neave and Bell, but the thirty-one-year-old slipped to fourth in his third Heat behind Krajčovič, Italian Daniele Tonelli (Donelli’s Garage TM) and Halbert.

His second win of the night moved two-time champion Krajčovič into a one-point lead ahead of Neave who took his first win from Birtwistle and Boughen before Lorenzato won from Dutch racer Stef Hamstra (KTM) to complete the third block.
With just three Heats left, the pressure was on to finish in the top ten and earn automatic qualification for the Final and Krajčovič ensured first gate pick when he won from Boughen, Neave and Birtwistle with the top four making the cut along with Halbert who crossed the line in sixth.

Svědík then bounced back with his third win of the programme to earn second gate pick with second-placed Tonelli also going through along with Lorenzato who did just enough in sixth before French rider Sébastien Jeanpierre and Ukrainian Stanislav Ohorodnik (Husqvarna) ran one-two in the concluding Heat to fill the remaining two automatic qualifying positions.

After scoring well in his first two Heats, Bailo had slipped down the order and found himself in the five-lap Last Chance Heat for riders finishing eleventh through twentieth and with only two Final places up for grabs his night went from bad to worse when he was sent to the penalty lane for a false start. However, the Spaniard dug deep and fought his way through the pack up to second behind Bell to make the cut and keep his championship hopes alive before tensions reached boiling point in a dramatic Final.

With so much at stake and everyone pushing hard, mistakes were inevitable and after a string of red lights and restarts it was Neave who held his nerve to lead home the field with Krajčovič and Bell completing the podium ahead of Halbert and Svědík as Boughen maintained a share of the championship lead thanks to an extra point for posting the fastest lap.

After two rounds over successive weekends, competitors now face a tense seven-week wait until the series hits the halfway mark with round five at Scheessel in Germany on 22 August.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

With its mix of established stars, fast-rising talent and series newcomers, the 2026 FIM Flat Track World Championship is taking shape to be one of the most exciting in the sport’s history and FIM-MOTO.TV will stream all rounds LIVE including behind-the-scenes footage, interviews and expert analysis.

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