|
A firm favourite on the Flat Track calendar, the Speedway Stadium Pardubice first featured on the schedule in 2013 and has been an annual stop for the series every year since 2020. As Krajčovič’s star has risen – the Prague-born thirty-five-year-old won the title in 2023 and again last season after taking silver in 2024 – the passionate Czech fans have got used to seeing him at the front of the pack, but this time around it was the turn of Svědík. Winner of a career-best bronze last season, Svědík claimed his first top-flight victory at the start of the 2023 season and despite going on to record five further podium finishes, a second win had always eluded him until today’s eighth round. While Svědík, who also picked up an additional point for the fastest lap in a tense Final that required two restarts, was undeniably the home hero, British rider Tim Neave (VRX Power Maxed Dirt Store Ducati) crossed the line in second, three places ahead of his team-mate and title rival Ashton Boughen to extend his title lead to nineteen points with two rounds remaining. British riders also maintained their one-two-three in the standings, but Jack Bell (Triumph) – who had started the day tied with Boughen for second – lost major points on the leading pair when he came home tenth in the Final. Svědík started the afternoon on the ground in the opening eight-lap Heat, as did Neave, although both were able to recover following two restarts as Bell won from Spain’s Gerard Bailo (Zaeta) with Neave third and Svědík fifth before Krajčovič defeated Boughen and Germany’s Marius Kircher (KTM) led home Matias Lorenzato (Beta – OMT Squadra Corse Italiana) from Argentina. Neave opened the second block on top ahead of Kircher and 2022 champion Bailo. Krajčovič then moved into the lead with victory from Italy’s Daniele Tonelli (TM – Donelli’s Garage) before Svědík claimed his first win of the afternoon, chased by Bell and Boughen. Championship rookie and winner of the opening two rounds, Boughen claimed maximum points in his third Heat ahead of Tonelli and Bell with Svědík climbing the leaderboard with his second consecutive win, this time from Kircher and Krajčovič. The penultimate block of racing concluded with a second win for Neave who led home Czech racer Daniel Mandys (Yamaha). The last block of Heats got under way with Svědík winning from Britain’s Gary Birtwistle (Dirt Craft Powered by Royal Enfield), the Ukraine’s Stanislav Ohorodnik (Husqvarna) and Boughen. Neave’s third straight win – ahead of Kircher and Bell – kept his momentum rolling and Krajčovič ended the Heats stage with his third win of the programme. With the top ten automatically making the cut for the twelve-lap Final, riders placed eleventh to twentieth battled it out in the five-lap Last Chance Heat with Ohorodnik and Britain’s Tom Hunt (Beta – OMT Squadra Corse Italiana) claiming the two remaining places in the main points-scoring race of the programme. As the Final roared away from the line, Krajčovič slotted into the initial lead with Svědík on his shoulder, but the red flags came out on lap three after Tonelli fell. Restarting line astern in the same race order as when the Final was stopped with nine laps left, Krajčovič was quickly pushed aside by Svědík and Neave had also found his way through when the red flags came out again following another fall. With three laps remaining and the advantage of leading the field away, Svědík made no mistake from the second restart as Boughen produced a quick move to go from fourth to second before getting sideways and dropping back to fourth behind Neave and Kircher. Svědík’s body language betrayed his emotions as he took the chequered flag with Neave second from Kircher and Krajčovič snatching fourth from Boughen on the run to the line. The 2026 FIM Flat Track World Championship concludes on 24-25 October when the series leaves Europe for the very first time with back-to-back rounds in Totoras in Argentina. |
|
