Defending champion Sammy Halbert stormed his way up the points table when he raced to victory at round two of the 2025 FIM Flat Track World Championship powered by HKC Koopmann, Anlas, Kineo and Blackburst at Meissen on Saturday evening.

  • FIM Flat Track World Championship travels to Meissen for round two
  • Defending champion Sammy Halbert on top in Germany
  • Czech hero Ervin Krajčovič maintains his slim series lead

The German town is world-famous for its exquisite porcelain, but the Speedwaystadion Meissen has forged its own proud reputation as a favourite destination on the Flat Track calendar and after repeating his 2024 victory there it is safe to say that the thirty-seven-year-old American star is a big fan of the facility. Halbert was playing catch-up after finishing fifth at last month’s opening round in Italy but was back to the top of his game in Meissen, although the evening did not start well for him.

Former champion Ervin Krajčovič (KTM) got the programme under way with victory in the opening eight-lap Heat ahead of Britain’s Tim Neave (Yamaha) before Ondřej Švédík (KTM) made it back-to-back wins for Czech riders with a win in the second Heat from Italy’s Kevin Corradetti (Yamaha), but a suspected technical issue saw Halbert at the back of the third Heat that was won by Austrian rider Max Hellmann (KTM) from Michele Guerra (Husqvarna).

Victory for Krajčovič from Švédík in the fourth Heat moved the thirty-four-year-old from Prague into a clear lead before Halbert defeated Corradetti and 2022 champion Gerard Bailo (Zaeta) from Spain took his first win of the evening ahead of German veteran Markus Jell (KTM).

With only the top ten riders following the Heats earning an automatic place in the Grand Final, the atmosphere moving into the second half of the programme was electric and when Švédík won his third Heat ahead of Dutch racer Menno Van Meer (Honda) and Krajčovič could only manage third behind Halbert and Daniele Tonelli (TM) from Italy there was a new leader.

Neave also remained firmly in contention after winning his third Heat from Corradetti before the top ten was decided in the fourth block of racing with Švédík taking his third win to progress to the twelve-lap Grand Final in front.

Maintaining the Czech one-two, Krajčovič’s third win of the programme saw him safely through in second ahead of Corradetti, Neave and Tonelli who won his final Heat from Halbert who made the cut in sixth followed by Bailo, Argentina’s Santiago Arangio (Yamaha), Vít Janoušek from the Czech Republic and Britain’s Jack Bell (Honda).

The next ten riders went into the five-lap Last Chance Heat where Guerra and Van Meer picked up the two remaining places in the Grand Final that got away at the second attempt after Guerra was penalised for jumping the original start.

From the restart Švédík took an early lead from Halbert and Tonelli with Krajčovič and Neave in tow. Halbert then eased Švédík wide to move to the front on lap two and was never headed again as he used his years of top-level experience to coolly control the race from the front.

Švédík kept the pressure on Halbert – who also got the bonus point for posting the fastest lap in the Grand Final – all the way to the chequered flag with Krajčovič, who moved ahead of Neave just after half-distance, completing the podium as Tonelli kept his championship hopes very much alive in fifth.

Focus now shifts to Donji Kraljevec in Croatia on 12 July where Krajčovič will defend his slender two-point advantage over Švédík with Halbert ominously just a further point adrift in third.