Turning a two-point deficit into a four-point advantage, defending champion Sammy Halbert burst into the lead of the 2025 FIM Flat Track World Championship powered by HKC Koopmann, Anlas, Kineo and Blackburst for the first time this season with a dominant performance at Vasad in Hungary on Saturday (13 September).

  • Reigning champion Sammy Halbert takes series lead in Hungary
  • Back-to-back victories see American star seize series control
  • Britain’s Tim Neave second from title contender Ervin Krajčovič

With clear blue skies overhead, conditions in the Moto Track Arena were ideal and the loose, sandy surface looked perfectly prepared for the fifth and penultimate round of the series.

A comfortable winner last time out at Scheessel where he clearly gelled with the fast one-thousand-metre German track, the big question was would Halbert be equally at home on the much shorter three-hundred-and-thirteen-metre Hungarian circuit? The answer was an unequivocal yes and the Flat Track fans who had made the journey to Vasad, about fifty kilometres south-west of the Hungarian capital Budapest, did not have long to wait before the rider from Washington State gave a clear indication of his form.

It was Britain’s Tim Neave (GASGAS) who got the afternoon programme under way with victory ahead of Spain’s 2022 champion Gerard Bailo (Zaeta) before Halbert won his opening Heat with a comfortable winning margin from Italy’s Kevin Corradetti (Yamaha) and 2023 champion and series leader Ervin Krajčovič (KTM) from the Czech Republic.

Still finding his feet in his first season in the championship, Germany’s Marius Kircher (KTM) gave the crowd a flash of his potential when he closed the opening block of Heats with a win from series front-runners Ondřej Švédík (KTM) from the Czech Republic and Italy’s Daniele Tonelli (TM) who were both looking to bounce back from disappointing scores in Scheessel.

Krajčovič threw down a challenge in his second Heat when he led home Halbert, who only just got the better of Neave for second, before Tonelli – who had failed to win a Heat in Scheessel – took the chequered flag in his second Heat ahead of Germany’s Christian Stange (Kawasaki) and Švédík.

Kircher then raced to his second win of the programme, this time chased by Argentina’s Santiago Arangio (Yamaha), to turn more than a few heads and lead the field into the third block of Heats on a perfect score of fourteen, one clear of Halbert and two ahead of a three-way tie for third between Neave, Krajčovič and Tonelli.
Halbert was straight back to his winning ways with victory in his third Heat chased by Krajčovič and Tonelli and then Neave took his second win of the afternoon, this time from Bailo, before Dutchman Menno Van Meer (Honda) – who had been limited to a pair of sixth-placed finishes in his opening two Heats – led home Švédík and Kircher.

With just one more Heat to decide the ten automatic qualifiers for the Grand Final, the pressure was firmly on and Corradetti booked his place with victory from Van Meer, Bailo and Kircher who all made the cut as well before Halbert ensured first gate pick for the Grand Final with his third win of the day, this time in front of Švédík who also progressed.

Securing their automatic places in the Grand Final, Czech series newcomer Vít Janoušek won the last Heat race of the day from Neave, Corradetti and Krajčovič which forced the next ten riders into the Last Chance Heat where the final two positions behind the tapes for the Grand Final were decided in favour of Arangio and Italian Michele Guerra (Husqvarna).

The Grand Final was all about Halbert who delivered a masterclass in cool, controlled racing. Choosing the second gate from the inside on the front row, the American started behind Kircher – who was quickly passed through the opening turn by Neave and Krajčovič – before threading his way through to the front by the start of lap two.

For the remaining ten laps Neave kept the pressure on Halbert, but the former American Motorcyclist Association Grand National Champion barely put a wheel wrong and gave himself a thirty-eighth birthday present two days early by taking his second consecutive Grand Final win with Krajčovič and Švédík slowing dropping off the pace in third and fourth.

Delighted to record a season-best finish of fifth, Kircher led home Bailo, Corradetti and Tonelli with Janoušek and Arangio completing the top ten.

With Halbert once again collecting the bonus point for the fastest lap in the Grand Final, he heads to the sixth and concluding round of the 2025 FIM Flat Track World Championship – that takes place this coming Saturday (20 September) at Pardubice in the Czech Republic – leading Krajčovič by just four points.