A European Individual Championship semifinal will take place on May 1 at the Perényi Pál Speedway Stadium in Debrecen.
At the Debrecen leg of the four-round European Championship, Denmark, Poland, Sweden, and Hungary will be represented. Among the competitors are Danish rider Michael Jepsen Jensen, former junior and senior team world champion; two-time individual junior world champion Mateusz Cierniak from Poland; his compatriot Bartlomiej Kowalski, one of the top prospects in the Polish Extraliga; and two-time Swedish champion Jakob Thorsell. Hungary will be represented by Norbert Magosi.
Norbert Baráth, managing director of Speedwolf Sportszervező Nonprofit Kft., explained that far fewer races will be organized this year compared to previous seasons:
Following the May 1 event, the next race will be on June 7 — the third semifinal of the FIM Under-21 World Championship (SGP2), where local rider Zoltán Lovas Jr. from Debrecen will also compete.
The highlight of the season will be the 50th Debrecen Grand Prix on August 20.
Deputy Mayor Lajos Barcsa emphasized that one of the city leadership’s key goals is to ensure that the development of education, culture, and sports go hand-in-hand with economic growth.
Thanks to this approach, the Debrecen stadium has remained the last stronghold of Hungarian speedway where international races can still be held.
He highlighted that maintaining this technical sport is important, which is why the city is once again supporting Speedwolf Sportszervező Nonprofit Kft. with 15 million forints this year. However, they are also seeking additional sponsors alongside the current ones, as there is a clear and growing public interest in speedway racing.
From the Debrecen semifinal and the other three qualifying rounds, the top four riders from each will advance to the Speedway Euro Championship (SEC) Challenge, held on May 31 in Stralsund, Germany.
