FIM SPEEDWAY: DUDEK STEPS UP SPEEDWAY GP COMEBACK BID WITH LESZNO WIN

Polish racer Patryk Dudek took a step closer to securing an FIM Speedway Grand Prix comeback for 2026 after winning round three of the Speedway European Championship in Leszno on Saturday.

Dudek qualified for the final automatically on 11 points from five rides, before taking victory ahead of Ukrainian SGP2 star Nazar Parnitskyi in second, Latvia’s reigning European champion Andzejs Lebedevs in third and fourth-placed British racer Tom Brennan.

Dudek’s 14-point haul from Leszno sees him extend his series lead from four points to six after moving on to 42 going into the final round at Czech venue Pardubice on September 19.

If the former world number two retains top spot there, he will secure a return to the Speedway GP World Championship for 2026. A total of 13 points or more in Pardubice will guarantee him SEC gold. 

Lebedevs holds second place overall on 36 after scoring a total of 15 in Leszno as he chases a record-equalling third European crown, with Denmark’s Leon Madsen and Poland’s Kacper Woryna tied on 30 points in third and fourth place respectively.

With these three riders all securing 2026 Speedway GP places at the FIM SGP Challenge in Holsted on August 9, if any of them overhaul Dudek at the final SEC round in Pardubice and claim the European crown, the SGP Commission will select a fourth permanent wild card for next year’s Speedway GP series – added to the three they already nominate.

Leszno rider Parnitskyi took full advantage of his home-track knowledge as he qualified for the semi-final on 10 points, before winning ahead of Brennan in second, wild card Grzegorz Zengora in third and Denmark’s Michael Jepsen Jensen in fourth to book his place in the final alongside the Brit.

Second spot on the night leaves Parnitskyi fifth overall on 28 points – one ahead of Jepsen Jensen in sixth and just two short of Madsen and Woryna. A top-five finish guarantees riders a place in the 2026 SEC series. 

It could be an unforgettable end to 2025 for the Ukrainian, who is also just four points behind Poland’s FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship leader Wiktor Przyjemski, who is recovering from ankle surgery less than three weeks ahead of the Deluxe Homeart FIM SGP2 of Denmark – Vojens on September 12, when this year’s SGP2 champion will be crowned.

SEC round three was also a great night for double FIM Speedway of Nations World Champion Brennan, who bounced back from a zero at round two in Gustrow with fourth place and nine points.

SPEEDWAY EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:
1. Patryk Dudek (Poland) 42
2. Andzejs Lebedevs (Latvia) 36
3. Leon Madsen (Denmark) 30
4. Kacper Woryna (Poland) 30
5. Nazar Parnitskyi (Ukraine) 28
6. Michael Jepsen Jensen (Denmark) 27
7. Szymon Wozniak (Poland) 21
8. Dimitri Berge (France) 20
9. Mateusz Cierniak (Poland) 18
10. Kai Huckenbeck (Germany) 16
11. Tom Brennan (Great Britain) 15
12. Rasmus Jensen (Denmark) 14
13. Norick Blodorn (Germany) 13
14. Grzegorz Zengota (Poland) 11
15.Timo Lahti (Sweden) 11
16. Przemyslaw Pawlicki (Poland) 10
17. Vaclav Milik (Czechia) 7
18. Piotr Pawlicki (Poland) 7
19. David Bellego (France) 7
20. Frederik Jakobsen (Denmark) 7
21. Marko Levishyn (Ukraine) 7
22. Robert Chmiel (Poland) 1 

LESZNO SCORES: 1. Patryk Dudek 14, 2. Nazar Parnitskyi 12, 3. Andzejs Lebedevs 15, 4. Tom Brennan 9, 5. Grzegorz Zengota 11, 6. Michael Jepsen Jensen 9, 7. Mateusz Cierniak 7, 8. Szymon Wozniak 7, 9. Przemyslaw Pawlicki 7, 10. Leon Madsen 7, 11. Piotr Pawlicki 7, 12. Kacper Woryna 6, 13. Vaclav Milik 6, 14. Norick Blodorn 4, 15. Dimitri Berge 3, 16. Timo Lahti 2, 17. Antoni Mencel 0, 18. Emil Konieczny DNR.