2025 FIM Speedway Grand Prix
World Championship Challenge
With four coveted permanent spots in the 2026 FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship (SGP) up for grabs, the intensity was off the charts in Holsted, Denmark, as the sport’s best battled it out in the FIM Speedway GP Challenge.
The 16-rider line-up was decided through three hard-fought qualifying rounds held in Slovakia, Italy, and Germany earlier in June, joined by a Danish wildcard and two track reserves. For some, this was more than just another meeting — it was a career-defining opportunity.
Australia’s Brady Kurtz knows exactly what that means. Winner of the 2024 SGP Challenge, Kurtz turned that breakthrough into a stellar debut season in the sport’s elite ranks and now sits second in the 2025 standings, just three points adrift of reigning champion Bartosz Zmarzlik after winning the last three rounds.
With only the top seven in this year’s SGP guaranteed a place for 2026, no fewer than six current permanent riders were on track in Holsted looking to lock in their futures early, after Holder withdrew.
When the dust settled, Poland’s Dominik Kubera and Kacper Woryna, Latvia’s Andzejs Lebedevs, and Denmark’s Leon Madsen claimed the golden tickets for next season’s series.
Kubera, third in last year’s Challenge, went two better this time. The Pole topped the heat scores on 13 points before sealing victory in the final to secure his third consecutive SGP season.
His compatriot Woryna — grandson of two-time World Championship bronze medallist Antoni Woryna — followed him home in the final after amassing 11 heat points, earning his maiden World Championship campaign.
Wildcard hero Madsen delighted the home fans, scoring 12 points in the heats and taking third in the final. The two-time SGP silver medallist and current first reserve will return to the full-time line-up after a year’s absence.
Lebedevs, the reigning European champion, also booked his place, qualifying with 12 points before finishing fourth in the final to secure his third full SGP season.
There’s still a potential twist in the tale. If either Lebedevs or Kubera — or both — finish inside the top seven of the 2025 World Championship, the next in line from Holsted will be promoted. That means fifth-placed Dane Michael Jepsen Jensen could join the 2026 grid, and sixth-placed Anders Thomsen would also get the call-up.
2025 FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship Challenge
1. Dominik Kubera (Poland) 13 + 1st in final
2. Kacper Woryna (Poland) 11 + 2nd in final
3. Leon Madsen (Denmark) 12 + 3rd in final
4. Andzejs Lebedevs (Latvia) 12 + 4th in final
5. Michael Jepsen Jensen (Denmark) 10
6. Anders Thomsen (Denmark) 9
7. Martin Vaculik (Slovakia) 8
8. Mateusz Cierniak (Poland) 7
9. Jan Kvech (Czechia) 7
10. Matej Zagar (Slovenia) 6
11. Kim Nilsson (Sweden) 5
12. Kevin Wolbert (Germany) 4
13. Bastian Pedersen (Denmark) 4
14. Kai Huckenbeck (Germany) 4
15. Francis Gusts (Latvia) 3
16. Mathias Pollestad (Norway) 3
17. Rasmus Jensen (Denmark) 1
18. Mikkel Andersen (Denmark) 1
