European Speedway Championship: Norwegian debutant, Germany’s Kai Huckenbeck with a wildcard

Adam Ellis, Kai Huckenbeck and Mathias Pollestad have been awarded the three permanent wildcards for the 2026 Speedway European Championship, which begins on 18 July in Zielona Góra, Poland. As more than half the field is already filled following the qualifying rounds – with five riders from Poland and four from Denmark – it was to be expected that a certain degree of national diversity would be taken into account when awarding the wildcards. With the three riders mentioned, Great Britain, Germany and Norway are now each represented by one rider, alongside Latvia, the Czech Republic and Ukraine.

Huckenbeck, who competed in the Speedway Grand Prix for the past two seasons, put in an impressive performance at the European Championship race in Güstrow in 2025, where he took part on a one-day wildcard and secured a strong second place. Ellis returns to the European Championship after a three-year absence and, as the highest-placed British rider in the chaotic European Championship Challenge, missed out on qualification by just one point. One rider of particular interest is Mathias Pollestad, who was eliminated in eighth place during the qualifying round in Stralsund. Now aged 22, the Norwegian has already won two U19 European Championship medals and took bronze in last year’s SGP2.

Following the opening round of the Speedway European Championship in Grünberg in mid-July, the series moves to Güstrow on 5 September, where the second of four final races will take place. The season finale takes place on 2 October as part of the Gold Helmet race in Pardubice, following the event in Rzeszów on 19 September.

The field for this year’s European Championship is particularly strong: last year’s top six seeds are all competing in the Grand Prix as well.

2026 European Speedway Championship starting line-up:

2026 European Speedway Championship dates: