Individual Speedway European Championship Explained

Individual Speedway European Championship
Current Season:2024 Speedway European Championship
Sport:motorcycle speedway
Founded:2001
(previously
European Final 1955-75)
Teams:16 riders
Champion: Mikkel Michelsen (2023)

The Individual Speedway European Championship is an annual individual speedway event organized by the European Motorcycle Union (UEM) to determine the champion of Europe. The competition was founded in 2001 and was initially staged as a one-off meeting before the single event was replaced by the Speedway European Championship series in 2012.

History

From 1955 to 1975, the European Final was staged as the final qualifying round for the World Speedway Championship, although this did not include British riders who had a separate qualifying round.[1] [2]

The European Championships were inaugurated in 2001, organised by European Motorcycle Union (UEM). In 2012 this was replaced by a series of four finals. Regardless of that, ISEC was struggling with prestige and promotion and the best European riders were mostly avoiding this contest.[3]

On 20 December 2012, at a press conference in Warsaw, Poland it was announced that the competition would be replaced by a new series similar in format to the Speedway Grand Prix. The Speedway European Championship series is promoted by One Sporta Ltd. from Poland for next three seasons (2013-2015).[4]

As of 2022, the competition is staged over four rounds in a Grand Prix format, with the winner being the rider who accumulates the most points over the four rounds. The minimum age of a rider to compete is 16 years of age (starting on the date of the rider's birthday).

Denmark is the most successful nation having had six champions, Jesper B. Jensen (2005), Nicki Pedersen (2016), Leon Madsen (2018 and 2022) and Mikkel Michelsen (2019 and 2021).

Winners

European Final (1955-1975)

width=35px Yearwidth=140px Venuewidth=230px Winnerswidth=230px 2nd placewidth=230px 3rd place
1955 Oslo Henry Andersen Olle Nygren Kjell Carlsson
1956 Oslo Ove Fundin Per Olof Söderman Ole Andersson
1957 Växjö Rune Sörmander Per Olof Söderman Josef Hofmeister
1958 Warsaw Ove Fundin Josef Hofmeister Rune Sörmander
1959 Göteborg Ove Fundin Josef Hofmeister Mieczysław Połukard
1960 Wrocław Marian Kaiser Ove Fundin Stefan Kwoczała
1961 Wieden Ove Fundin Björn Knutson Igor Plekhanov
1962 Oslo Björn Knutson Ove Fundin Göte Nordin
1963 Göteborg Björn Knutson Ove Fundin Per Olof Söderman
1964 Wrocław Zbigniew Podlecki Björn Knutson Boris Samorodov
1965 Slaný Ove Fundin Björn Knutson Antoni Woryna
1966 Wembley Ivan Mauger Barry Briggs Antoni Woryna
1967 Wrocław Andrzej Wyglenda Andrzej Pogorzelski Antoni Woryna
1968 Wrocław Paweł Waloszek Antoni Woryna Jerzy Trzeszkowski
1969 Olching Valeri Klementiev Edward Jancarz Torbjörn Harrysson
1970 Leningrad Ivan Mauger Vladimir Gordeev Gennady Kurilenko
1971 Wembley Ivan Mauger Ray Wilson Ole Olsen
1972 Wrocław Paweł Waloszek Ole Olsen Anders Michanek
1973 Abensberg Anders Michanek Ivan Mauger Vladimir Paznikov
1974 Wembley Peter Collins Ole Olsen Ivan Mauger
1975 Bydgoszcz Ivan Mauger Ole Olsen Phil Crump

Individual European Championship (2001-2011)

width=35px Yearwidth=140px Venuewidth=230px Winnerswidth=230px 2nd placewidth=230px 3rd place
2001 Heusden Zolder Bohumil Brhel (14 pts) Mariusz Staszewski (13 pts) Krzysztof Cegielski (12+3 pts)
2002 Rybnik Magnus Zetterström (12+3 pts) Krzysztof Kasprzak (12+2 pts) Rafał Szombierski (11+3 pts)
2003 Slaný Krzysztof Kasprzak (12+3 pts) Sławomir Drabik (12+2 pts) Magnus Zetterström (11 pts)
2004 Holsted Matej Žagar (14+3 pts) Matej Ferjan (14+2 pts) Hans N. Andersen (12 pts)
2005 Lonigo Jesper B. Jensen (14+3 pts) Aleš Dryml, Jr. (14+2 pts) Kai Laukkanen (12 pts)
2006 Miskolc Krzysztof Jabłoński (13+3 pts) Grzegorz Walasek (13+2 pts) Christian Hefenbrock (12 pts)
2007 Wiener Neustadt Jurica Pavlic (14 pts) Sebastian Ułamek (13 pts) Patrick Hougaard (11 pts)
2008 Lendava Matej Žagar (14 pts) Sebastian Ułamek (10+3+3 pts) Mads Korneliussen (10+2+2+2)
2009 Tolyatti Renat Gafurov (13+3 pts) Andriy Karpov (13+2 pts) Aleš Dryml, Jr. (13+1 pts)
2010 Tarnów Sebastian Ułamek (15 pts) Aleš Dryml, Jr. (12 pts) Andriy Karpov (11+3 pts)
2011 Rivne Grigory Laguta (14+3 pts) Tomasz Gapinski (14+2 pts) Aleš Dryml, Jr. (12 pts)

European Championship series (since 2012)

width=40px Yearwidth=130px Venuewidth=230px Winnerswidth=230px Runner-upwidth=230px 3rd place
2012Four events Aleš Dryml, Jr. (48 pts) Robert Miśkowiak (44 pts) Andriy Karpov (43 pts)
2013Four events Martin Vaculik (47 pts) Nicki Pedersen (44 pts) Grigory Laguta (42 pts)
2014Four events Emil Sayfutdinov (54 pts) Peter Kildemand (48 pts) Nicki Pedersen (44 pts)
2015Four events Emil Sayfutdinov (58 pts) Nicki Pedersen (55 pts) Antonio Lindbäck (51 pts)
2016Four events Nicki Pedersen (40 pts) Václav Milík (38 pts) Krzysztof Kasprzak (38 pts)
2017Four events Andžejs Ļebedevs (52 pts) Artem Laguta (45 pts) Václav Milík (44 pts)
2018Four events Leon Madsen (56 pts) Jarosław Hampel (45 pts) Robert Lambert (41 pts)
2019Four events Mikkel Michelsen (45 pts) Grigory Laguta (45 pts) Leon Madsen (39 pts)
2020Five events Robert Lambert (67 pts) Leon Madsen (64 pts) Grigory Laguta (52 pts)
2021Four events Mikkel Michelsen (53 pts) Leon Madsen (51 pts) Patryk Dudek (46 pts)
2022Four events Leon Madsen (53 pts) Janusz Kołodziej (52 pts) Mikkel Michelsen (45 pts)
2023Four events Mikkel Michelsen (52 pts) Leon Madsen (44 pts) Janusz Kołodziej (42 pts)

Medals classification

width=30pxPos width=130pxNational Team width=40pxTotal width=30px width=30px width=30px
1. 19766
2. 8422
3. 183105
4. 7232
5. 321
6. 312
7. 211
8. 11
11
11
11. 312
12. 11
11

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Bott, Richard. The Peter Collins Speedway Book No.4. 1980. 101. Stanley Paul & Co Ltd. 0-09-141751-1.
  2. Book: Oakes, Peter. 1981 Speedway Yearbook. 1981. 23. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. 0-86215-017-5.
  3. Web site: About SEC . www.speedwayeuro.com . 23 Feb 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121225014134/http://www.speedwayeuro.com/index.php?sub=aboutsec . 2012-12-25 .
  4. Web site: Żużlowe mistrzostwa Europy wkraczają w nową erę . pl . sportowefakty.pl . 20 Dec 2012 . 23 Feb 2013 .