Saturday afternoon starts the battle for this year's individual European Championship title and thus a place in the Grand Prix series 2021. All five TAURON SEC races are run in Poland - where the world elite is already located - but due to the involuntary break in the spring months, the series is eagerly awaited . With European champion Mikkel Michelsen in front, Denmark has four drivers to start.
By Ib Søby
The spring has been a nightmare for the Polish organizers, ONE Sport, who had planned that this year's European Championship series would be kicked off with a bang at Vojens Speedway Center. After a series of races in Northern Europe, the champion - as last year - was to be found at the giant Slaski Stadium in the Katowice suburb of Chorzow.
That is not how it should be in 2020.
Seen in that light, one only has to lighten the hat for Jan Koniekiewiecz and his staff at ONE Sport. They have managed to stack a series on its feet in the month of July, with four departments on Wednesdays - after Saturday's opening at Marian Rose Stadium in Torun.
Some tongues will argue that the Poles will sit on all international speedway, but in this case common sense speaks for ONE Sport. Several leagues are likely to start in early August, just as the World Cup Grand Prix series kicks off, in an as yet unknown format, in the late summer.
That’s why we need to enjoy this summer’s SEC, which ends July 29th.
It is also the first time this year that we will experience a direct and individual test of strength, among some of the world's best speedway drivers. For example, world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik is on Saturday on a wildcard, one of which is given for each round.
Oddly enough, you have to go all the way back to 2010 to find a Polish European Champion. It was Sebastian Ulamek who then won the one-day final in Tarnow.
The four Danes, Mikkel Michelsen, Leon Madsen, Nicki Pedersen and Michael Jepsen Jensen, seem in good shape, and have all delivered double-digit points, during the first three rounds of the Polish league. All four are in the favorite field for the overall title, along with Russian Grigory Laguta and Poles Kryzstof Kasprzak, Bartosz Smektala and Kacpar Woryna.
The Discovery channels in Denmark broadcast the SEC with Lars Munkedal and SES - Sønderjylland Elite Speedway captain Hans Andersen behind the microphones.
TAURON SEC 2020
04. July 17.00 Torun
08. July 19.00 Bydgoszcz
July 15 19.00 Gniezno
July 22 19.00 Rybnik
July 29 19.00 Torun
TAURON SEC Field 2020
Grigorij Laguta (Russia)
Krzysztof Kasprzak (Poland)
3. Vaclav Milik (Czech Rep.)
David Bellego (France)
Nicki Pedersen (Denmark)
Michael Jepsen Jensen (Denmark)
Andrey Kudryashov (Russia)
Kai Huckenbeck (Germany)
Robert Lambert (Great Britain)
10. Bartosz Zmarzlik (Poland) - wild card in 1st round
11. Mikkel Michelsen (Denmark)
12. Timo Lathi (Finland) - replaces an injured Andzejs Lebedevs
13. Kacper Woryna (Poland)
Bartosz Smektała (Poland)
Leon Madsen (Denmark)
Peter Ljung (Sweden)
17. Igor Kopeć - Sobczyński (Poland)
Karol Żupiński (Poland)
10 YEARS MASTERS
2019 Mikkel Michelsen, DEN
2018 Leon Madsen, DEN
2017 Andzejs Lebedews, LET
2016 Nicki Pedersen, DEN
2015 Emil Saytfudinov, RUS
2014 Emil Saytfudinov, RUS
2013 Martin Vaculik, SLK
2012 Ales Dryml, jr, CZE
2011 Grigory Laguta, RUS
2010 Sebastian Ulamek, POL