The 2025 Flat Track World Championship roared to life in Terenzano, Italy, on the light-soiled oval just outside Udine. On Sunday, May 25, riders from around the globe—not just Europe but also Argentina and the United States—were greeted by an unusually large Italian crowd (credit to Moto Club Olimpia of Terenzano for the excellent event promotion) and a mild spring day, a welcome change after a rainy Saturday. Conditions were nearly perfect: moderate temperatures and a consistently well-prepared track surface.
The opening heat went to defending champion Sammy Halbert, making his debut on the Husqvarna prepped by the Italian OMT team. He had to work hard for it, though, as young Austrian Max Hellmann took the early lead and made Halbert sweat before surrendering the top spot. Svedik finished third, with Kevin Corradetti—first among the Italians—taking fourth. The second heat brought a surprise win from German underdog Marius Kircher, who was only on the grid due to a last-minute replacement for the injured Christian Stange. Solid starts also from Krajčovič, who edged out Tonelli and Janoušek.
The second round of heats quickly awarded 7 points to Ondřej Svědík, 6 to Hellmann, and 5 to Kircher. Halbert came out on top again, with Bailo in second and Giacomo Bossetti third. Krajčovič hit the deck but bounced back fast, clawing his way up to a 3-point finish. Corradetti finally capitalized on his free practice pace—where he’d set the fastest time—by dominating the third heat of the round.
The third set of heats saw wins by Bailo over the consistent Kircher and Van Meer, Krajčovič over Tonelli and Svědík, and once again Halbert, who remained undefeated at that point. His perfect streak ended in the fourth heat, however, when he was penalized for creeping on the starting grid. Forced to start from the back, he battled back to fourth in a heat won by Krajčovič. The final two outings saw 7 points go to Ukraine’s Ohorodnik—a surprise after two zeroes and a 1—and another strong heat from Svědík.
At the end of the heats, the provisional standings had Sammy Halbert leading with 25 points, followed closely by Ervin Krajčovič and Ondřej Svědík at 24, Tonelli at 22, and Corradetti at 20. Also advancing directly to the final were Bailo, Hellmann, Kircher, Janoušek, and Bossetti.
The Last Chance Qualifier, a 5-lap dash, featured a tight battle between Markus Jell, Santiago Arangio, and Michele Guerra, who had taken the holeshot. Jell claimed the win, with Arangio also securing a spot in the Final. Guerra, making his World Championship debut, missed out by just one position.
The Final began with drama: pole-sitter Sammy Halbert twitched slightly before the lights went out and was penalized, forced to start from the penalty lane—a controversial call by the referee, but one that stood. Svědík grabbed the holeshot and led the early laps, with Krajčovič and Tonelli right on his tail. Corradetti briefly held third, but Tonelli made the pass. Halbert launched into a desperate charge from the back, climbing to sixth behind Bailo on the Zaeta, but the front trio were putting on a show.
Tonelli favored the inside line while Krajčovič hunted for speed around the outside. Tonelli briefly took the lead from Svědík but was soon passed by the 2023 World Champion, who then overtook Svědík as well. The battle was clean, intense, and cut short only by a crash involving Bailo and Corradetti, with the latter excluded.
Final race results of the 2025 Flat Track World Championship opener:
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🥇 Ervin Krajčovič (KTM)
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🥈 Daniele Tonelli (TM)
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🥉 Ondřej Svědík (KTM)
Gerard Bailo took fourth, followed by Halbert, Hellmann, Kircher, Arangio, Janoušek, Jell, and Bossetti—who couldn’t turn his earlier pace into a strong final result. Corradetti was officially classified last of the Final due to disqualification.
Among the other Italians, all of whom were making their FIM Flat Track debuts:
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Michele Guerra impressed with 13th overall, scoring 11 points and two fourth-place finishes.
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Alex Dalla Valle, racing as a wild card, finished 18th.
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Stefano Casiraghi placed 24th with 4 points before an early exit after a collision with Kircher in his last heat.
Notably absent from the top spots were the strong British duo of Tim Neave and Jack Bell. Neave started well with a third place in his first heat but crashed hard in his third, slamming into the barriers in a high-speed mistake that luckily didn’t result in serious injuries. He suffered a knee issue and, more critically, a bike failure that ruled him out of the Last Chance. Bell had a subdued day, with only a second-place finish in Heat 2 to his name.
Finally, best wishes go out to young Finnish rider Saku Purtilo, who started strong but suffered a crash in his fourth outing and was unfortunately run over by Van Meer. He ended the day in the emergency room in Udine but thankfully avoided major injury.
A well-earned shoutout goes to the FIM for finally stepping up their media game—launching a dedicated Instagram channel and providing free live streams of every race. Exactly what this sport needs to gain momentum in Europe, where it remains niche but full of potential.
