See Slammin' Sammy Halbert in action at King's Lynn this weekend
By Team TMX on 21st Aug 24
The battle for supremacy in the 2024 FIM Flat Track World Championship powered by Anlas, Kineo, Blackburst and HKC Koopmann resumes this coming Saturday (24 August) when the sport’s steel-shoed superstars take to the track at King’s Lynn in Great Britain for round three.
With two rounds down and four to go, it is American flat track idol Sammy Halbert who holds a narrow four-point lead at the top of the standings following his impressive performances last month at Boves-Cuneo in Italy and Meissen in Germany when he backed up his third-placed finish at the opener with a commanding victory last time out.
The 36-year-old from the Pacific Northwest is a relative newcomer to the FIM Flat Track World Championship after making his debut last season, but he has gained a wealth of experience – and no shortage of accolades including an AMA Grand National Championship and an X-Games gold medal – racing in the USA.
Halbert will need to draw upon all his hard-won racecraft if he is to stay ahead of the world-class chasing pack led by two-time champion Lasse Kurvinen (KTM) from Finland and reigning champion Ervin Krajovi (KTM) from the Czech Republic.
A back-to-back champion in 2020 and 2021 before switching his focus to America, forty-five-year-old Kurvinen was victorious on his return to the series this year at Boves-Cuneo and after finishing fifth in Germany he currently sits second, just a point ahead of Krajovi who has started the defence of his title with impressive four-two finishes.
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Britain’s Tim Neave (Yamaha) will be hoping to make full use of home advantage. Born less than 100 kilometres from the event venue in the Adrian Flux Arena, the 29-year-old former national road racing star made his series debut last year and following a season of mixed results he appears to have found his form.
A sensational second place in Italy backed up with eighth in Germany places him ten points behind Halbert in fourth, but with so much in-depth talent in the series fighting for points he knows he cannot afford to let the leader pull too far ahead if he is to remain in contention for the crown.
Other riders who must be considered podium threats include the Czech Republic’s Ondej Svdík (Yamaha) who won last year when the championship got under way in Great Britain as well as Spain’s Gerard Bailo (Zaeta) who was champion in 2022 and runner-up last year, but is still looking for his best form in 2024. Italy’s Matteo Boncinelli (Beta) was second in 2022 and third last year and must not be discounted, along with his compatriot and 2021 runner-up Kevin Corradetti (GASGAS) and Germany’s Markus Jell who won bronze in 2021.
Another rider who is yet to put all the pieces of the puzzle together is Masatoshi Ohmori (Zaeta). Japan’s leading Flat Track racer who last contested the championship in 2022 when he finished the year in fifth, Ohmori is certainly capable of better results than his current position of 15th suggests.
The first Heat in the Adrian Flux Arena is scheduled to get under way at 19:00 local time. For more information click here.
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