• FIM Long Track Challenge staged at Morizès in south-west France
  • International entry assembles to fight for a place in sport’s elite
  • At stake are five permanent places in 2026 FIM Long Track World Championship

As only the top six from the 2025 FIM Long Track World Championship are guaranteed an automatic starting position next season – along with three wild card riders chosen by the FIM – the Challenge event has drawn entries from many of this year’s regular competitors as well as a number of less experienced, but equally ambitious racers and there is also a former FIM World Champion who we have not seen at elite level this year.

A total of twelve racers who have made appearances in the 2025 series will travel to Morizès, although the level of impact they have had so far this season varies greatly with the entry headed by Dutch star Dave Meijerink who currently sits fifth in the championship after three rounds, while Germany’s Timo Wachs has contested just a single round and failed to score.

Up-and-coming French rider Mathias Trésarrieu lives around fifty-five kilometres from Morizès and is holding seventh in this year’s series, one position behind British veteran Andrew Appleton who will also race on Saturday. Mika Meijer from the Netherlands and France’s Jordan Dubernard are both currently lying inside the top ten and both will attempt to book their places in the 2026 series at Morizès.

Fast Finn Tero Aarnio recorded a season-best finish of seventh last time out in Scheessel and will be keen to carry this form into Morizès, while French racer Tino Bouin and German duo Fabian Wachs and Mario Niedermeier have all scored points this season.

Denmark’s Jacob Bukhave was tenth in the 2024 FIM Long Track World Championship and is hoping to use Morizès as a springboard back into elite competition.

We have not seen Romano Hummel from the Netherlands in FIM Long Track World Championship action since the penultimate round of last year’s series, but the twenty-six-year-old – gold medal winner in 2021 – will line up in Morizès and there is a real sense of expectation surrounding his return.

With a strong entry completed by riders from Great Britain, Denmark, Finland, Norway, the Czech Republic and France, an exciting night in south-west France is guaranteed, even if the final finishing positions are far too close to call.

The action at Morizès is scheduled to get under way with the first Heat at 21:00 (local time).