The 2026 FIM Long Track World Championship gets under way this coming Monday (13 July) at Marmande in south-west France where the sport’s biggest names, led by defending champion Zach Wajtknecht, will commence their campaigns to strike FIM gold this year.
  • 2026 FIM Long Track World Championship begins in Marmande
  • Britain’s Zach Wajtknecht gets defence of his crown under way
  • Talent-stacked entry includes five former champions

With three Finals deciding the destination of this year’s crown, contenders need to be up to speed from the start and Britain’s Wajtknecht – a construction engineer by trade – will be looking to build upon the foundations he laid last season when he clinched his debut FIM World Championship title at a dramatic concluding Final in the Netherlands.

Following the recent withdrawal of Martin Smolinski, all but two of last season’s top ten finishers will be returning for another attempt at the title.  The entry for Marmande is stacked with talent and the twenty-eight-year-old defending champion faces strong challenges from an international field of competitors – although his biggest test may come from a rider much closer to home.

Britain’s Chris Harris missed gold last season by just four points, won another silver in 2023 – when he led heading into the deciding Final – and bronze in 2022 and the forty-three-year-old would love to complete his collection of medals.

Included in the entry are four former champions including Germany’s Lukas Fienhage who does have a full collection of medals after taking gold in 2020 followed by silver in 2024 and bronze last season, but this will not stop him from wanting to add to his tally and Dutch star Romano Hummel – champion in 2021 – must also be considered a threat, despite contesting just one round in 2025.
The second former champion from Germany in action in Marmande, Erik Riss – whose father, Gerd, is the most decorated rider in the sport’s history with eight titles – won the championship in 2014 and again in 2016. Although over recent seasons he has concentrated on Speedway, the thirty-year-old was part of his country’s winning team at the 2022 and 2024 FIM Long Track of Nations and has impressed on his occasional appearances in the individual championship.

Enjoying home advantage in France, Dimitri Bergé – champion in 2019 – has not competed in the championship since winning in Marmande in 2021 and his presence on the starting list will certainly turn a few heads in the paddock.

Winner of last season’s concluding round, Dave Meijerink from the Netherlands was a career-best fourth in 2025 and the twenty-six-year-old – who won gold at the 2023 FIM Long Track of Nations – will want to climb into the medals this time around.

Out of the remaining competitors, only Britain’s Andrew Appleton finished on the podium last season when he was third in Scheessel, while Denmark’s Kenneth Kruse Hansen – following what for him was a below-par performance in 2025 – will be determined to add to the silver and bronze medals he already has in his trophy cabinet.

Add in dynamite Dutchman Mika Meijer, fast Finn Tero Aarnio and top-flight riders including Frenchman Jordan Dubernard and Germany’s Daniel Spiller alongside newcomers like Norway’s multiple Speedway national champion Glenn Moi and all the parts of the puzzle are in place for an electric opening Final.

The action from Marmande gets under way with tapes up on the opening Heat scheduled for 21:15 (local time).

Taking the FIM Long Track World Championship to a global audience, FIM-MOTO.TV will stream all rounds LIVE including behind-the-scenes footage, interviews and expert analysis with a season pass covering all three rounds as well as the FIM Long Track of Nations and FIM Long Track U23 World Cup priced at €39.90. A One Event Pass is priced at €9.90 and available exclusively on TapesUP TV.