HUCKENBECK'S HOME KNOWLEDGE

German racer Kai Huckenbeck hopes his home-track knowledge pays dividends as he gets ready for the Trans MF FIM Speedway GP of Germany – Landshut this Saturday.

Huckenbeck is in his first full season as a full-time Speedway GP rider and has already reached two semi-finals in as many rounds, leaving him seventh in the SGP World Championship on 20 points.

He will be determined to chase his first Speedway GP final as Landshut hosts its first SGP round since 1997 on Saturday.

Huckenbeck competed for the club in the Polish leagues in recent years, before they were forced to drop from the newly-named Metalkas Ekstraliga 2 into the National League after the second tier was taken over by the PGE Ekstraliga.

Having played a key role in establishing Landshut as a force in the Polish leagues before his winter move to Bydgoszcz, Huckenbeck hopes his local knowledge will pay dividends on a track his SGP rivals have rarely visited.

He said: “I really like the track in Landshut. I have been racing for them for the past few years in the league. It can be a bit tricky. It is a special track. 

"It’s quite easy to ride but it’s hard to be quick there. You need to know some spots on the track where you need to be. Hopefully I have a small advantage.”

With Germany’s Bundesliga lacking teams for 2024, Huckenbeck races in Poland and Sweden. He admits the nation’s top riders are forced to compete in foreign leagues to develop their careers.

There’s no doubt a big performance from Huckenbeck on the Speedway GP stage this season could help the sport’s resurgence in his homeland.

He said: “I hope speedway is going to come back in Germany. We only have two teams in our league. Since corona, it went downhill with meetings. I hope it’s going to rise again, and we have some young guys coming up. It’s tough to get into the foreign leagues as a German. When nobody knows you, it’s hard to get in there. 

“We have our wild card Norick Blodorn. He’s doing quite well. He is still young and he has a lot to learn. But I think he is going in a good way.”