Severe flash flooding struck the village of Rudno nad Hronom in Žarnovica district on 17 May 2021 The dam of a reservoir near the village is thought to have broken after recent heavy rainfall The ensuing flood waters damaged homes and dragged vehicles through streets of the village Slovakia’s Fire and Rescue Service (HaZZ) said one person was swept away and was later found without signs of life The Ministry of the Interior said that the flooding also destroyed multiple bridges and damaged gas connections The mayor of the village declared an emergency situation in the village Prime Minister Eduard Heger expressed his sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of the victim and will visit the affected areas on 18 May 2021 Flooding was reported elsewhere in the country with teams from HaZZ carrying out interventions to drain flood water and clean-up flood damage in Trenčín (49 interventions) Banská Bystrica (25) and Nitra (22) regions Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMU) issued Level 3 (highest) flood warnings for 8 districts on 18 May 2021 Richard Davies is the founder of floodlist.com and reports on flooding news Cookies | Privacy | Contacts © Copyright 2025 FloodList This section of the website is exclusively reserved for members of the FIM Family: CONUs members and honorary members of the commissions You are a member of the FIM Family and do not have your access? Do not hesitate to contact us Sign in The FIM is also involved in non-sport activities - tourism or sport-related activities such as women in motorcycling sustainability is linked to both sporting and non-sporting areas as is the educational side we are developing to get the new generation on 2 wheels We inform you about all aspects of the motorcycling world The second pair of Qualifying rounds to decide the line-up for the FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship Challenge are scheduled for this coming Saturday (25 May) at Lonigo in Italy and Žarnovica in Slovakia meaning we are just days away from confirming the riders who will compete at Pardubice in the Czech Republic on 4 October   At stake in Pardubice will be four priceless permanent places in the 2025 FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship (SGP) but before that showdown there is more pressing business to be taken care of with thirty-six riders still to fight for their right to compete at the Challenge event   With eight hungry hopefuls already through following the first Qualifying rounds at Abensberg in Germany and Debrecen in Hungary earlier this week the final field will be completed with four riders progressing from Italy and four from Slovakia although in the event of no Czechs making the cut only three will go through from Žarnovica with the final place in Pardubice taken by a Czech wild card   There is not much to choose between the starting line-ups in Lonigo and Žarnovica with both featuring three riders who have competed in the 2024 SGP series although on paper at least the Italian event looks slightly stronger based on this season’s results so far Australia’s Jack Holder surely starts favourite The twenty-eight-year-old from New South Wales was a member of the victorious team at the 2022 FIM Speedway of Nations (SON) and is currently sitting second in the SGP standings having scored a win and a third from the three events already contested this season   The formbook suggests Holder’s main opposition could come from Dan Bewley who is sixth in the SGP points table although the twenty-four-year-old British rider – who was a member of the winning team at the 2021 SON – is still looking for his first podium finish of the season the event has attracted a strong Italian contingent looking to take advantage of racing on home shale and there will also be racers from Argentina Denmark and Sweden in a truly international field Žarnovica also boasts its own big-hitters with Britain’s Robert Lambert among the favourites who mounted the top step of the podium alongside Bewley at the 2021 SON has started the SGP season in sparkling form and following the opening three rounds sits fourth in the points table with a podium finish at round two in Poland Just three places behind Lambert in the SGP standings Martin Vaculik will be aiming to use home advantage to maximum effect At least thirteen nations will be represented in Žarnovica, making it another international line-up that is only appropriate given the potentially career-changing prize that awaits four riders in Pardubice. You can watch the action live from Lonigo and Žarnovica on www.FIM-MOTO.TV The final eight riders progressing to the 2024 FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship Challenge were decided today following the last pair of Qualifying rounds – staged in Žarnovica in Slovakia and Lonigo in Italy – to determine the starting line-up at Pardubice in the Czech Republic on 4 October   At stake in the autumn will be four invaluable full-time positions behind the tapes for the 2025 FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship (SGP) and with such a glittering prize awaiting them in Pardubice it was no surprise that competitors at both Qualifying rounds came out fighting Despite carrying a shoulder injury the star of the show in Žarnovica was Denmark’s Anders Thomsen who was fifteenth in last year’s SGP series after missing the final three rounds following hand surgery dropped just one point during the course of the afternoon to book his place in Pardubice Sharing the lead after the opening block of four Heats with Robert Lambert from Great Britain home favourite Martin Vaculik and Luke Becker from the USA Thomsen moved to the front on his own when he won his second Heat and he maintained this advantage after victory in his third Heat took his total to nine points With the top four booking their places in Pardubice as long as a Czech rider qualified for the Challenge event Poland’s Patryk Dudek moved into contention tied with Lambert on eight points following the third block of Heats with swift Swede Oliver Berntzon next in line on seven Becker revived his hopes of making the cut when he inflicted Thomsen’s only defeat of the afternoon in his fourth Heat which moved him up to eight points three behind Thomsen who was now tied at the top with Dudek ahead of a three-way tie on nine points between Australia’s Brady Kurtz Thomsen then made sure of the top step of the podium with his fourth win of the afternoon in his final Heat but behind him the tension was reaching boiling point A retirement in his third Heat had put Vaculik – currently sitting seventh in SGP – on the back foot and despite signing off with two wins he ended the day tied with Becker for fifth while a second-placed finish behind Kurtz ensured Dudek went through leaving the Australian joint third with Lambert who also won his final Heat In the Run-Off for the third step of the podium – and the final guaranteed place in the Challenge event – it was Kurtz who came out on top leaving Lambert with an anxious wait to see if Jan Kvěch the only remaining Czech rider in the competition would make the cut from the evening programme at Lonigo Kvěch was in fine form just a few hours later and the twenty-two-year-old only dropped one point to top the Italian podium and comfortably progress to the Challenge event With two wins and two second places from his opening four Heats in Italy Dan Bewley went into his final Heat knowing that second would secure him a place in the top four but the twenty-five-year-old British racer – currently sixth in the SGP standings – was not about to settle for position and he raced to his third win of the programme to end the evening a clear second Holding down second in the 2024 SGP title fight Australia’s Jack Holder was one of the pre-race favourites but after dropping points in his first two Heats he needed back-to-back wins in his third and fourth Heats to drag himself back into contention before he made sure of his place in Pardubice with second in his fifth Heat Local hero Michele Paco Castagna had started the evening with three wins before a single point in his fourth Heat dropped him into the danger zone but he fired back with second in his final Heat race to tie with Holder before losing third in the Run-Off to the Australian The first four from both Slovakia and Italy will now join the eight successful riders from Monday’s two Qualifying rounds in Germany and Hungary for a date with destiny in the Czech Republic on 4 October STREAM LIVE ON www.FIM-MOTO.TV | Copyright 2025 FIM Europe | Terms of use - Privacy statement | Slovak star Martin Vaculik took a giant stride closer towards sealing a 2024 FIM Speedway Grand Prix spot by booking his place at the FIM GP Challenge Vaculik topped the podium on 14 points at the qualifying round in his home city Zarnovica on Saturday to secure his passage to the FIM GP Challenge at Swedish track Gislaved on August 19 The top three riders in the Challenge will be the first riders to qualify for the 2024 Speedway GP series meaning Vaculik is just five good rides away from securing a return ticket for next season’s World Championship He’s joined in Gislaved by former Polish champion Szymon Wozniak A run-off took place to decide the final two qualifiers after Speedway GP rider Robert Lambert tied on 12 points with Denmark’s Frederik Jakobsen and American racer Luke Becker both Becker and Jakobsen overhauled Lambert in the run-off to knock the world No.5 out of the qualifiers But another top-six finish in this season’s Speedway GP series will also guarantee Lambert’s place in the 2024 SGP line-up Triple Australian champion Max Fricke was also a surprise casualty in Zarnovica while former World Under-21 champion Bartosz Smektala fell short on nine Prague FIM Speedway GP of Czech Republic wild card Vaclav Milik missed the cut on five former world No.6 Piotr Pawlicki edged closer to securing a Speedway GP return by winning his qualifier at Italian track Lonigo The Wroclaw man won the meeting on 13 points on what turned out to be a special day for Italian speedway Both home heroes Nicolas Covatti and Paco Castagna blazed through to the FIM GP Challenge on 12 points apiece The trio took part in a run-off for second place on the day with Covatti taking victory ahead of Kvech and Castagna Sweden’s Oliver Berntzon just missed out on 11 points falling just short of taking his place at the FIM GP Challenge on his home track in Gislaved.  But if no Swedish riders make it through the qualifiers at German track Abensberg or Hungarian circuit Debrecen on Monday Berntzon could yet receive a wild card for the Challenge as the host nation is guaranteed a representative in the event Former world No.3 Niels-Kristian Iversen also missed the cut in Lonigo on 10 points while Finnish international Timo Lahti and former World Under-21 champion Jaimon Lidsey exited on nine and Great Britain star Tom Brennan fell short on eight Three more Speedway GP riders bid for FIM GP Challenge places at the remaining qualifiers with Jason Doyle and Kim Nilsson contesting the Abensberg round and Jack Holder heading to Debrecen DEBRECEN LINE-UP: 1 Michael Jepsen Jensen (Denmark) EKSTRALIGA | VACULIK LEADS GORZOW TO DERBY DELIGHT ZMARZLIK LANDS MAXIMUM POINTS IN LANDSHUT AFTER SPEEDWAY GP & SPRINT DOUBLE ZMARZLIK TAKES SPEEDWAY GP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD AFTER WINNING LANDSHUT SPRINT RACE Czech racer Jan Kvech took a stride closer to securing FIM Speedway Grand Prix qualification for 2025 after topping the podium at Italian track Lonigo to book his place at the FIM SGP Challenge in Pardubice on October 4 Kvech is one of SEVEN Speedway GP riders who will defend their place in the series on the opening night of the Czech track’s famous Golden Helmet weekend where the top four riders are guaranteed places in the 2025 Speedway GP series German racer Kai Huckenbeck and Poland’s Dominik Kubera in the FIM SGP Challenge Swedish racer Antonio Lindback and Poland’s Przemyslaw Pawlicki are all battling for returns to the series while former Danish champion Rasmus Jensen former Aussie champion Brady Kurtz and Italian star Paco Castagna are all bidding to qualify for the first time who represents his country in the Orlen FIM Speedway GP of Czech Republic – Prague next Saturday crashed out of the Trans MF FIM Speedway GP of Germany – Landshut last Saturday and underwent a week of intense physio on a hand injury It paid off big time as he won the SGP qualifier at Lonigo on 14 points – dropping just one to Speedway GP rival Dan Bewley in his third ride Kvech will now be the sole Czech rider in the FIM SGP Challenge which takes place just six days after the 2024 SGP finale in Torun on September 28 GB star Bewley will also take part in the FIM SGP Challenge after finishing second in Lonigo on 13 points Speedway GP World Championship contender Jack Holder is currently second in this year’s series – firmly inside the top-six automatic qualification places for 2025 But he finished third in Italy to secure himself the insurance policy of an FIM SGP Challenge spot He defeated home hero Paco Castagna in a run-off for third place after they tied on 12 points Former World Under-21 champion Jaimon Lidsey just missed out on 11 with Germany’s Kevin Wolbert exiting on 10 and current SGP star Szymon Wozniak – third at the 2023 FIM SGP Challenge – falling short of this year’s event after scoring nine In the day’s earlier qualifier at Slovak circuit Zarnovica former Danish champion Anders Thomsen stepped up his Speedway GP return bid as he topped the podium on 14 points He was followed into the FIM SGP Challenge by former world No.2 Patryk Dudek Aussie international Brady Kurtz defeated GB racer Robert Lambert in a run-off for third place after they tied on 12 Lambert was in danger of missing out on a Pardubice place with only three qualifiers guaranteed from the Zarnovica round to allow one spot for a home wild card at the FIM SGP Challenge if no Czech rider qualified for the meeting Lambert breathes a huge sigh of relief as he takes his place in Pardubice Slovak star Martin Vaculik made a shock exit from the qualifiers on his boyhood track – scoring 10 points – a total matched by American international Luke Becker Sweden’s 2021 SGP regular Oliver Berntzon fell short on nine along with Czech racer Vaclav Milik who misses out on the FIM SGP Challenge at his home club Pardubice FIM SGP CHALLENGE LINE-UP (not in riding order): Kai Huckenbeck (Germany) Slovak star Martin Vaculik says he realised a childhood dream after sending Marketa Stadium wild with an unforgettable Prague FIM Speedway GP of Czech Republic victory on Saturday The Bratislava-based racer made regular trips to the famous Marketa Stadium as a child before honing his skills in the Czech league with his hometown team Zarnovica Tonight Vaculik lined up in Prague as one of the world’s top riders and he was elated to triumph in the final ahead of triple world champion Tai Woffinden of Great Britain and Australia’s 2017 world champion Jason Doyle After taking his speedway journey full circle at the Czech Republic’s biggest speedway event Racing in Prague is always something special for me I love the city and I have spent a lot of time here since my junior years “My big dream was always to win the Grand Prix here I came here with my father and I watched the meetings Now I am in the Grand Prix and my dream has come true I stood on a different side of the fence and I shouted for Tony Rickardsson I asked if they would take a picture with me It really is a dream come true and this is a very special moment for me.” Vaculik’s victory propels him up to ninth in the Speedway GP World Championship on 29 points His 20-point haul for topping the Prague podium is a huge improvement on the combined total of nine he scored across the opening two rounds in Donji Kraljevec The Gorzow rider believes he is now finding his form He said: “Since the beginning of the season I now feel in a good way with my equipment “I feel I am gating well and my team is working very well together We are working hard and keeping calm and composed “We are trying our best and I am so pleased with a result like today You really need to be focused all the time so you need to be present and enjoy the moment.” Runner-up Woffinden was pleased to take another step forward in his Speedway GP campaign after reaching his first final of 2022 to move up to fifth place in the standings on 32 points – closing the gap on leader Bartosz Zmarzlik said: “We didn’t have the greatest first round in Croatia but I made the semis at the second round in Warsaw the goal was to make the final and we did that I said before tonight that I don’t mind a challenge and here we are Third-placed Doyle won back-to-back Speedway GP rounds in Prague in 2016 and 2017 and has now reached five Marketa Stadium finals he was pleased to return to the rostrum for the first time since 2020 but to be on the podium is a massive honour – especially when we come to Prague not just the ones who ride the slick tracks I would like to say congratulations to Martin It’s a great honour to be on the podium tonight.” The World Championship action comes thick and fast with the FIM Speedway GP of Germany – Teterow just seven days away on June 4 SPEEDWAY GP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Bartosz Zmarzlik 44 PRAGUE FIM SPEEDWAY GP OF CZECH REPUBLIC SCORES: 1 Martin Vaculik 20 Twenty-four riders from eleven countries aged 12-15 fought in twenty-five heats for the title of the European 125 Youth Track Racing Cup in Žarnovica Thanks to the perfect job of the organizers the race took place on a very well-prepared track despite the hot weather of the past few days Twelve-year-old Polish Franciszek Szczyrba won the race without losing a point after five winning runs Latvian Andzejs Smulkevics finished second The fight for the title was fierce as three riders had just three points less than the winner: Polish riders Dawid Oscenda and Mieszko Mudlo He defeated both Polish in the run of heat for the bronze medal The fight for a coveted place behind the tapes at the 2025 FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship (SGP) gets under way in just a few days’ time when a series of Qualifying rounds are staged in Abensberg in Germany and Debrecen in Hungary this coming Monday (20 May) and in Lonigo in Italy and Žarnovica in Slovakia the following Saturday (25 May)   A total of seventy-two competitors will line up across the four events with the top four riders from each transferring to the FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship Challenge event at Pardubice in the Czech Republic on 4 October   In the event of no Czech riders progressing via the Qualifying rounds only the top three finishers from Žarnovica will go through and the final place at the Challenge will be filled by a Czech wild card The top four riders in Pardubice – increased from three in 2023 – will earn their places among the elite riders in the 2025 SGP series   With only the top six from this year’s SGP series gaining a guaranteed automatic place in the 2025 line-up the Challenge has once again attracted a high-class entry with a number of current SGP stars who view the event as additional insurance for the following season opting to compete   Winner of the Challenge in 2023 that was held in Gislaved in Sweden Australia’s Jason Doyle is currently leading the 2024 SGP standings after two rounds with Slovakian Martin Vaculik and Poland’s Szymon Wozniak – who completed the Challenge podium last year – both holding down positions inside the top ten   Among the 2024 SGP riders taking to the shale on Monday is Andzejs Lebedevs who has so far achieved a season-best finish of twelfth which came at the second round of the championship in Warsaw in Poland in the middle of May The Latvian will contest the qualifying round in Debrecen where riders he will line up against include Frederik Jakobsen from Denmark Sweden’s Jacob Thorssell and Polish racer Przemyslaw Pawlicki who all made it through to last year’s Challenge event before being eliminated   The Qualifying rounds are always a truly international occasion and this year’s entry for Debrecen alone features competitors from three continents and thirteen different nations Monday’s action kicks off in the Wack Hofmeister Speedway Stadium with the first Heat scheduled for 14:00 local time Racing in the Perényi Pál Salakmotor Stadion in Debrecen is scheduled to start at 16:00 local time You can watch the action live from Abensberg, Lonigo and Žarnovica on FIM-MOTO.TV. STREAM THE ACTION LIVE HERE! Danish club Holsted marks its 50th anniversary in by staging the FIM SGP Challenge on Saturday The stakes are high in one of world speedway’s most fiercely contested events as the top four riders earn guaranteed places in the 2026 FIM Speedway Grand Prix series It’s the first time Denmark has staged the final round of the Speedway GP qualifiers since Vojens Speedway Center – another venue celebrating 50 years of racing in 2025 – hosted the 2010 FIM SGP Challenge – won by 2021 SGP world champion Artem Laguta This year’s event FIM SGP Challenge took place at Czech track Pardubice on October 4 which saw Aussie duo Brady Kurtz and Max Fricke Danish racer Anders Thomsen and Polish star Dominik Kubera all book their places in the 2025 Speedway GP series Places in the FIM SGP Challenge will be up for grabs at three Speedway GP qualification rounds which take place at Slovak circuit Zarnovica and Italian club Lonigo on June 7 with the third and final qualifier to be staged at German venue Abensberg on June 9 There will also be three qualification rounds for the 2025 FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship (SGP2) series on May 24 British track Glasgow and Hungarian circuit Debrecen The top four riders in each round will book their spot in the SGP2 series with three final spots set to be handed to three permanent wild cards The championship will be contested across three rounds in Malilla (July 4) The sport’s top 250cc under-16 stars head for former FIM Slovenian Speedway GP venue Krsko on May 24 with 16 places on the line at the FIM SGP3 Final – Prague on Friday European U19 Individual Speedway Cup: the Final FIM Europe President Martin de Graaff and organizer and FIM Europe Track Race commission member Jakub Zliehovacia Former Speedway GP star Anders Thomsen faces a race against time to be fit for Saturday’s FIM Speedway Grand Prix qualifiers after suffering a dislocated shoulder at Vojens on Wednesday Thomsen crashed in heat five of the club’s Danish Speedwayligaen home match with Slangerup and was taken to hospital where tests confirmed he suffered no fractures According to Vojens’ official Facebook page Thomsen’s shoulder “jumped out of the joint” and he is set to undergo treatment at Team Denmark’s physio centre in Århus ahead of his SGP qualifier at Slovak circuit Zarnovica on Saturday The post read: “Anders Thomsen has been for a checkup at Odense University Hospital after the crash last night “Jacob Olsen says that Anders' shoulder had jumped out of the joint and that he will be treated at Team Denmark in Århus in the next few days “We wish Anders a speedy recovery and hope he'll be ready for Saturday when he'll be riding in a SGP qualification round.” Thomsen takes on the likes of local hero Martin Vaculik Swedish star Oliver Berntzon and German young gun Norick Blodorn The other qualifier takes place at Italian track Lonigo and features Speedway GP world title contender Jack Holder and three-time SGP winner Dan Bewley Speedway GP newcomers Jan Kvech and Szymon Wozniak are also in action along with former World Under-21 champion Jaimon Lidsey Latvian star Francis Gusts and Italian star Paco Castagna The race to qualify for the 2025 FIM Speedway Grand Prix series will climax on the iconic Golden Helmet weekend in Pardubice with the FIM GP Challenge heading to the famous Czech circuit on Friday The top three riders will guarantee their places in the 2025 Speedway GP series with one of speedway’s most hard-fought contests – raced over a nail-biting 20 heats with no semi-finals or finals – coming just six days after the final round of the 2024 Speedway GP series in Torun the FIM GP Challenge takes place in the middle of summer – meaning some of the riders involved may have the chance to secure Speedway GP qualification by finishing in the SGP World Championship’s top six or by winning the Speedway European Championship even if they miss out on the Challenge podium But with the FIM GP Challenge at the end of the season next year it means the final confirmed Speedway GP places will be up for grabs in Pardubice – ensuring it will truly be the last-chance saloon for those seeking to guarantee their spot in the 2025 series The FIM GP Challenge is set to be the opening event of Pardubice’s always-popular Golden Helmet weekend which sees riders from all over the world compete for the Golden Helmet on Sunday is one of the most sought-after trophies in the sport beyond the FIM Speedway championships and always attracts a stellar line-up of riders There will be two more speedway events in Pardubice on Saturday as the Golden Ribbon for the sport’s junior stars and round five of the FIM Flat Track World Championship also take place There will be four qualifying rounds for the FIM GP Challenge German track Abensberg and Hungarian circuit Debrecen host rounds on May 20 with Italian venue Lonigo and Slovak track Zarnovica staging the final two on May 25 The battles for places in the 2024 FIM SGP2 series – the FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship – will be staged in Ludwigslust (Germany) Terenzano (Italy) and Macon (France) on Saturday regardless of where they finished in the 2023 championship The qualifiers are just six days before the series-opening FIM SGP2 of Sweden – Malilla on Friday on a weekend with also features the FIM Speedway GP of Sweden – Malilla and the 2024 FIM Speedway Youth World Cup (SGP4) The two FIM SGP3 Semi-Finals will be raced at Teterow’s Bergring Arena on Saturday with the top riders advancing to the FIM SGP3 Final at Gorzow’s Edward Jancarz Stadium on Friday June 28 – the night before the FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Gorzow on June 29 And the FIM Track Racing Youth Gold Trophy for the sport’s youngest talents will be staged in Zarnovica on July 21