Ducati extend lead at the top of the FIM Flat Track World Championship

VRX Dirt Store Ducati Race Team continue to set the pace in the FIM Flat Track World Championship after finishing second and fourth at Scheesel on Saturday.

The fifth round of the series on the 1,000-metre German circuit proved to be the first occasion in 2026 that Ducati were unable to provide the meeting winner.

But with Tim Neave taking runners-up spot to move into a clear championship lead, and Ashton Boughen fourth after dominating proceedings up to the Final, there were still useful points accumulated. The win on the day went to Jack Bell as the Triumph rider took his first-ever meeting victory and firmly established himself in title contention after a tremendous battle with Neave in the closing stages of the Final.

Conditions were greasy in the early stages after lunchtime rain, but Boughen stated his intentions by forcing his way past Bell and Saku Purtilo to win Heat 1.

Neave opened up with a second place in Heat 3 after a good battle with Ondej Svedik as they passed and repassed, and their second outing in Heat 6 produced the same result with Neave having to fight his way through from the back row of the grid. Boughen was a straightforward winner from the front row in Heat 6, and the first clash of the Ducati riders in Heat 7 saw an excellent scrap for the win, Neave hitting the front at the end of the opening lap before Boughen responded with an outside pass at the end of lap four.

Boughen had to come from the back to reel in Nikita Alyani and then Thomas Hunt in Heat 10, completing an unbeaten show in the qualifiers by passing his fellow countryman on the last lap.

Neave, meanwhile, notched his first win of the day in Heat 12 as he got the better of Bell leaving them tied on 25 points along with Bailo, three behind Boughen and one behind Svedik.

The Final, over ten laps, was another thriller with the three British riders starting together on the front row only for Menno Van Meer to be the surprise early leader as Boughen was forced back into the pack on turn two. Svedik took over up front at the end of lap one as Bell went second, and the race briefly settled down with the Ducati riders in third and fourth, moving back into contention on lap four when Svedik and Bell contested the lead and lost time as a result.

On the seventh lap Neave made it around the outside of Svedik to go into second place, and he then closed on Bell which led to a fabulous last lap battle.

As the riders exited the second bend, Neave made his move on the outside and appeared to get himself in front, but Bell remained in contention down the long back straight and reclaimed the lead going into turn three, holding on to take the chequered flag for his first win in the series.

Neave therefore had to be content with second place and the championship lead, gaining an additional point for fastest lap in the Final. With Boughen fourth, it means the Ducati riders are separated by five points overall in the standings with Bell a further 13 points adrift, whilst defending Champion Ervin Krajcovic lost ground as he could only finish 10th. Ducati have a healthy 24-point advantage over Triumph in the manufacturers’ standings. Round six of ten comes up rapidly this weekend in the UK at King’s Lynn this Saturday (August 29).

Image courtesy of Jesper Veldhuizen