Italian star Paco Castagna has home heroics in his sights as he bids to deliver life-changing performances in Terenzano and Lonigo this summer.
Italy hosts two vital events, starting with the Speedway European Championship Challenge in Lonigo on June 13, with the top five riders advancing into this summer’s four-round SEC series, which sees the winner earn a place in the 2027 Speedway GP series.
World Championship qualification will then be on the line at the FIM SGP Challenge in Terenzano on July 25, where the top four riders secure places in the 2027 Speedway GP line-up.
Castagna will be hoping to qualify for both Challenges. He has started the year racing in the latter stages of the Argentinian Championship in a bid to recover from the broken shoulder he suffered at the Golden Helmet event in Pardubice last September.
While he pledges to take his season step-by-step, as he prepares to race for British clubs King’s Lynn and Edinburgh and German team Landshut in Poland’s National League, he admits both qualifiers are also firmly in his sights.
He said: “Those are two big meetings. The one in Terenzano will be a huge, huge meeting and I am not really looking into it too much right now. I want to take it step by step.
“When I am home, I want to do a lot of testing. Then I know that I will be very busy between the UK and Europe.
“The SGP Challenge is a big meeting that is marked in red on the calendar. But I don’t want to look too far forward. I want to focus on what I am doing at the moment and be as ready as I can be when the times comes.”
The Terenzano track was known for being a long, slick, technical test during its days as a Speedway GP venue from 2009 until 2013. But Castagna believes it will be a more even playing field for the 2026 FIM SGP Challenge.
He said: “They have changed the size of the track in Terenzano and it’s a much more open track. The one where we used to race GPs back in the day was a bit longer and narrower. People didn’t used to like it, and that’s where it gave you an advantage. Now it is a bit more open, and everybody can really go fast there. It’s going to be quite interesting.”
Castagna hopes to capitalise on home advantage to become Italy’s first full-time Speedway GP rider since his father Armando competed in the 1998 series.
He said: “You can have a home-track advantage in terms of experience on the track. But then on the other side, you have extra pressure in terms of the place where you are racing. I just want to focus on the positive side of it and know that if the chance arises and I am there, I can take that chance with both hands and do my best.
“It’s the kind of sport where anything can happen. Speedway is such a weird sport, where anybody can make it. You just need to focus and do your thing.
“This is one of the main reasons why I decided to leave my family go to Argentina for a month and a half to race and be on the bike. I want to focus on this season and be as ready as I can be.
“I know July is far away and there is a long time to go, but it’s also a long time to work and get ready. I don’t want to go crazy, thinking about qualifying or not qualifying, getting results or not. I am not looking at that. I am more focused on the small things I am doing now. But I know the chance is there and anything can happen. I wouldn’t rule myself out.”