Maciej Janowski receives permanent wild card for 2027 Speedway Grand Prix

Wild card allocation and Polish contingent

Speedway Grand Prix organizers announced on Monday, October 5, 2026, that Polish rider Maciej Janowski received the first of four permanent wild cards for the 2027 Speedway Grand Prix season. The 35-year-old captain of Betard Sparta Wrocław returns to the elite individual world championship after three seasons outside the permanent lineup. The decision increases Poland's regular representation in the 2027 series to four competitors, alongside world championship runner-up Bartosz Zmarzlik, Patryk Dudek, and Kacper Woryna. Janowski learned of his selection on the morning of Sunday, October 4, prior to the second leg of the PGE Ekstraliga final, where Betard Sparta took the silver medal. SGP organizers have yet to announce the recipients of the remaining three wild cards, following media reports that mentioned candidates such as Anders Thomsen and Jan Kvech.

European championship and qualification challenges

Janowski missed direct qualification through sporting events during the 2026 season by narrow margins. In the Grand Prix Challenge held in Terenzano, a motorcycle failure during his final heat halted him while running in second place. In the Individual Speedway European Championship (SEC), Janowski won rounds in Güstrow and Pardubice, finishing as runner-up with 46 points. Denmark's Leon Madsen won the European title by one point, but because Madsen had already qualified for the 2027 Grand Prix by finishing sixth in the world championship, the SEC champion's entry spot was converted into an additional wild card rather than passing automatically to Janowski. Officials contrasted this outcome with that of Janusz Kołodziej, who was in an identical position in a previous season but did not receive a wild card. Polish Motor Union (PZM) and FIM Europe President Michał Sikora welcomed the nomination as a success for sports diplomacy.

This is an undoubted success for the PZM and Polish speedway diplomacy. I believe that Maciej Janowski, as Polish champion and European runner-up, fully deserved this distinction.

Career achievements and competitive return

Janowski previously competed as a permanent Grand Prix rider between 2015 and 2023, during which he won eight individual Grand Prix rounds and recorded 27 podium appearances. His highest championship result came in 2022, when he secured the world championship bronze medal, alongside four fourth-place finishes in the final season standings. After losing his permanent berth following the 2023 campaign, the reigning Polish individual champion appeared only as an official reserve or single-event entrant. Speaking shortly before the official announcement, Janowski emphasized his commitment to competing at the highest level of international speedway.

Every day I work hard to get back there. I spent many years in the Grand Prix and if you race, you want to do it at the highest level. I would be very happy to return.

The 2027 calendar and Polish rounds

The 2027 Speedway Grand Prix calendar will feature 11 rounds, beginning with the season opener in Croatia, following a 2026 season won by world champion Robert Lambert. Poland will host three rounds in 2027, with events staged in Warsaw, Wrocław, and Toruń. Round two is scheduled for May 15, 2027, at PGE Narodowy in Warsaw, where an additional Polish rider will receive a single-event wild card. Przemysław Szymkowiak, Director of Media and Public Relations, stated that ticket sales for the Warsaw tournament will open in October 2026. The series will also visit the Olympic Stadium in Wrocław on July 3, 2027, returning to the track where Janowski won a Grand Prix round in 2020.