Lightcap
Makes History
S
later Lightcap, 20, of Hun-
tington Beach, California, has
been awarded a wild-card alloca-
tion into the 2026 FIM Speedway
Under-21 World Championship
(SGP2), marking the first time
in the series' history that a
rider from the United States has
earned a place in the champion
-
ship. The FIM has never previ-
ously granted the USA a wild-
card allocation since the series
began in 1995.
The SGP2 World Champion
-
ship features a three-round cal-
endar running from July through
September 2026. The 16-rider
field was set following qualify
-
ing rounds held in Pardubice,
Czechia; Krsko, Slovenia; and
Fjelsted, Denmark, and includes
international talents such as
Mikkel Andersen, Maksymilian
Pawelczak and Adam "Bubba"
Bednar, alongside a select group
of wild-card entries.
Lightcap's wild-card allocation
comes after AMA Motorcycle
Hall of Famer and four-time
FIM Speedway World Champion
Greg Hancock has assumed a
volunteer leadership role in AMA
Speedway efforts. Hancock, who
has advised the AMA's Speed
-
way program since early 2025,
has worked to support young
American riders pursuing quali-
fication to SGP, SGP2, SGP3 and
SGP4 finals, including acquir-
ing motorcycles for the SGP3
and SGP4 programs, securing
mechanics and training facilities
in Europe, and establishing a
workshop in Sweden to serve as
a European base for the Ameri-
can Program.
"This is a great moment for
Slater Lightcap and for American
Speedway," said AMA Speed-
way Team USA Manager Greg
Hancock. "Thank you to the FIM
for giving the USA their very first
wild-card allocation, and we are
proud of Slater and all the hard
work, time and effort he put in
over the last 12 months to earn
this spot."
Lightcap has been a fixture
on the SGP2 circuit in recent
seasons, previously competing
as a series substitute before
securing this year's historic wild-
card place. He will represent the
United States across all three
rounds of the 2026 champion
-
ship.
The first round took place
over the July 18-19 weekend in
Sweden, where Lightcap finished
in sixth place.
CN
WIND
IN THE
P46
Slater Lightcap has
been awarded a wild-
card allocation into the
2026 FIM Speedway
Under-21 World
Championship (SGP2),
a first for an American
speedway racer.
