When the 2024 FIM Flat Track World Championship powered by Anlas, Kineo, Blackburst and HKC Koopmann gets under way at Boves-Cuneo in north-west Italy tomorrow (Saturday 20 July), defending champion Ervin Krajčovič will be fully focussed on retaining his title.

By running a big ‘#1’ on his number plates and racing jersey, the thirty-three-year-old from Prague in the Czech Republic may very well be providing his rivals with a clear target to aim for, but he will also be proudly displaying his hard-won status as an FIM World Champion as well as throwing down a challenge to his opponents to try and beat him.

“For sure it feels good to be champion,” he said. “The feeling is stronger now, right before the new season, because I am reminded of it from all sides more and more – everywhere I go I am asked if I will defend it this year. I decided to take ‘#1’ and when I was designing my graphics I said to myself ‘wow, it really happened’.”

Having grown up in a family dedicated to Motocross, it was inevitable that Krajčovič would race and he was already showing great promise when he was just five years old. However, injuries forced him to cut short his MX career and when he returned to racing just four years ago he chose Flat Track.

“I missed racing, but on the other hand I didn’t have time to devote myself one-hundred per cent to Motocross. With Flat Track I have fun and still have time to catch up with work and spend time with the people around me away from the racetrack.”

After he clinched the title at a dramatic final round in Morizès in France last October, Krajčovič – who works for the Orion Moto Racing Group that is heavily involved in the Dakar Rally – was overwhelmed by the way his incredible achievement was received across all media platforms in the Czech Republic.

“It was amazing. The evening after Morizès there were already so many articles online and across social media networks – not only on purely motorsport pages, but also mainstream coverage which was unexpected. Then it appeared in print and on Czech television. Probably one of the greatest experiences was being invited onto a famous primetime talk show on Czech television and I got a lot of messages from people I hadn’t seen in years.

“I believe it has helped our beautiful sport [in the Czech Republic]. More people now know about Flat Track – motoring fans and the wider public – and a few new competitors and partners joined the Czech championship. Flat Track is a dynamic sport and we are doing our best to promote it though our Dakar team which is very popular here in the Czech Republic.”

To prepare for his title defence, Krajčovič has been working with the Czech national Speedway team and while he wants to win the title again he remains remarkably relaxed heading into this year’s extended six-round series.

“Of course, I would definitely like to be at the top of the overall rankings, although at the same time I know how difficult it will be so I don’t set any specific goals and top three would be a fantastic result. Saying that, we have a home race in Pardubice where I would really like to achieve the best possible result and I’m still missing a round victory in my collection.

“However, the most important goal is to get through the season without injury and continue to enjoy racing as much as I do now.”

The opening round of the 2024 FIM Track World Championship powered by Anlas, Kineo, Blackburs and HKC Koopmann takes place tomorrow (Saturday 20 July) at the Bisalta Motor Park in Boves-Cuneo, Italy, with the first Heat due to get under way at 16:00 local time. For more information click here.