ACU riders Tim Neave and Ashton Boughen will be bidding to maintain their impressive start to the 2026 FIM Flat Track World Championship when they take to the Adrian Flux Arena in King’s Lynn for their home round of the series this Saturday (28 August).
Both men race for the VRX Dirt Store Ducati team – a brand-new squad created to spearhead the Italian manufacturer's first FIM Flat Track World Championship campaign. Led by VRX Management Ltd directors Rob Painter and Vicky Blackwell, the team has made an immediate impact.
Five rounds into the season, Ducati's new Desmo 450 machine has won four events. Boughen and Neave have claimed two wins apiece and Neave leads the riders’ championship standings heading to Norfolk. He is five points clear of Boughen, while Ducati also lead the manufacturers’ championship by 24 points.
Working closely with Ducati UK and the factory in Italy, the team has turned the new Desmo 450 into a race-winning machine in its debut season.
“We brought together the right people, worked closely with Ducati and prepared every part of the programme thoroughly,” Painter explained.
“To have won four rounds so far and to be leading the championships is something we're incredibly proud of. It says a great deal about the Ducati Desmo 450 and, above all, the performances Tim and Ashton have delivered.”
Neave, the reigning ACU British Flat Track Champion, admits it was an honour to be asked to join the new VRX Dirt Store Ducati team before the 2026 season.
The Lincolnshire rider said: “When Rob reached out to me last year, my first thought was, 'That's far too good to be true’. But he and Vicky have done everything they said they would. It's a privilege to be part of the programme.”
While the team's impressive start has captured the attention of the paddock, Neave says the early rounds also delivered a surprise inside the Ducati-branded garage.
“I knew Ashton had plenty of pedigree because he's been quick in everything he's ridden, but after our first tests I didn't expect him to come out and win the opening two rounds,” he admitted. “It caught me off guard a little, but it also sharpened my focus.”
Neave responded by taking a pair of victories, a sequence of results that also ended the wait for his maiden FIM Flat Track World Championship win.
“It had been coming for the last couple of years,” he explained. “The bike's working for me, I'm enjoying the riding and everything just clicked. It was a great feeling to finally get that monkey off my back at Teterow in Germany.”
With race-winning momentum behind them, Neave and Boughen head to the British round determined to continue their remarkable run.
For 18-year-old Boughen, the Norfolk event carries extra significance. The King's Lynn-born rider returns to a circuit he knows well from his Speedway career and is looking forward to racing in front of family, friends and local supporters.
“I'm really looking forward to racing so close to home – I could literally ride there in a couple of minutes from where I live,” he said.
“I've ridden at King's Lynn before and I'd like to think we might have some kind of a home advantage, but we'll have to wait and see. I'll go there, ride hard and see how things develop.
“This whole season has been a bit of a surprise. Flat Track is completely different to what I'd done before and I didn't really know what to expect. But I've enjoyed learning every time I've gone out on the bike.
“To take Ducati's first FIM Flat Track World Championship win on my personal debut in the Netherlands was special and I've been looking to build on that ever since.”
Neave is equally excited about competing on home soil, where he’ll have to get the better of Boughen and the other homegrown riders if he’s to extend his championship advantage.
Dick Shepherd Triumph rider Jack Bell arrives at King’s Lynn in good form after winning round 5 at Scheessel in Germany. He is currently third in the championship standings behind Neave and Boughen. Other FIM regulars Gary Birtwistle (Royal Enfield) and Thomas Hunt (Yamaha) will also be keen to perform strongly in front of the British fans.
A crop of ACU British Championship riders will also be joining the field for the UK’s world championship round this weekend. They are Bradley Perkins (Yamaha), Tom Wooley (Honda), female rider Skye Adams (Yamaha) and Adam James (Husqvarna).
“When that track's prepared right, there isn't a better circuit on the calendar,” Neave pointed out. “If I'm enjoying the track, the rest should take care of itself.”
Tickets for the sixth round of the FIM Flat Track World Championship are available from the King’s Lynn box office on Saturday, priced at £20 for adults with under 16s free. Gates open at 17.00 and there will be a rider autograph session at 18.00. Racing starts at 19.00.