CARPANESE GOES WILD IN TERENZANO

Italian star Mattia Carpanese has been handed the wild card for the FIM Nice Italian Speedway Grand Prix at Terenzano on September 25.

The 24-year-old made his World Championship debut as a wild card in the Italian SGP at Lonigo in 2006.

Despite failing to score that night, he bagged two points in the No.16 race jacket the following year. He then scored two as track reserve in 2008 after getting five outings due to British champion Chris Harris pulling out through injury.

Carpanese did not get a ride as track reserve last season, but the man from the Venice region in north eastern Italy will be determined to make an impact at nearby Terenzano.

He will be joined in the meeting by track reserves Mattia Cavicchioli and Andreas Maida. Cavicchioli, 24, dons the No.17 for meeting, while Terenzano legend Maida wears No.18.

Maida is set to retire at the end of the season after 28 years with the Udine club. So he will be keeping his fingers crossed for the chance to race alongside the likes of Jason Crump, Tomasz Gollob and Jaroslaw Hampel in his own back yard.

But Cavicchioli and Maida will only take to the shale if one of the main 16 riders in the meeting fails to make start line within the two-minute time allowance, touches the tapes, or suffers an injury and is unable to compete in their remaining races.

Australia's Davey Watt (#20) will replace the injured Russian, Emil Sayfutdinov (#3).

Referee for the event, which takes place at the Olimpia Stadium, Terenzano, will be Wojciech Grodzki.