HANS Andersen will tonight hope to get his Speedway European Championship campaign off to a perfect start on German shale.

Pirates' Danish star is due to journey to Gustrow for the first meeting of a four-round series which includes the likes of Emil Sayfutdinov, Nicki Pedersen and former Wimborne Road charger Antonio Lindback.

Russian sensation Sayfutdinov is aiming for a third consecutive crown with Pedersen and Lindback seemingly among his toughest competition, while the 2011 champion, Grigory Laguta, is also among the field.

Andersen qualified for the SEC in May courtesy of a fifth-placed finish in the semi-final in Olching, Germany, a track he did not practise on as he was attending the birthday of his son.

The 35-year-old has enjoyed an excellent year with Poole to date, putting more than a point on his average in the Elite League.

And he has also qualified for the Grand Prix Challenge at Vetlanda in September, which could earn him a route back into the world championship for next year.

European Championship line-up: Hans Andersen, Tobias Busch, Nico Covatti, Kai Huckenbeck, Krzysztof Kasprzak, Janusz Kolodziej, Tobias Kroner, Joonas Kylmakorpi, Andzejs Lebedevs, Antonio Lindback, Peter Ljung, Grigorij Laguta, Leon Madsen, Vaclav Milik, Shamek Pawlicki, Nicki Pedersen.