The Elite League is the top division of Speedway

Motorcycle speedway

Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...

 in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 and goverened by the Speedway Control Board

The Speedway Control Board

The Speedway Control Bureau , formerly known as the Speedway Control Board, governs the sport of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom on behalf of the Auto Cycle Union . The directors are appointed by the ACU and British Speedway Promoters' Association...

 (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association

British Speedway Promoters' Association

The British Speedway Promoters Association organises the domestic motorcycle speedway competitions in the UK. They are also responsible for the promotion and running of the FIM meetings staged in Britain....

 (BSPA).

Season summary

In 1998, the league decreased to nine teams with the closure of the Bradford Dukes

Bradford Dukes

The Bradford Dukes were a British motorcycle speedway team which operated from the Odsal Stadium in Bradford from 1986 until their closure in 1997.-History:...

 at the end of their championship winning season in 1997

1997 Speedway Elite League

The Elite League is the top division of Speedway in the United Kingdom and governed by the Speedway Control Board , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association .-Season summary:...

. The Peterborough Panthers

Peterborough Panthers

The Peterborough Panthers are a British speedway team based in Peterborough, England.They were the British Elite League Speedway Champions in 1999 and 2006...

 dropped down to the Premier League

Speedway Premier League

The Premier League is the second division of Speedway in the United Kingdom and goverened by the Speedway Control Board , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association . The Premier League was founded in 1995 when it replaced the British League as the first division...

 but were replaced by the Oxford Cheetahs

Oxford Cheetahs

The Oxford Cheetahs were a British Speedway team based in Oxford, England. From 1972 to 1975 they were known as Oxford Rebels, which was the name the team took to White City in 1976 as White City Rebels. The new Oxford team, in the National League, took back the name of Cheetahs...

. The league operated on a standard format without play-offs.

Final table

	M	W	D	L	F	A	Pts	Bon	Tot
Ipswich Witches Ipswich Witches The Ipswich Witches are a British speedway club based at Foxhall Stadium near Ipswich, Suffolk. Meetings are staged on most Thursdays from March until October, normally commencing at 7.30pm....	32	26	1	5	1653	1211	53	16	69
Belle Vue Aces Belle Vue Aces The Belle Vue Aces are a British speedway team from Manchester in the north west of England.-Brief history:Racing first took place in 1928 at the Belle Vue greyhound stadium in Kirkmanshulme Lane before moving the following year to a specially built stadium nearby on Hyde Road. The club raced there...	32	20	0	12	1524	1353	40	12	52
Coventry Bees Coventry Bees The Coventry Bees are a motorcycle speedway team based at Brandon near Coventry, England. A Coventry team was first formed in 1928 and competed in the Southern League and then the National League in the pre-war era at Brandon stadium. There were also meetings at a stadium in Lythalls Lane...	32	18	1	13	1474	1401	37	11	48
Swindon Robins Swindon Robins The Swindon Speedway team, also known as the Swindon Robins, are an English Motorcycle Speedway team established in 1949 that competes in the Elite League....	30	15	1	16	1429	1450	31	7	38
Eastbourne Eagles Eastbourne Eagles The Eastbourne Eagles are a British speedway team based near Eastbourne, England who compete in the British Elite League. They became Elite League Champions in 2000. They were also Elite League Knockout Cup winners in 2002 and again in 2008. Speedway was initially introduced to Eastbourne in...	30	15	0	17	1430	1449	30	7	37
Wolverhampton Wolves Wolverhampton Wolves The Wolverhampton Wolves are a British Speedway team based in Wolverhampton, England. They are sponsored by Parry's International Travel, and have signed a new deal with owner Dave Parry for the 2008 season onwards. The team is managed by Peter Adams and the promoter of the club is Chris Van...	32	14	1	17	1421	1444	29	8	37
Oxford Cheetahs Oxford Cheetahs The Oxford Cheetahs were a British Speedway team based in Oxford, England. From 1972 to 1975 they were known as Oxford Rebels, which was the name the team took to White City in 1976 as White City Rebels. The new Oxford team, in the National League, took back the name of Cheetahs...	32	13	2	17	1388	1490	28	5	33
Poole Pirates Poole Pirates Poole Pirates are a motorcycle speedway team based in Poole, England, competing in the British Elite League...	32	11	1	14	1348	1529	23	5	28
King's Lynn Stars King's Lynn Stars King's Lynn Stars are a motorcycle speedway team who compete in the British Elite League. The nickname "Stars" comes from the defunct Norwich Stars team...	32	8	1	23	1270	1610	17	1	18

External links

• british-speedway.co.uk - Official league tables