Motorcycle speedway
Encyclopedia
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 motorcycle
s use only one gear
and have no brake
s and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually consisting of dirt
or loosely packed shale
. Competitors use this surface to slide their machines sideways, powersliding or broadsiding
into the bends. On the straight sections of the track the motorcycles reach speeds of up 70 miles per hour (112.7 km/h).
The exact origins of the sport are unknown but there is evidence of a type of speedway racing being practiced in the USA before the First World War and in Australia in the late teens and early 1920s. There are now both domestic and international competitions in a number of countries including the Speedway World Cup
whilst the highest overall scoring individual in the Speedway Grand Prix
events is pronounced the world champion. Speedway is popular in central
and northern Europe
and to a lesser extent in Australia and North America. A variant of track racing
, speedway is administered internationally by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
(FIM). Domestic speedway events are regulated by FIM affiliated national motor sport federations.
The first speedway meeting is the subject of much debate. The received wisdom until a few years ago was that Johnnie Hoskins invented the sport and that the first speedway meeting was held on 15 December 1923 at West Maitland Maitland
Showground in the Lower Hunter Valley, New South Wales,Australia. Recent research has shown this not to be the case, and, indeed the Maitland Mercury
newspaper's report of this meeting mentions other similar meetings being held before it. There is much evidence to show that there were many similar earlier meetings held previously at many tracks in Australia and that broadsiding
on small dirt tracks had been practised in America since before World War I
. A rider named Don Johns was known to have done this before 1914. It was said that he would ride the entire race course wide open, throwing great showers of dirt into the air at each turn.His style of cornering was followed in the United States by riders such as Albert "Shrimp" Burns, Maldwyn Jones and Eddie Brinck well before 1923, where Motorcycle Speedway Racing was initially called Short Track Racing. The first meeting in the United Kingdom
took place at High Beech
on 19 February 1928. There are, however, claims that meetings were held in 1927 at Camberley
, Surrey
and Droylsden
, Lancashire
. Despite being described as "the first British Dirt Track meeting" at the time, the meeting at Camberley on 7 May 1927 differed in that the races were held in a clockwise
direction. Races at Droylsden were held in an anti-clockwise direction but it is generally accepted that the sport arrived in the United Kingdom when Australians Billy Galloway and Keith McKay arrived with the intention of introducing speedway to the Northern Hemisphere
. Both featured in the 1928 High Beech meeting. The first speedway meeting in the UK to feature bikes with no brakes and broadsiding
round corners on loose dirt was the third meeting held at High Beech on 9 April 1928, where Colin Watson, Alf Medcalf and "Digger" Pugh demonstrated the art for the first time in the UK.
Proto speedway was staged in Glasgow at the Olympic Stadium (Glasgow Nelson) on April 9, 1928 and the first fully professional meeting was staged at Celtic Park on April 28, 1928. The first meeting in Wales was staged at Cardiff White City on Boxing Day 1928.
In the 1928/29 season, Australian Colin Stewart of Colac, Victoria
at Exhibition Speedway Melbourne, won the prestigious Silver Gauntlet, which required the rider to win the feature race 10 times in one season. He won it 12 times. He also achieved success at an international level, racing for Southampton
in 1929 and captained the Glasgow
in the Northern League in 1930 before moving to Wembley
in 1931, for whom he rode in just four matches, averaging 4.00 points per match. He also raced in the 1930 Scottish Championship which was won by Wembley
's Harry Whitfield.
The forerunner of the World Championship, the Star Riders' Championship
, was inaugurated in Great Britain in 1929 but was split in to two sections as it was felt that the British riders were not yet the equal of the Australians and Americans. Frank Arthur
won the Overseas Section and Roger Frogley
the British. The following year the two sections were amalgamated and Vic Huxley
proved to be the winner. Huxley was also runner-up three times and won the first British Match Race championship in 1931.
Speedway racing typically took place on purpose built tracks, although in Australia
bikes shared larger Speedways with cars such as Sprintcars
and Speedcars
, with tracks traditionally ranging from ⅓ Mile Showground tracks (such as the now closed 550 metre Claremont Speedway
) to smaller, purpose built 300 metre long motorcycle tracks such as Gillman Speedway
in Adelaide
.
Each track is between 260 to 425 metres long and it takes approximately one minute to complete four laps. For example, Leigh Adams
set a record time of 59 seconds on a 342 metres (1,122 ft) track and produced an average speed of 83 km/h (49 mph). The speed on straight sections of the track reaches 110 km/h (70 mph) or more on longer tracks, but the limited speed on curves lowers the average.
At the start of a race it takes between one and two seconds for the motorcycle to reach the "curve speed" (somewhat lower than the average), which is roughly estimated to be the equivalent of 2.5 to 3 seconds to reach 100 kilometres per hour (62.1 mph) (or 0 to 60 mph
). The start of the race is an important aspect of the race overall. "Gating" correctly can help a rider gain an initial advantage over other riders but speed advantages can be made as a race progresses. Those riders willing to take a risk and opt for finding the grippy parts of the track rather than the race line, are sometimes rewarded with extra speed allowing them to pass other riders either on the outside or the inside.
Tracks used for professional speedway racing are regulated by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) who provide rules concerning construction, size and safety requirements. Speedway racing takes place on a level oval track consisting of two straights joined by two semicircles. Tracks must be between 260 to 425 metres (850 and 1500 ft) in length, this is measured at a distance of 1 metres (3.3 ft) from the inner boundary. Tracks may be banked, but the gradient must under no circumstances exceed 5% in the straight, 10% in the bends, and must remain constant and grow from the inner edge to the safety fence. A white start line is marked across the track approximately mid-way along one of the straights. The starting area is also divided into four equal parts (known as gates) by white lines marked at right angles to the start line and extending back at least 1 metres (3.3 ft). Additional rules govern the placement of warning systems such as lights and also the construction of the starting mechanism. The minimum track width is 10 metres (32.8 ft) on the straights and the bends must be at least 14 metres (45.9 ft) wide. The minimum widths give each rider adequate space to safely navigate the track. The start line and starting gate assembly is halfway along one of the two straight sections of the track. Starting gates are simple spring-loaded
mechanisms that raise two or three strands of tape to start the race.
The FIM regulations require licensed tracks to provide a garage or pit area for motorcycles as well as medical and press facilities. Track boundaries are marked by white lines or barriers on the inside and outside of the track, any rider who crosses this boundary with both wheels will be disqualified unless they only did so in the interest of safety or were forced to by another competitor.
The track surface consists of four layers of grading
. The topmost of which must be of shale
, granite
, brick
granules or other loose material of which no individual piece can be over 7 millimetre (0.275590551181102 in) in size. Competitors use this surface to slide their machines sideways (powersliding or broadsiding
) into the bends using the rear wheel to scrub-off speed while still providing the drive to power the bike forward and around the bend. The skill of speedway lies in the overall ability of the rider to control his motorcycle when cornering and thus avoid losing places through deceleration. The use of asphalt
, concrete
and tarmac
for any layer is prohibited. The top layer must be levelled or "graded" at intervals during an event by tractors towing specially adapted rakes to evenly re-distribute the surface. Tracks are watered before and, if needed, during meetings to prevent the surface becoming too dry and to protect the public and the riders from dust.
.jpg)
Safety requirements include the use of suspended wire fences, air fences and wooden fences. Air fences are made up of inflated panels installed on the bends. The fence is designed to dissipate energy by allowing an impacted area to compress and transfer air into the rest of the fence through blow-off valves or restriction ports connected to the other sections. They are mandatory for tracks in the British Elite League
, Polish Ekstraliga
, Speedway Grand Prix
and Speedway World Cup
. Neutral zones outside the track provide safe run-off areas for riders and their machinery to minimise the potential risk of injury to spectators. The majority of tracks are dedicated to speedway or other sports such as sidecar speedway
and banger racing
. For larger events, the FIM occasionally sanctions the use of stadiums that install temporary tracks such as the British Grand Prix
held at the Millennium Stadium
in Cardiff
.
Speedway uses a unique type of motorcycle, governed by the FIM's "Track Racing Technical Rules". In the past, bikes with upright engines were used (the name taken from the way the engine sits in the frame), but today most professional riders use laydown bikes as it is argued that they are easier to handle. As speedway bikes do not use brake
s, the clutch is used as a release mechanism at the start of races. FIM regulations state that the motorcycles must have no brake
s, are powered by pure methanol
, use only one gear
and weigh a minimum of 77 kilograms (169.8 lb). By using engine and rear wheel sprocket
s the gear ratio
can be adjusted as required for track conditions. The use of methanol allows for an increased compression ratio
to the engine producing more power than other fuels and resulting in higher speeds (approximately 130 kilometres per hour (80.8 mph) when cornering).
Machines used must:
Machines used cannot:
In addition all motorcycles must have a safety cut out device fitted, this is defined as a switch that "must cut off the circuit of the electrical supply by the simple action of pulling a lanyard or a non-elastic string (with a maximum length of 30 centimetres (11.8 in)) attached to the rider's right wrist." The high compression ratio
of the engine can also assist in slowing down a machine; if the throttle
is closed the engine may stop. Riders can stop the bike by deliberately laying down the bike on the track and this technique is used to avoid riders who fall in front of a pursuing colleague. Before cut outs were fitted an engine was stopped in an emergency situation by removing the plug lead from the spark plug
or shutting off the fuel supply.
. Riders wear different coloured helmets, traditionally red and blue denote home team riders, and white and yellow/black quartered colours denote visiting riders. The colours also denote starting positions. Red is the pole, blue starts second, white starts third and yellow/black starts on the outside. In speedway some finals may have six riders depending on the size of the track and finals are generally held over six laps. Riders must be able to get their bikes to the start line under their own power, without any external assistance and not by pushing the machine, then line up in parallel. The starting area is divided into a grid of four equal parts and the riders from each team must take their place in alternate grids or "gates".
A rider who is not at the start line within a reasonable period of time is also liable to be disqualified, although league matches in the UK allow teams to elect to start the disqualified rider fifteen metres back from the tapes or replace the disqualified rider with a team reserve. This period of time is standardised to two minutes from a time determined by the match referee and usually indicated by a bell, a rotating orange lamp or a digital clock readout. All riders must be at the tapes under their own power before the two minutes have elapsed. Additional time between races will be allowed by, and at the discretion of, the referee if a rider has two consecutive rides, to allow the rider time to prepare.
A starting gate consisting of two or more tapes is erected across the start line. The riders must situate themselves not more than 10 centimetres (3.9 in) from this and not touch it at any time, they must also remain stationary until the tapes are raised. These are known as tape infringements and can result in a false start
being recorded and the rider penalised (disqualified, or in league matches in Great Britain, a 15-metre penalty or replace the disqualified rider with a team reserve). The race is started with the raising of the start tape mechanism operated by the match referee and the riders must proceed around the track in an anti-clockwise direction without both wheels illegally leaving the track boundaries.
Once a race is underway, no rider can receive outside assistance, including push-starts, from others. Historically, pushers were allowed at the start of the race. A white line at the 30 metre mark used to designate the extent to which a push was allowed but due to safety concerns, assistance is now illegal.
Occasionally races consist of six riders but this is rare as most tracks are too narrow to accommodate the extra riders safely.
. If it is a tie for first place, they will both receive two points. A tie for second place earns each rider one point while a joint-last finish earns each rider zero points. Teams can use a tactical substitute rule once in a meeting. If that team is eight or more points in arrears, they may bring in the use of a different rider in their team lineup, to race in any heat except for heat 15. This may be different in World cup or event racing. If they are ten or more points behind, a rider with a scheduled ride may go out for double points, in which the riders points will be doubled if he beats a rider of the opposing team. Any rider taking a tactical substitute ride or double points ride is denoted by a black and white helmet colour as rather than one of the four usual coloured helmets. If that rider remains unbeaten by either opposition rider his scored points are doubled and also count towards the rider's calculated match average (CMA).
CMAs scale from 3.00 to 12.00, any rider scoring above or below these values will be awarded the maximum. These averages are used in leagues such as the British Elite League to identify heat-leaders for the purposes of choosing which riders to enter for each race.
At the start of a season, a rider retains their last recorded CMA (or assessed CMA if they have never previously established one) until they have competed in six home and six away matches. A new CMA is then issued that comes into effect seven days later. These are subsequently updated on the 15th of every month from May onwards, and come into effect on the first of the next month.
These CMA's are used in most professional leagues and are altered or weighted depending on the league the rider gained the CMA in. A rider that has no recorded average will receive an indicative CMA for the start of the season that is assessed on their prior experience in the sport.
An international individual speedway championship has taken various forms since its beginnings in the 1930s. The present FIM Speedway Grand Prix (SGP)
championship organised by Speedway Grand Prix (IMG
since 2007) has taken place since 1995. The SGP uses a scoring system based on each riders overall final position. The rider who has gained the most points at the end of the tournament is declared the World Champion
. Polish
rider Tomasz Gollob
is the current World Champion, which is his first championship win after finishing 2nd in 1999
and 2009
and third in 1998
, 2001
and 2008
. Gollob is the first Polish World Champion since Jerzy Szczakiel
won in 1973
. The annual British Grand Prix is currently held at the Millennium Stadium
in Cardiff
, Wales.
Scoring in Grand Prix events changed in 2005 with riders scoring 3-2-1-0 in their races and these points being carried forward to decide the winner of each Grand Prix. At the end of the series the highest scorer becomes the world champion.
World Speedway Champions include Ivan Mauger
(six-time World Champion), fellow New Zealander
Barry Briggs
(four-times), Ole Olsen (three-times), Ove Fundin
(five-times), Lionel Van Praag
(inaugural World Champion in 1936), Hans Nielsen
(nicknamed "The Professor", four-times World Champion), Tony Rickardsson
(six-times), Erik Gundersen
and Jason Crump
, both three-times World Champions.
The Speedway World Cup
is also held each year, featuring teams from the major speedway countries, usually in a series of meetings over the space of a week in the summer. The current champions are Poland (2011).
The Speedway World Pairs Championship
was an annual speedway event held each year in different countries. Competing countries picked their top two riders to represent them. The first competition was held in 1970 and the final competition was held in 1993. From 1994 it was merged with the World Team Cup.
s, normally comprising several division
s, in which the teams gain points throughout the season depending on results. Teams are placed into table
s, placing them in order according to points accrued. Most commonly, each team races every other team in its league at home and away in each season, in a round-robin tournament
. Meetings traditionally consist of two teams riding against each other with four riders in each race with two home team riders and two away team riders. Meetings usually feature fifteen heats and each rider is scheduled to ride four or five times. The team with the most points at the end of the meeting is the winner. Most league seasons end with play-offs - a series of meetings between the highest finishing teams to determine a league champion. The champions may be promoted
to a higher division and the team finishing at the bottom are in some countries relegated
to a lower division.
The majority of countries supplement the league system with one or more cup competitions. These are organised on a knock-out basis, the winner of each match proceeding to the next round and the loser taking no further part in the competition.
The major speedway nations in Europe are the United Kingdom, Sweden, Poland and Denmark. These countries run a number of leagues and have regular fixtures throughout the traditional speedway season that runs from March to October. On a smaller scale, competitions are also held in Argentina, Australia, Czech Republic, Italy, Russia, Slovenia and the United States. Some countries' top divisions feature highly paid star riders. In smaller countries and lower divisions, riders may be part-timers with a second job, or amateurs.
. the Premier League
, and the National League
.
Speedway is one of the most popular sports in Poland and is governed by the Main Commission for Speedway Sport (Główna Komisja Sportu Żużlowego, GKSŻ) which is a part of the Polish Motor Union Polski Związek Motorowy (PZM)
. The PZM is a member of the FIM and the Union Européenne de Motocyclisme
(UEM).
The Polish Extraleague
has the highest average attendances for any sport in Poland. The first speedway meetings in Poland were held in the 1930s and league racing began in 1948.
There are three championships in Poland: individual (IMP), pairs (MPPK) and team (the DMP consisting of three leagues). The Junior under-21 championships also has three competitions: individual (MIMP), pairs (MMPPK) and team (MDMP). There are three leagues: Extraleague
, First League and Second League. In the 2007 season, the Extraleague and First League had eight teams competing and the Second League had seven teams. The GKSŻ organizes the Golden Helmet, Silver Helmet (Under-21) and Bronze Helmet (Under-19) competitions. Individual meetings such as the Criterium of Polish Speedway League Aces - Mieczysław Połukard Memorial, Alfred Smoczyk Memorial and Edward Jancarz Memorial are also popular.
The Polish National team are current Speedway World Cup Champions, and have also won the competition in 2005, 2007, and 2009. Poland has produced two Individual World Champions
, Jerzy Szczakiel
in 1973 and Tomasz Gollob
in 2010. The Polish junior team won the Under-21 World Championship
in 2005 and 2006
and since 2003 four Polish juniors have won the Under-21 Individual World Championship
. In total, seven Polish riders have been World Champions at Under-21 level.
The Elite League (Elitserien
) was established in 1982 and has ten teams. At the end of each season the top four teams ride in the play-offs in semi-finals and a final and the winner of the final are the Elitserien champions. The team finishing bottom of the league are relegated to the National league (Allsvenskan). The Allsvenskan has seven teams and before the introduction of the Elitserien in 1982 was the top flight speedway league in Sweden. As with the Allsvenskan, the top four teams at the end of each season ride in the play-offs in semi-finals and a final. The Allsvenskan Division One is the third tier of Swedish speedway with seven teams. The team finishing the season in first place are champions and can apply for promotion to the Allsvenskan, subject to having suitable facilities and sufficient finances.
Other competitions include the Swedish Individual Championship
and the Swedish Junior Individual Championship. The Swedish Individual Championship
is contested by 18 riders in a Grand Prix
format with 20 heats. The Individual Champion in 2008 was Magnus Zetterstrom
. The Junior Individual Championship is for riders aged twenty-one years and under.
and Hans Nørgaard Andersen
. Former rider, Ole Olsen won the World Championship three times and his success helped popularise the sport in Denmark. Since retiring Olsen has become an FIM Speedway Grand Prix race director.
Speedway meetings are held between April and September. The Danish League (Dansk Speedway Liga) has six teams with meetings traditionally held on Wednesday evenings. At the end of each season the top four teams compete in the play-offs in semi-finals and a final. The winner of the final are the league champions. There is no promotion or relegation and membership of the Danish League is by application only. At the end of each season the top five teams in the Danish League compete in the Danish Super Cup', an end-of-season competition, held as a single event. It is hosted by the winning team from the previous season.
Both Division One and Division Two are the second and third tier and are mostly for amateur riders. Meetings are held on Saturdays with a mid-summer break. Division One can have a maximum of eight teams, with the remaining teams riding in Division Two. Meetings are staged using a four-team format. In principle, the team finishing bottom of Division One is relegated and replaced by the top team in Division Two as long as their parent club does not already have a team in Division One. However, this does not always happen for financial reasons. There is also no promotion and relegation if the bottom team in Division One and the top team in Division Two are operated by same club.
is a competition for riders holding a Danish passport and a valid DMU licence. Riders must submit their entries at least four weeks before the first meeting of the competition. Any riders who competed in the Speedway Grand Prix or World Championship Qualifying rounds during the previous season are seeded directly to the Final. The DMU may also seed other riders directly to the Final at their discretion. Either one or two semi-finals are staged depending on the number of riders entering the competition (excluding the seeded riders who go straight through to the Final). Riders are selected for these rounds according to the previous season's Danish averages. If one semi-final is held, the highest-placed riders (plus two reserves) qualify for the Final. If two semi-finals are held, the highest-placed riders (plus one reserve) from each meeting qualify for the Final. The winner of the Final is awarded a gold medal and declared Danish Individual Champion. The riders finishing second and third are awarded silver and bronze medals respectively. The final classification also determines which riders qualify for the World Individual Speedway Championship.
The Individual Speedway Junior Danish Championship is a competition for riders holding a Danish passport, a valid DMU licence, and who are under 21 years of age on 1 January in the year of the competition. Riders wishing to compete must submit their entries at least four weeks before the first meeting of the competition. If there are 72 or more entries, four quarter-finals are staged. If there are between 54 and 71 entries, three quarter-finals are staged. If there are fewer than 54 entries, two semi-finals are held. Riders are selected for these rounds according to the previous season's averages in Danish matches only. When four quarter-finals are staged, the top eight riders (plus one reserve) in each progress to the semi-finals. When three quarter-finals are staged, the top ten riders (plus two reserves) from one round, and the top eleven riders (plus one reserve) from each of the other rounds, progress to the semi-finals. The top eight riders (plus one reserve) from each semi-final meet in the Final. The winner of the Final is awarded a gold medal and declared Danish Junior Individual Champion. Riders finishing second and third are awarded silver and bronze medals respectively. The top five finishers qualify for the World Junior Speedway Championship.
There is a great depth of league speedway for all ages in Denmark. The Youth Leagues are for riders between eight and eighteen years of age and 80cc bikes are used. The Micro Leagues are for riders between three and ten years of age and 50cc bikes are used. And the Old Boys League is for riders over 33 years of age.
. They won the competition in 2006
and 2008
.
in Copenhagen
In 1977 the track in Targovishte
, in the country's north east, was licensed for international meetings. The track then held the quarter-final of the European youth championship in 1978, won by Nikolay Manev. The eighth-finals were held there in 1982, 1985, 1986 and 1987, with a semi-final in 1980 and the 1982 semi-final for the World pairs championship, followed by the 1988 quarter-finals for the European youth championship.
Among the most prominent Bulgarian riders are: Angel Evtimov, Nikolay Manev, Orlin Yanakiev, Veselin Markov, Zdravko Yordanov, Milen Manev (Nikolay Manev’s son).
, speedway is most popular around the north-east of the country. The regions of Friuli-Venezia Giulia
, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Lombardy
and Veneto
host race meetings with the latter also hosting the Speedway Grand Prix of Italy
in the town of Lonigo
. The most successful speedway rider from Italy was Armando Castagna
. Castagna was the only Italian professional speedway rider in the history of the sport, and qualified five times for an Individual World Final. Another former rider, Giuseppe Marzotto
makes the GM speedway engines.
Speedway in Germany is overshadowed by its more popular track racing variant Sandbahn (Longtrack). However, the country hosts the Speedway Grand Prix of Germany
in the Veltins-Arena
and has produced one Speedway World Champion, Egon Müller
in 1983.
Clockwise
Circular motion can occur in two possible directions. A clockwise motion is one that proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back to the top...
laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
s use only one gear
Gear
A gear is a rotating machine part having cut teeth, or cogs, which mesh with another toothed part in order to transmit torque. Two or more gears working in tandem are called a transmission and can produce a mechanical advantage through a gear ratio and thus may be considered a simple machine....
and have no brake
Brake
A brake is a mechanical device which inhibits motion. Its opposite component is a clutch. The rest of this article is dedicated to various types of vehicular brakes....
s and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually consisting of dirt
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
or loosely packed shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
. Competitors use this surface to slide their machines sideways, powersliding or broadsiding
Broadsiding
Broadsiding is the method used in motorcycle speedway for travelling round the bends on the speedway track. The rider skids his rear wheel by spinning it at such a speed that it sets up a gyroscopic action and this opposes the natural tendencies of centrifugal force. Then he controls the slide by...
into the bends. On the straight sections of the track the motorcycles reach speeds of up 70 miles per hour (112.7 km/h).
The exact origins of the sport are unknown but there is evidence of a type of speedway racing being practiced in the USA before the First World War and in Australia in the late teens and early 1920s. There are now both domestic and international competitions in a number of countries including the Speedway World Cup
Speedway World Cup
The Speedway World Cup is an annual speedway event held each year in different countries. The first edition of the competition in the current format was in 2001 and it replaced the old World Team Cup competition.-Format:...
whilst the highest overall scoring individual in the Speedway Grand Prix
Speedway Grand Prix
Speedway Grand Prix are a series of stand-alone speedway events over the course of a season used to determine the Speedway World Champion. As of 2008, all of the events take place in Europe.- Event format :...
events is pronounced the world champion. Speedway is popular in central
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
and northern Europe
Northern Europe
Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. Northern Europe typically refers to the seven countries in the northern part of the European subcontinent which includes Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden...
and to a lesser extent in Australia and North America. A variant of track racing
Track racing
Track racing is a form of motorcycle racing where teams or individuals race opponents around an oval track. There are differing variants, with each variant racing on a different surface type....
, speedway is administered internationally by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme is the governing body of motorcycle racing. It represents 103 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six regional continental unions....
(FIM). Domestic speedway events are regulated by FIM affiliated national motor sport federations.
History
Maitland, New South Wales
Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...
Showground in the Lower Hunter Valley, New South Wales,Australia. Recent research has shown this not to be the case, and, indeed the Maitland Mercury
Maitland Mercury
The Maitland Mercury is Australia's oldest regional newspaper. It was originally a weekly newspaper, with the first issue published on 7 January 1843. The Mercury is still in circulation serving the city of Maitland and the surrounding Lower Hunter Valley.Even when it was first published the...
newspaper's report of this meeting mentions other similar meetings being held before it. There is much evidence to show that there were many similar earlier meetings held previously at many tracks in Australia and that broadsiding
Broadsiding
Broadsiding is the method used in motorcycle speedway for travelling round the bends on the speedway track. The rider skids his rear wheel by spinning it at such a speed that it sets up a gyroscopic action and this opposes the natural tendencies of centrifugal force. Then he controls the slide by...
on small dirt tracks had been practised in America since before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. A rider named Don Johns was known to have done this before 1914. It was said that he would ride the entire race course wide open, throwing great showers of dirt into the air at each turn.His style of cornering was followed in the United States by riders such as Albert "Shrimp" Burns, Maldwyn Jones and Eddie Brinck well before 1923, where Motorcycle Speedway Racing was initially called Short Track Racing. The first meeting 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...
took place at High Beech
High Beach
High Beach also known as High Beech is a hamlet located within Epping Forest. Epping is located to the north east and Central London at Charing Cross lies approximately to the south west.-Description:...
on 19 February 1928. There are, however, claims that meetings were held in 1927 at Camberley
Camberley
Camberley is a town in Surrey, England, situated 31 miles southwest of central London, in the corridor between the M3 and M4 motorways. The town lies close to the borders of both Hampshire and Berkshire; the boundaries intersect on the western edge of the town where all three counties...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
and Droylsden
Droylsden
Droylsden is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. It is to the east of Manchester city centre, and west-southwest of Ashton-under-Lyne, it has a population of 23,172....
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. Despite being described as "the first British Dirt Track meeting" at the time, the meeting at Camberley on 7 May 1927 differed in that the races were held in a clockwise
Clockwise
Circular motion can occur in two possible directions. A clockwise motion is one that proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back to the top...
direction. Races at Droylsden were held in an anti-clockwise direction but it is generally accepted that the sport arrived in the United Kingdom when Australians Billy Galloway and Keith McKay arrived with the intention of introducing speedway to the Northern Hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
. Both featured in the 1928 High Beech meeting. The first speedway meeting in the UK to feature bikes with no brakes and broadsiding
Broadsiding
Broadsiding is the method used in motorcycle speedway for travelling round the bends on the speedway track. The rider skids his rear wheel by spinning it at such a speed that it sets up a gyroscopic action and this opposes the natural tendencies of centrifugal force. Then he controls the slide by...
round corners on loose dirt was the third meeting held at High Beech on 9 April 1928, where Colin Watson, Alf Medcalf and "Digger" Pugh demonstrated the art for the first time in the UK.
Proto speedway was staged in Glasgow at the Olympic Stadium (Glasgow Nelson) on April 9, 1928 and the first fully professional meeting was staged at Celtic Park on April 28, 1928. The first meeting in Wales was staged at Cardiff White City on Boxing Day 1928.
Colac, Victoria
Colac is a small city located in the Western District of Victoria, Australia, situated approximately 150 kilometres south-west of Melbourne on the southern shore of Lake Colac and the surrounding volcanic plains, approximately 40 km inland from Bass Strait. Colac is the largest city in and...
at Exhibition Speedway Melbourne, won the prestigious Silver Gauntlet, which required the rider to win the feature race 10 times in one season. He won it 12 times. He also achieved success at an international level, racing for Southampton
Southampton Saints
Southampton Saints were a speedway team which operated from 1928 until their closure in 1963. Their track was located at Banister Court Stadium in Southampton, Hampshire....
in 1929 and captained the Glasgow
Glasgow Tigers (speedway)
The Glasgow Tigers are a motorcycle speedway team from Glasgow, Scotland. Formed in 1928, the club adopted the Tigers nickname in 1946 and compete in the British Premier League...
in the Northern League in 1930 before moving to Wembley
Wembley Lions (speedway)
The Wembley Lions were a motorcycle speedway team which operated from 1929 until their closure in 1971. Their track was located at Wembley Stadium, London. The original stadium which hosted speedway has been redeveloped.-Pre-war:...
in 1931, for whom he rode in just four matches, averaging 4.00 points per match. He also raced in the 1930 Scottish Championship which was won by Wembley
Wembley Lions (speedway)
The Wembley Lions were a motorcycle speedway team which operated from 1929 until their closure in 1971. Their track was located at Wembley Stadium, London. The original stadium which hosted speedway has been redeveloped.-Pre-war:...
's Harry Whitfield.
The forerunner of the World Championship, the Star Riders' Championship
Star Riders' Championship
The Star Riders' Championship was the forerunner of the Speedway World Championship and was inaugurated in 1929. The competition was sponsored by The Star, which was a London evening newspaper at that time....
, was inaugurated in Great Britain in 1929 but was split in to two sections as it was felt that the British riders were not yet the equal of the Australians and Americans. Frank Arthur
Frank Arthur
Harold Frank Milton Arthur was a former international motorcycle speedway rider who won the first Star Riders' Championship the forerunner of the Speedway World Championship, in 1929.-Career:Arthur was one of the pioneers of speedway in the UK...
won the Overseas Section and Roger Frogley
Roger Frogley
Roger Frogley was a pioneering British motorcycle speedway rider, who won several races at the start of the 20th century. His crowning triumph was beating the Australian star, Ben Unwin, at the International Match Race in front of a 40,000 strong crowd.Frogley rode for the Crystal Palace Glaziers...
the British. The following year the two sections were amalgamated and Vic Huxley
Vic Huxley
Victor Nelson "Vic" Huxley was a Speedway who won the Star Riders' Championship, the forerunner of the Speedway World Championship, in 1930 and finished runner-up in 1931 and 1932. He also won the London Riders' Championship in 1936 whilst with the Wimbledon Dons...
proved to be the winner. Huxley was also runner-up three times and won the first British Match Race championship in 1931.
Speedway racing typically took place on purpose built tracks, although in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
bikes shared larger Speedways with cars such as Sprintcars
Sprint car racing
Sprint cars are high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa....
and Speedcars
Midget car racing
Midget cars, also Speedcars in Australia, are very small race cars with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four-cylinder engines.-Cars:Typically, these cars have 300 to 400 horsepower and weigh...
, with tracks traditionally ranging from ⅓ Mile Showground tracks (such as the now closed 550 metre Claremont Speedway
Claremont Showgrounds
The Claremont Showgrounds were built in 1905 in the Perth suburb of Claremont. The Showgrounds are home to the annual Perth Royal Show. They were also the original home of Claremont-Cottesloe in its first year in the WAFL before moving to Claremont Oval....
) to smaller, purpose built 300 metre long motorcycle tracks such as Gillman Speedway
Gillman Speedway
Gillman Speedway is a purpose built motorcycle speedway located in the Adelaide suburb of Gillman in South Australia.The closure of the nearby North Arm Speedway at the end of the 1996-97 season left Adelaide without a venue for motorcycle speedway for the first time in almost 80 years. David...
in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
.
Speed
Leigh Adams
Leigh Scott Adams is an Australian motorcycle speedway rider. He is a multiple Speedway Grand Prix winner and World Team Champion...
set a record time of 59 seconds on a 342 metres (1,122 ft) track and produced an average speed of 83 km/h (49 mph). The speed on straight sections of the track reaches 110 km/h (70 mph) or more on longer tracks, but the limited speed on curves lowers the average.
At the start of a race it takes between one and two seconds for the motorcycle to reach the "curve speed" (somewhat lower than the average), which is roughly estimated to be the equivalent of 2.5 to 3 seconds to reach 100 kilometres per hour (62.1 mph) (or 0 to 60 mph
0 to 60 mph
The time it takes to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph is a commonly used performance measure for automotive acceleration in the United States and the United Kingdom. In the rest of the world 0 to 100 km/h is used...
). The start of the race is an important aspect of the race overall. "Gating" correctly can help a rider gain an initial advantage over other riders but speed advantages can be made as a race progresses. Those riders willing to take a risk and opt for finding the grippy parts of the track rather than the race line, are sometimes rewarded with extra speed allowing them to pass other riders either on the outside or the inside.
Track
Spring (device)
A spring is an elastic object used to store mechanical energy. Springs are usually made out of spring steel. Small springs can be wound from pre-hardened stock, while larger ones are made from annealed steel and hardened after fabrication...
mechanisms that raise two or three strands of tape to start the race.
The FIM regulations require licensed tracks to provide a garage or pit area for motorcycles as well as medical and press facilities. Track boundaries are marked by white lines or barriers on the inside and outside of the track, any rider who crosses this boundary with both wheels will be disqualified unless they only did so in the interest of safety or were forced to by another competitor.
Land grading
Grading in civil engineering and construction is the work of ensuring a level base, or one with a specified slope, for a construction work such as a foundation, the base course for a road or a railway, or landscape and garden improvements, or surface drainage...
. The topmost of which must be of shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
, granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
granules or other loose material of which no individual piece can be over 7 millimetre (0.275590551181102 in) in size. Competitors use this surface to slide their machines sideways (powersliding or broadsiding
Broadsiding
Broadsiding is the method used in motorcycle speedway for travelling round the bends on the speedway track. The rider skids his rear wheel by spinning it at such a speed that it sets up a gyroscopic action and this opposes the natural tendencies of centrifugal force. Then he controls the slide by...
) into the bends using the rear wheel to scrub-off speed while still providing the drive to power the bike forward and around the bend. The skill of speedway lies in the overall ability of the rider to control his motorcycle when cornering and thus avoid losing places through deceleration. The use of asphalt
Asphalt concrete
Asphalt concrete is a composite material commonly used in construction projects such as road surfaces, airports and parking lots. It consists of asphalt and mineral aggregate mixed together, then laid down in layers and compacted...
, concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
and tarmac
Tarmac
Tarmac is a type of road surface. Tarmac refers to a material patented by Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1901...
for any layer is prohibited. The top layer must be levelled or "graded" at intervals during an event by tractors towing specially adapted rakes to evenly re-distribute the surface. Tracks are watered before and, if needed, during meetings to prevent the surface becoming too dry and to protect the public and the riders from dust.
Speedway Elite League
The Elite League is the top division of Speedway league competition in the United Kingdom and is governed by the Speedway Control Bureau , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association . It is sponsored by Sky Sports...
, Polish Ekstraliga
Speedway Ekstraliga
The Speedway Ekstraliga is the top division of speedway in Poland. It has been called the "richest and most popular speedway league in the world" and attracts riders from all over the world...
, Speedway Grand Prix
Speedway Grand Prix
Speedway Grand Prix are a series of stand-alone speedway events over the course of a season used to determine the Speedway World Champion. As of 2008, all of the events take place in Europe.- Event format :...
and Speedway World Cup
Speedway World Cup
The Speedway World Cup is an annual speedway event held each year in different countries. The first edition of the competition in the current format was in 2001 and it replaced the old World Team Cup competition.-Format:...
. Neutral zones outside the track provide safe run-off areas for riders and their machinery to minimise the potential risk of injury to spectators. The majority of tracks are dedicated to speedway or other sports such as sidecar speedway
Sidecar speedway
Sidecar Speedway is a motorcycle sport involving 4 crews of a rider and a passenger competing over 4 laps on an oval shale surface. Rules are governed by the national speedway federation and are not dissimilar to conventional speedway rules....
and banger racing
Banger racing
Banger Racing is a tarmac or dirt track racing type of motorsport event popularised in both North America and Europe and especially United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands in which drivers of old vehicles race against one another around a race track and the race is...
. For larger events, the FIM occasionally sanctions the use of stadiums that install temporary tracks such as the British Grand Prix
Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain
The Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain is a speedway event that is a part of the Speedway Grand Prix Series.-Winners:-See also:...
held at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
.
Motorcycles
Brake
A brake is a mechanical device which inhibits motion. Its opposite component is a clutch. The rest of this article is dedicated to various types of vehicular brakes....
s, the clutch is used as a release mechanism at the start of races. FIM regulations state that the motorcycles must have no brake
Brake
A brake is a mechanical device which inhibits motion. Its opposite component is a clutch. The rest of this article is dedicated to various types of vehicular brakes....
s, are powered by pure methanol
Methanol
Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a chemical with the formula CH3OH . It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colorless, flammable liquid with a distinctive odor very similar to, but slightly sweeter than, ethanol...
, use only one gear
Gear
A gear is a rotating machine part having cut teeth, or cogs, which mesh with another toothed part in order to transmit torque. Two or more gears working in tandem are called a transmission and can produce a mechanical advantage through a gear ratio and thus may be considered a simple machine....
and weigh a minimum of 77 kilograms (169.8 lb). By using engine and rear wheel sprocket
Sprocket
A sprocket or sprocket-wheel is a profiled wheel with teeth, cogs, or even sprockets that mesh with a chain, track or other perforated or indented material. The name 'sprocket' applies generally to any wheel upon which are radial projections that engage a chain passing over it...
s the gear ratio
Gear ratio
The gear ratio of a gear train is the ratio of the angular velocity of the input gear to the angular velocity of the output gear, also known as the speed ratio of the gear train. The gear ratio can be computed directly from the numbers of teeth of the various gears that engage to form the gear...
can be adjusted as required for track conditions. The use of methanol allows for an increased compression ratio
Compression ratio
The 'compression ratio' of an internal-combustion engine or external combustion engine is a value that represents the ratio of the volume of its combustion chamber from its largest capacity to its smallest capacity...
to the engine producing more power than other fuels and resulting in higher speeds (approximately 130 kilometres per hour (80.8 mph) when cornering).
- Weigh no less than 77 kg (unfuelled)
- Use a four-stroke, single-cylinder engine with one carburettor and one spark plugSpark plugA spark plug is an electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of some internal combustion engines and ignites compressed fuels such as aerosol, gasoline, ethanol, and liquefied petroleum gas by means of an electric spark.Spark plugs have an insulated central electrode which is connected by...
and a maximum capacity of 500ccCubic centimetreA cubic centimetre is a commonly used unit of volume extending the derived SI-unit cubic metre, and corresponds to the volume of a cube measuring 1 cm × 1 cm × 1 cm... - Have guards fitted over moving engine parts where reasonable
- Use an additional chain guard to prevent a hand or fingers being cut at the nip point where the chain meets the sprocket by a chainRoller chainRoller chain or bush roller chain is the type of chain drive most commonly used for transmission of mechanical power on many kinds of domestic, industrial and agricultural machinery, including conveyors, wire and tube drawing machines, printing presses, cars, motorcycles, and simple machines like...
- Have a peg (Dutch Peg) fitted to prevent a broken primary chain flailing and injuring a rider or a fellow competitor
- Use shatter resistant plastics where reasonable
- Be fitted with a dirt deflector
- Be fuelled by methanolMethanolMethanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a chemical with the formula CH3OH . It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colorless, flammable liquid with a distinctive odor very similar to, but slightly sweeter than, ethanol...
with no additives - Be fitted with an approved silencerMufflerA muffler is a device for reducing the amount of noise emitted by the exhaust of an internal combustion engine. A US Patent for an Exhaust muffler for engines was granted to Milton and Marshall Reeves in 1897....
- Have a handlebar width greater than 650 mm and less than 850 mm.
Machines used cannot:
- Be constructed in any part from TitaniumTitaniumTitanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
- Use uncoated ceramicCeramicA ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
parts - Use telemetry during a race except for timing purposes
- Use any electronic components to control the engine
- Use brakeBrakeA brake is a mechanical device which inhibits motion. Its opposite component is a clutch. The rest of this article is dedicated to various types of vehicular brakes....
s of any form - Use superchargerSuperchargerA supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,...
or a turbochargerTurbochargerA turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance...
of any kind.
In addition all motorcycles must have a safety cut out device fitted, this is defined as a switch that "must cut off the circuit of the electrical supply by the simple action of pulling a lanyard or a non-elastic string (with a maximum length of 30 centimetres (11.8 in)) attached to the rider's right wrist." The high compression ratio
Compression ratio
The 'compression ratio' of an internal-combustion engine or external combustion engine is a value that represents the ratio of the volume of its combustion chamber from its largest capacity to its smallest capacity...
of the engine can also assist in slowing down a machine; if the throttle
Throttle
A throttle is the mechanism by which the flow of a fluid is managed by constriction or obstruction. An engine's power can be increased or decreased by the restriction of inlet gases , but usually decreased. The term throttle has come to refer, informally and incorrectly, to any mechanism by which...
is closed the engine may stop. Riders can stop the bike by deliberately laying down the bike on the track and this technique is used to avoid riders who fall in front of a pursuing colleague. Before cut outs were fitted an engine was stopped in an emergency situation by removing the plug lead from the spark plug
Spark plug
A spark plug is an electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of some internal combustion engines and ignites compressed fuels such as aerosol, gasoline, ethanol, and liquefied petroleum gas by means of an electric spark.Spark plugs have an insulated central electrode which is connected by...
or shutting off the fuel supply.
Racing
Races (known as heats) consist of four riders racing over four laps from a standing startStanding start
A standing start is a type of start in auto racing events, in which cars are stationary when the race begins. In a standing start, cars are completely still when a green signal is given to start the race, often preceded by a set of lights...
. Riders wear different coloured helmets, traditionally red and blue denote home team riders, and white and yellow/black quartered colours denote visiting riders. The colours also denote starting positions. Red is the pole, blue starts second, white starts third and yellow/black starts on the outside. In speedway some finals may have six riders depending on the size of the track and finals are generally held over six laps. Riders must be able to get their bikes to the start line under their own power, without any external assistance and not by pushing the machine, then line up in parallel. The starting area is divided into a grid of four equal parts and the riders from each team must take their place in alternate grids or "gates".
A rider who is not at the start line within a reasonable period of time is also liable to be disqualified, although league matches in the UK allow teams to elect to start the disqualified rider fifteen metres back from the tapes or replace the disqualified rider with a team reserve. This period of time is standardised to two minutes from a time determined by the match referee and usually indicated by a bell, a rotating orange lamp or a digital clock readout. All riders must be at the tapes under their own power before the two minutes have elapsed. Additional time between races will be allowed by, and at the discretion of, the referee if a rider has two consecutive rides, to allow the rider time to prepare.
A starting gate consisting of two or more tapes is erected across the start line. The riders must situate themselves not more than 10 centimetres (3.9 in) from this and not touch it at any time, they must also remain stationary until the tapes are raised. These are known as tape infringements and can result in a false start
False start
In sports, a false start is a movement by a participant before being signaled or otherwise permitted by the rules to start...
being recorded and the rider penalised (disqualified, or in league matches in Great Britain, a 15-metre penalty or replace the disqualified rider with a team reserve). The race is started with the raising of the start tape mechanism operated by the match referee and the riders must proceed around the track in an anti-clockwise direction without both wheels illegally leaving the track boundaries.
Once a race is underway, no rider can receive outside assistance, including push-starts, from others. Historically, pushers were allowed at the start of the race. A white line at the 30 metre mark used to designate the extent to which a push was allowed but due to safety concerns, assistance is now illegal.
Occasionally races consist of six riders but this is rare as most tracks are too narrow to accommodate the extra riders safely.
Scoring
Speedway operates a sliding scale for scoring (known as the 3-2-1-0 method). Three points are scored for first place, two points for second place and one point for third place. A rider does not score when finishing fourth, or failing to finish, or if excluded from a race. These points accumulate over the competition, with riders points either counting towards individual or team placings. In the event of a tie, the race is commonly awarded as a dead heatTie (draw)
To tie or draw is to finish a competition with identical or inconclusive results. The word "tie" is usually used in North America for sports such as American football. "Draw" is usually used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Commonwealth of Nations and it is usually used for sports such as...
. If it is a tie for first place, they will both receive two points. A tie for second place earns each rider one point while a joint-last finish earns each rider zero points. Teams can use a tactical substitute rule once in a meeting. If that team is eight or more points in arrears, they may bring in the use of a different rider in their team lineup, to race in any heat except for heat 15. This may be different in World cup or event racing. If they are ten or more points behind, a rider with a scheduled ride may go out for double points, in which the riders points will be doubled if he beats a rider of the opposing team. Any rider taking a tactical substitute ride or double points ride is denoted by a black and white helmet colour as rather than one of the four usual coloured helmets. If that rider remains unbeaten by either opposition rider his scored points are doubled and also count towards the rider's calculated match average (CMA).
| Scoring for Heats with 4 riders |
||
| Place | Points | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 3 | |
| 2nd | 2 | |
| 3rd | 1 | |
| 4th | 0 | |
Calculated match averages
The sport produces Calculated Match Averages (CMAs or averages) for every rider, these are calculated from the following:CMAs scale from 3.00 to 12.00, any rider scoring above or below these values will be awarded the maximum. These averages are used in leagues such as the British Elite League to identify heat-leaders for the purposes of choosing which riders to enter for each race.
At the start of a season, a rider retains their last recorded CMA (or assessed CMA if they have never previously established one) until they have competed in six home and six away matches. A new CMA is then issued that comes into effect seven days later. These are subsequently updated on the 15th of every month from May onwards, and come into effect on the first of the next month.
These CMA's are used in most professional leagues and are altered or weighted depending on the league the rider gained the CMA in. A rider that has no recorded average will receive an indicative CMA for the start of the season that is assessed on their prior experience in the sport.
International
| World (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) | Europe (UEM Union Européenne de Motocyclisme The Union Européenne de Motocyclisme or European Motorcycle Union is the FIM affiliated federation responsible for Motorcycle sport within Europe.-History:... ) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seniors | Juniors | Seniors | Juniors | |
| Individual | World Individual Speedway World Championship The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world. Today, it is organised as a series of Speedway Grand Prix events, where points are awarded according to performance in the event and tallied up at the end of each... (1936–1994) Grand Prix Speedway Grand Prix Speedway Grand Prix are a series of stand-alone speedway events over the course of a season used to determine the Speedway World Champion. As of 2008, all of the events take place in Europe.- Event format :... (since 1995) |
World Individual U-21 Individual Speedway Junior World Championship The Individual Speedway Junior World Championship is an annual speedway event held each year organized by the International Motorcycling Federation since 1977... (since 1977) |
European Individual Individual Speedway European Championship The Individual Speedway European Championship is an annual speedway event held each year organized by the European Motorcycle Union since 2001.The minimum age of a rider to compete is 16 years of age .... (since 2001) |
European Individual U-19 Individual Speedway Junior European Championship The Individual Speedway Junior European Championship is an annual speedway event held each year organized by the European Motorcycle Union since 1998.-Championship History:... (since 1998) |
| Pair | World Pairs Speedway World Pairs Championship The Speedway World Pairs Championship was an annual speedway event held each year in different countries. The first competition was held in 1968 and the final competition was held in 1993. From 1994 it was merged with the World Team Cup.- Rules :... (1970–1993) |
None | European Pairs European Pairs Speedway Championship The European Pairs Speedway Championship is an annual speedway event held each year in different countries organized by the European Motorcycle Union since 2004.-Team composition:... (since 2004) |
None |
| Team | World Team Speedway World Team Cup The Speedway World Team Cup was an annual speedway event held each year in different countries. The competition started in 1960 and was replaced with the Speedway World Cup in 2001.-Format:From 1960 until 1985 each team consisted of four riders and a reserve... (1960–2000) World Cup Speedway World Cup The Speedway World Cup is an annual speedway event held each year in different countries. The first edition of the competition in the current format was in 2001 and it replaced the old World Team Cup competition.-Format:... (since 2001) |
U-21 World Cup Team Speedway Junior World Championship The Team Speedway Junior World Championship is an annual speedway event held each year in different countries . The first edition of the competition was in 2005. Current World Champions are Russia team, who won in 2011 Final... (since 2005) |
None | European Team U-19 Team Speedway Junior European Championship The Team Speedway Junior European Championship is an annual motorcycle speedway event for riders aged 19 and under, held each year organized by the European Motorcycle Union since 2008.... (since 2008) |
An international individual speedway championship has taken various forms since its beginnings in the 1930s. The present FIM Speedway Grand Prix (SGP)
Speedway Grand Prix
Speedway Grand Prix are a series of stand-alone speedway events over the course of a season used to determine the Speedway World Champion. As of 2008, all of the events take place in Europe.- Event format :...
championship organised by Speedway Grand Prix (IMG
IMG (business)
IMG, originally known as the International Management Group is a global sports and media business headquartered in New York City.-History:...
since 2007) has taken place since 1995. The SGP uses a scoring system based on each riders overall final position. The rider who has gained the most points at the end of the tournament is declared the World Champion
Speedway World Championship
The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world. Today, it is organised as a series of Speedway Grand Prix events, where points are awarded according to performance in the event and tallied up at the end of each...
. Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
rider Tomasz Gollob
Tomasz Gollob
Tomasz Gollob is a Polish motorcycle speedway rider who has appeared in every Speedway Grand Prix series since its inaugural season in 1995. His brother Jacek is also a speedway rider.-Career summary:...
is the current World Champion, which is his first championship win after finishing 2nd in 1999
1999 Speedway Grand Prix
The 1999 Speedway Grand Prix season was the fifth season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and was used to determine the Speedway World Champion.- Event format :The system first used in 1998 continued to be adopted with 24 riders, divided into two classes...
and 2009
2009 Speedway Grand Prix
The 2009 Speedway Grand Prix season will be the 15th season of the Speedway Grand Prix era, and will decide the 64th Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme Speedway World Championship...
and third in 1998
1998 Speedway Grand Prix
The 1998 Speedway Grand Prix season was the fourth season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and was used to determine the Speedway World Champion.- Event format :The system used was a new one for the 4th SGP season with 24 riders, divided into two classes...
, 2001
2001 Speedway Grand Prix
The 2001 Speedway Grand Prix season was the seventh season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and is used to determine the Speedway World Champion.- Event format :The system first used in 1998 continued to be adopted with 24 riders, divided into two classes...
and 2008
2008 Speedway Grand Prix
The 2008 Speedway Grand Prix season was the fourteenth season in the Speedway Grand Prix era used to determine the Speedway World Champion. It was the second under the promotion of IMG.- Event format :...
. Gollob is the first Polish World Champion since Jerzy Szczakiel
Jerzy Szczakiel
Jerzy Szczakiel is a Speedway rider. He is one of two Polish nationales to win the Speedway World Championship, the other being 2010 Speedway Grand Prix champion Tomasz Gollob....
won in 1973
1973 Individual Speedway World Championship
The 1973 Individual Speedway World Championship.The 1973 World Final was won by Polish rider Jerzy Szczakiel following a run-off in with defending champion Ivan Mauger after both riders had finished on 13 points. In the run-off Mauger fell in turn 3 after trying a risky passing move leaving...
. The annual British Grand Prix is currently held at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales.
World Speedway Champions include Ivan Mauger
Ivan Mauger
Ivan Mauger, OBE, MBE, is a retired motorcycle speedway rider. He won a record six World Championships, a feat only equalled by Tony Rickardsson of Sweden...
(six-time World Champion), fellow New Zealander
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
Barry Briggs
Barry Briggs
Barry Briggs MBE from Christchurch, New Zealand is a former Speedway rider.He won the World Individual Championship title four times - in 1957, 1958, 1964 and 1966. He appeared in a record 17 consecutive World Individual finals , and a record 18 in all, during which he scored a record 201 points...
(four-times), Ole Olsen (three-times), Ove Fundin
Ove Fundin
Ove Fundin is a former speedway rider who won the Speedway World Championship five times...
(five-times), Lionel Van Praag
Lionel Van Praag
Lionel Maurice Van Praag, GM was an Australian motorcycle speedway champion, who won the inaugural Speedway World Championship in London on 10 September 1936.-1932 UK National League Champion:...
(inaugural World Champion in 1936), Hans Nielsen
Hans Nielsen (speedway rider)
Hans Hollen Nielsen - a prominent speedway rider active from the 1970s to the late 1990s; a former World Champion....
(nicknamed "The Professor", four-times World Champion), Tony Rickardsson
Tony Rickardsson
Tony Rickardsson is a retired Swedish motorcycle speedway rider. He is widely acknowledged as being the most successful speedway rider of the current era, having won six Speedway World Championship titles in 15 attempts. He has two daughters, Michelle and Natalie with his wife Anna...
(six-times), Erik Gundersen
Erik Gundersen
Erik Gundersen was a speedway rider in the late 1970s and 1980s. Gundersen was the Speedway World Championship on three occasions, a two time Long Track World Champion and a seven time World Team Cup winner with Denmark.-Career:Gundersen rode for the Cradley Heath Heathens from 1979 until 1989...
and Jason Crump
Jason Crump
Jason Phillip Crump is an Australian international motorcycle speedway rider. He is a three-time Speedway World Champion, a World Cup winner and a former World Under-21 Champion.-Family:...
, both three-times World Champions.
The Speedway World Cup
Speedway World Cup
The Speedway World Cup is an annual speedway event held each year in different countries. The first edition of the competition in the current format was in 2001 and it replaced the old World Team Cup competition.-Format:...
is also held each year, featuring teams from the major speedway countries, usually in a series of meetings over the space of a week in the summer. The current champions are Poland (2011).
The Speedway World Pairs Championship
Speedway World Pairs Championship
The Speedway World Pairs Championship was an annual speedway event held each year in different countries. The first competition was held in 1968 and the final competition was held in 1993. From 1994 it was merged with the World Team Cup.- Rules :...
was an annual speedway event held each year in different countries. Competing countries picked their top two riders to represent them. The first competition was held in 1970 and the final competition was held in 1993. From 1994 it was merged with the World Team Cup.
Domestic competitions
Most European countries run their own domestic speedway leagues. The FIM affiliated governing bodies in each country operate league systemLeague system
A league system is a hierarchy of leagues in a sport, usually with a system of promotion and relegation between consecutive levels of the hierarchy. They are often called pyramids due to their tendency to split into an increasing number of regional divisions the further down the pyramid one descends...
s, normally comprising several division
Division (sport)
In sports, a division is a group of teams who compete against each other for a championship.-League system:In sports using a league system , a division consists a group of teams who play a sport at a similar competitive level...
s, in which the teams gain points throughout the season depending on results. Teams are placed into table
Table (information)
A table is a means of arranging data in rows and columns.Production % of goalNorth 4087102%South 4093110% The use of tables is pervasive throughout all communication, research and data analysis. Tables appear in print media, handwritten notes, computer software, architectural...
s, placing them in order according to points accrued. Most commonly, each team races every other team in its league at home and away in each season, in a round-robin tournament
Round-robin tournament
A round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...
. Meetings traditionally consist of two teams riding against each other with four riders in each race with two home team riders and two away team riders. Meetings usually feature fifteen heats and each rider is scheduled to ride four or five times. The team with the most points at the end of the meeting is the winner. Most league seasons end with play-offs - a series of meetings between the highest finishing teams to determine a league champion. The champions may be promoted
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
to a higher division and the team finishing at the bottom are in some countries relegated
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
to a lower division.
The majority of countries supplement the league system with one or more cup competitions. These are organised on a knock-out basis, the winner of each match proceeding to the next round and the loser taking no further part in the competition.
The major speedway nations in Europe are the United Kingdom, Sweden, Poland and Denmark. These countries run a number of leagues and have regular fixtures throughout the traditional speedway season that runs from March to October. On a smaller scale, competitions are also held in Argentina, Australia, Czech Republic, Italy, Russia, Slovenia and the United States. Some countries' top divisions feature highly paid star riders. In smaller countries and lower divisions, riders may be part-timers with a second job, or amateurs.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has three domestic leagues, the Elite LeagueSpeedway Elite League
The Elite League is the top division of Speedway league competition in the United Kingdom and is governed by the Speedway Control Bureau , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association . It is sponsored by Sky Sports...
. 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...
, and the National League
Speedway National League
The National League was the top division of Speedway in the United Kingdom from 1932 until 1965 when it became known as the British League. Prior to 1932 there were only small regional leagues competing within the sport in the UK. The National League was re-incarnated in 1975 as the second division...
.
Poland
Polski Zwiazek Motorowy
The Polski Związek Motorowy is an automobile club and the governing body of motorsports in Poland. It is based in Warsaw.Established in 1950 by merging the Polish Car Club and the Polish Motorcycle Association...
. The PZM is a member of the FIM and the Union Européenne de Motocyclisme
Union Européenne de Motocyclisme
The Union Européenne de Motocyclisme or European Motorcycle Union is the FIM affiliated federation responsible for Motorcycle sport within Europe.-History:...
(UEM).
The Polish Extraleague
Speedway Ekstraliga
The Speedway Ekstraliga is the top division of speedway in Poland. It has been called the "richest and most popular speedway league in the world" and attracts riders from all over the world...
has the highest average attendances for any sport in Poland. The first speedway meetings in Poland were held in the 1930s and league racing began in 1948.
There are three championships in Poland: individual (IMP), pairs (MPPK) and team (the DMP consisting of three leagues). The Junior under-21 championships also has three competitions: individual (MIMP), pairs (MMPPK) and team (MDMP). There are three leagues: Extraleague
Speedway Ekstraliga
The Speedway Ekstraliga is the top division of speedway in Poland. It has been called the "richest and most popular speedway league in the world" and attracts riders from all over the world...
, First League and Second League. In the 2007 season, the Extraleague and First League had eight teams competing and the Second League had seven teams. The GKSŻ organizes the Golden Helmet, Silver Helmet (Under-21) and Bronze Helmet (Under-19) competitions. Individual meetings such as the Criterium of Polish Speedway League Aces - Mieczysław Połukard Memorial, Alfred Smoczyk Memorial and Edward Jancarz Memorial are also popular.
The Polish National team are current Speedway World Cup Champions, and have also won the competition in 2005, 2007, and 2009. Poland has produced two Individual World Champions
Speedway World Championship
The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world. Today, it is organised as a series of Speedway Grand Prix events, where points are awarded according to performance in the event and tallied up at the end of each...
, Jerzy Szczakiel
Jerzy Szczakiel
Jerzy Szczakiel is a Speedway rider. He is one of two Polish nationales to win the Speedway World Championship, the other being 2010 Speedway Grand Prix champion Tomasz Gollob....
in 1973 and Tomasz Gollob
Tomasz Gollob
Tomasz Gollob is a Polish motorcycle speedway rider who has appeared in every Speedway Grand Prix series since its inaugural season in 1995. His brother Jacek is also a speedway rider.-Career summary:...
in 2010. The Polish junior team won the Under-21 World Championship
Team Speedway Junior World Championship
The Team Speedway Junior World Championship is an annual speedway event held each year in different countries . The first edition of the competition was in 2005. Current World Champions are Russia team, who won in 2011 Final...
in 2005 and 2006
2006 Team Speedway Junior World Championship
The 2006 Team Speedway Junior World Championship.-Abensberg :-Kulma :-Final:...
and since 2003 four Polish juniors have won the Under-21 Individual World Championship
Individual Speedway Junior World Championship
The Individual Speedway Junior World Championship is an annual speedway event held each year organized by the International Motorcycling Federation since 1977...
. In total, seven Polish riders have been World Champions at Under-21 level.
Sweden
Speedway in Sweden is governed by the Swedish Motorcycle and Snowmobile Federation (SVEMO). The first Swedish speedway league was founded in 1948 and copied the British format of league racing, including adopting the Swedish version of several British teams nicknames.The Elite League (Elitserien
Elitserien (speedway)
Elitserien is the highest league in the league system of speedway in Sweden and currently comprises the top 9 Swedish speedway teams. The first season began in 1982...
) was established in 1982 and has ten teams. At the end of each season the top four teams ride in the play-offs in semi-finals and a final and the winner of the final are the Elitserien champions. The team finishing bottom of the league are relegated to the National league (Allsvenskan). The Allsvenskan has seven teams and before the introduction of the Elitserien in 1982 was the top flight speedway league in Sweden. As with the Allsvenskan, the top four teams at the end of each season ride in the play-offs in semi-finals and a final. The Allsvenskan Division One is the third tier of Swedish speedway with seven teams. The team finishing the season in first place are champions and can apply for promotion to the Allsvenskan, subject to having suitable facilities and sufficient finances.
Other competitions include the Swedish Individual Championship
Speedway Swedish Individual Championship
- Previous winners :...
and the Swedish Junior Individual Championship. The Swedish Individual Championship
Speedway Swedish Individual Championship
- Previous winners :...
is contested by 18 riders in a Grand Prix
Speedway Grand Prix
Speedway Grand Prix are a series of stand-alone speedway events over the course of a season used to determine the Speedway World Champion. As of 2008, all of the events take place in Europe.- Event format :...
format with 20 heats. The Individual Champion in 2008 was Magnus Zetterstrom
Magnus Zetterström
Hans Magnus Zetterström is an international motorcycle speedway rider who rides for the Poole Pirates in the British Elite League. Zetterström became European Champion in 2002 and won the Premier League Riders Championship in 2006...
. The Junior Individual Championship is for riders aged twenty-one years and under.
Denmark
Speedway in Denmark is administrated by the Danmarks Motor Union (DMU). The sport was introduced into Denmark in the 1970s. Notable Danish speedway riders include - Nicki Pedersen, Bjarne PedersenBjarne Pedersen
Bjarne Pedersen is an international motorcycle speedway rider who has represented Denmark in the Speedway World Cup, winning it on two occasions: in 2006 and 2008.-Career summary:...
and Hans Nørgaard Andersen
Hans Nørgaard Andersen
Hans Nørgaard Andersen is a motorcycle speedway rider and captain of the Denmark speedway team that won the Speedway World Cup in 2006 and 2008.- Career summary :...
. Former rider, Ole Olsen won the World Championship three times and his success helped popularise the sport in Denmark. Since retiring Olsen has become an FIM Speedway Grand Prix race director.
League competitions
There are three leagues in Denmark.:- Danish LeagueDanish Speedway LeagueThe Danish Speedway League is the top division of motorcycle speedway in Denmark.- 2008 season :The 2008 season was won by Slangerup; they beat Esbjerg and Holsted.- 2009 season :- See also :* Sports in Denmark...
(Dansk Speedway Liga) - Division One
- Division Two
Speedway meetings are held between April and September. The Danish League (Dansk Speedway Liga) has six teams with meetings traditionally held on Wednesday evenings. At the end of each season the top four teams compete in the play-offs in semi-finals and a final. The winner of the final are the league champions. There is no promotion or relegation and membership of the Danish League is by application only. At the end of each season the top five teams in the Danish League compete in the Danish Super Cup', an end-of-season competition, held as a single event. It is hosted by the winning team from the previous season.
Both Division One and Division Two are the second and third tier and are mostly for amateur riders. Meetings are held on Saturdays with a mid-summer break. Division One can have a maximum of eight teams, with the remaining teams riding in Division Two. Meetings are staged using a four-team format. In principle, the team finishing bottom of Division One is relegated and replaced by the top team in Division Two as long as their parent club does not already have a team in Division One. However, this does not always happen for financial reasons. There is also no promotion and relegation if the bottom team in Division One and the top team in Division Two are operated by same club.
Other competitions
The Individual Speedway Danish ChampionshipIndividual Speedway Danish Championship
Individual Speedway Danish Championship is competition for riders holding a Danish passport and a valid DMU licence. Riders must submit their entries at least four weeks before the first meeting of the competition....
is a competition for riders holding a Danish passport and a valid DMU licence. Riders must submit their entries at least four weeks before the first meeting of the competition. Any riders who competed in the Speedway Grand Prix or World Championship Qualifying rounds during the previous season are seeded directly to the Final. The DMU may also seed other riders directly to the Final at their discretion. Either one or two semi-finals are staged depending on the number of riders entering the competition (excluding the seeded riders who go straight through to the Final). Riders are selected for these rounds according to the previous season's Danish averages. If one semi-final is held, the highest-placed riders (plus two reserves) qualify for the Final. If two semi-finals are held, the highest-placed riders (plus one reserve) from each meeting qualify for the Final. The winner of the Final is awarded a gold medal and declared Danish Individual Champion. The riders finishing second and third are awarded silver and bronze medals respectively. The final classification also determines which riders qualify for the World Individual Speedway Championship.
The Individual Speedway Junior Danish Championship is a competition for riders holding a Danish passport, a valid DMU licence, and who are under 21 years of age on 1 January in the year of the competition. Riders wishing to compete must submit their entries at least four weeks before the first meeting of the competition. If there are 72 or more entries, four quarter-finals are staged. If there are between 54 and 71 entries, three quarter-finals are staged. If there are fewer than 54 entries, two semi-finals are held. Riders are selected for these rounds according to the previous season's averages in Danish matches only. When four quarter-finals are staged, the top eight riders (plus one reserve) in each progress to the semi-finals. When three quarter-finals are staged, the top ten riders (plus two reserves) from one round, and the top eleven riders (plus one reserve) from each of the other rounds, progress to the semi-finals. The top eight riders (plus one reserve) from each semi-final meet in the Final. The winner of the Final is awarded a gold medal and declared Danish Junior Individual Champion. Riders finishing second and third are awarded silver and bronze medals respectively. The top five finishers qualify for the World Junior Speedway Championship.
There is a great depth of league speedway for all ages in Denmark. The Youth Leagues are for riders between eight and eighteen years of age and 80cc bikes are used. The Micro Leagues are for riders between three and ten years of age and 50cc bikes are used. And the Old Boys League is for riders over 33 years of age.
National team
Denmark enter a team in the Speedway World CupSpeedway World Cup
The Speedway World Cup is an annual speedway event held each year in different countries. The first edition of the competition in the current format was in 2001 and it replaced the old World Team Cup competition.-Format:...
. They won the competition in 2006
2006 Speedway World Cup
The 2006 Speedway World Cup was the 6th FIM Speedway World Cup season. The Final took place on July 22, 2006 in the Smallmead Stadium in Reading, Berkshire, Great Britain. The tournament was won by Denmark and they beat Sweden , host team Great Britain and Australia in the Final...
and 2008
2008 Speedway World Cup
The 2008 FIM Nordicbet Speedway World Cup is the 8th FIM Speedway World Cup season. The Final took place on July 19 2008 in Vojens, Denmark...
.
Danish Grand Prix
The Danish Speedway Grand Prix is held in the Parken StadiumParken Stadium
Parken Stadium is a football stadium in the Indre Østerbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark, built from 1990–1992. It currently has a capacity of 38,065 for football games, and is the home ground of F.C. Københaven and the Danish national football team...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
Bulgaria
Bulgaria has one domestic league, with a total of six speedway tracks. In 2011, after years of neglect, the National Championship was restored, conducted in cooperation with Romania.In 1977 the track in Targovishte
Targovishte
Targovishte is a city in Bulgaria, capital of Targovishte Province. It is situated at the northern foot of the low mountain of Preslav on both banks of the Vrana River. The town is 335 km away to the north-east from the capital Sofia and about 125 km to the west from the city of Varna...
, in the country's north east, was licensed for international meetings. The track then held the quarter-final of the European youth championship in 1978, won by Nikolay Manev. The eighth-finals were held there in 1982, 1985, 1986 and 1987, with a semi-final in 1980 and the 1982 semi-final for the World pairs championship, followed by the 1988 quarter-finals for the European youth championship.
Among the most prominent Bulgarian riders are: Angel Evtimov, Nikolay Manev, Orlin Yanakiev, Veselin Markov, Zdravko Yordanov, Milen Manev (Nikolay Manev’s son).
Other nations
Introduced to Italy by occupying soldiers after World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, speedway is most popular around the north-east of the country. The regions of Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli–Venezia Giulia is one of the twenty regions of Italy, and one of five autonomous regions with special statute. The capital is Trieste. It has an area of 7,858 km² and about 1.2 million inhabitants. A natural opening to the sea for many Central European countries, the region is...
, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
and Veneto
Veneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
host race meetings with the latter also hosting the Speedway Grand Prix of Italy
Speedway Grand Prix of Italy
The Speedway Grand Prix of Italy is a speedway event that is a part of the Speedway Grand Prix Series. First ever Italian SGP was held in 1996 season and was won by Dane Hans Nielsen. Next SGP was held nine years later in 2005. First five event was held at Santa Marina Stadium in Lonigo...
in the town of Lonigo
Lonigo
Lonigo is a town and comune in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, northern Italy, its population counts around 16.000 inhabitants.In its frazione of Bagnolo is the Villa Pisani, a Renaissance patrician villa designed by Andrea Palladio, which is part of a World Heritage Site...
. The most successful speedway rider from Italy was Armando Castagna
Armando Castagna
Armando Castagna is a former Italian international motorcycle speedway rider. He was a member of the Italy national team and has represented them in several World Team Cup competitions.-Career:...
. Castagna was the only Italian professional speedway rider in the history of the sport, and qualified five times for an Individual World Final. Another former rider, Giuseppe Marzotto
Giuseppe Marzotto
Giuseppe Marzotto is a former Italian international motorcycle speedway rider.-Career:Marzotto began competing in scooter gymkhanas at the age of 16, riding under the pseudonym "Charlie Brown" because his parents were opposed to him entering in such events. He won the Trofeo Nazionale Gincane...
makes the GM speedway engines.
Speedway in Germany is overshadowed by its more popular track racing variant Sandbahn (Longtrack). However, the country hosts the Speedway Grand Prix of Germany
Speedway Grand Prix of Germany
The Speedway Grand Prix of Germany is a speedway event that is a part of the Speedway Grand Prix Series.-Winners:-Most win: Hans Nielsen Tomasz Gollob 2 times-See also:...
in the Veltins-Arena
Veltins-Arena
Veltins-Arena is a football stadium in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It opened in 2001, as the new home ground for German Bundesliga club Schalke 04....
and has produced one Speedway World Champion, Egon Müller
Egon Müller
Egon Muller is a former international motorcycle speedway rider and was winner of the Speedway World Championship in 1983, winning the title in his homeland with a maximum score of 15 points. He was also German Champion eight times...
in 1983.
See also
- Auto RaceAuto Raceis a Japanese version of motorcycle speedway, but combines gambling added into it and is held on an asphalt course, throughout Japan. It is regulated by the JKA Foundation.A typical Auto Race bike is 599㏄. Autorace is predominantly a gambling sport...
- Dirt track racingDirt track racingDirt track racing is a type of auto racing performed on oval tracks. It began in the United States before World War I and became widespread during the 1920s and 30s. Two different types of racecars predominated—open wheel racers in the Northeast and West and stock cars in the South...
- GrasstrackGrasstrackMotorcycle Grasstrack is a form of motorcycle racing which typically, in its current form, takes place on a flat track consisting of two straights and two bends usually constructed in a field. Mountain and hillside tracks are also common in the UK, creating more technically demanding circuits...
- Ice speedwayIce speedwayIce Speedway is a developed form of Speedway racing, featuring racing on frozen surfaces. The sport uses bikes enhanced for the terrain. Participants can compete at international level.- Outline :...
- Outline of motorcycles and motorcyclingOutline of motorcycles and motorcyclingThe following outline is provided as an overview of motorcycles and motorcycling:Motorcycle – single-track, engine-powered, two-wheeled motor vehicle...
- Track racingTrack racingTrack racing is a form of motorcycle racing where teams or individuals race opponents around an oval track. There are differing variants, with each variant racing on a different surface type....
External links
- "Motor-Cycle Speed Demons", September 1934, Popular Science early article on the motorcycle sport with rare photos