Speedway in Sweden
Encyclopedia
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
in Sweden consists of three domestic leagues, a 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 an annual entry into 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:...
. Sweden has produced five World Champions and the Sweden national speedway team
Sweden national speedway team
Sweden are one of the major teams in international speedway. They have been managed by Mats Olsson, who is currently in his 2nd spell, since 2005 after he quit in 2000...
have been World Cup winners on ten occasions. Speedway is one of the most popular motorsports in the country.
History
The Swedish speedway league was founded in 1948 and was inspired by British speedwaySpeedway in the United Kingdom
The sport of Speedway in the United Kingdom has changed little since the first meetings in the 1920s. With three domestic leagues, its own Speedway Grand Prix and an annual entry into the Speedway World Cup it remains one of the popular motorsports in the country.-History:The first meeting in the...
including adopting British teams nicknames in Swedish versions. As popularity of the sport grew many new clubs were founded all around Sweden and during the 1950s and over 30 different clubs have competed in at least one season in the league system..
League competitions
There are three leagues in Sweden:- 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...
- National League (Allsvenskan)
- Division One
Speedway meetings in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
are normally held between May and September. Swedish teams are generally known by nicknames rather than club or city names. These nicknames usually have some sort of local connection.
The Elite League was established in 1982 and has ten teams with meetings usually held on Tuesday evenings. 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 Elite League champions. The team finishing bottom are relegated to the National league.
The National league has seven teams and before the introduction of the Elite league in 1982 was the top flight speedway league in Sweden. Meetings are held usually on Thursday evenings. As with the National league, the top four teams at the end of each season compete in the play-offs in semi-finals and a final. The winner of the final are the National League champions and are promoted to the National league.
Division One is the third tier of Swedish speedway with seven teams. Meetings are usually held on Thursdays. The team finishing the season in first place can apply for promotion to the National league, which is subject to having suitable facilities and sufficient finances. No teams are relegated as membership of the league is by application.
Other competitions
The Swedish Individual Championship is for Swedish riders only. The riders are usually selected on the basis of their averages, with four riders being seeded directly to the final round. Another 36 riders are drawn into two semi-final rounds, with the four lowest ranked riders in each competing in the pre-meeting runoffs. The top nine riders in each semi-final progress to the final which is run using a modified Grand PrixSpeedway 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 winner of the final is awarded a gold medal and becomes the Swedish Individual Champion. Riders finishing second and third are awarded silver and bronze medals.
The Swedish Junior Individual Championship is for Swedish riders aged 21 years and under. Thirty six riders are drawn into two semi-final arounds with the four lowest-ranked riders in each competing in the pre-meeting runoffs. The top seven riders in each semi-final progress to the final round, with the next two riders qualifying for the pre-meeting runoff. The winner of the final is awarded a gold medal and becomes Swedish Junior Individual Champion. Riders finishing second and third are awarded silver and bronze medals respectively.
See also
- List of speedway teams in Sweden
- Speedway Grand Prix of SwedenSpeedway Grand Prix of SwedenThe Speedway Grand Prix of Sweden is a speedway event that is a part of the Speedway Grand Prix Series.-Winners:-See also:*List of sporting events in Sweden...
in EskilstunaEskilstunaEskilstuna is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 60,185 inhabitants in 2005. Eskilstuna has a large Sweden Finn population.... - Speedway Grand Prix of ScandinaviaSpeedway Grand Prix of ScandinaviaThe Speedway Grand Prix of Scandinavia is a speedway event that is a part of the Speedway Grand Prix Series.-Winners:-See also:*List of sporting events in Sweden...
in MålillaMålillaMålilla is a locality situated in Hultsfred Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 1,605 inhabitants in 2005.It is more commonly known as the temperature capital of Sweden due to the frequent records, both high and low, being set there. A Swedish record high temperature of +38°C was set on June...