Motorcycle speedway

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Motorcycle speedway

A speedway rider on the track

Highestgoverning body

Fdration Internationale de Motocyclisme

Nickname(s)

Speedway

First played

1923

Characteristics

Contact

Contact

Team members

2 at a time on track

Categorization

Outdoor

Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and
sometimes up to six riders competing over fouranti-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 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 (110 km/h).
The exact origins of the sport are unknown but there is evidence of a type of speedway racing being
practised in the USA before the First World War and in Australia in the late 1910s 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 Fdration
Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Domestic speedway events are regulated by FIM affiliated
national motor sport federations.
Contents
[hide]

1 History

2 Speed

3 Track

4 Motorcycles

5 Racing

6 Scoring

7 Calculated match averages

8 Competitions

8.1 International

9 Domestic competitions

9.1 United Kingdom

9.2 Poland

9.3 Sweden

9.4 Denmark

9.4.1 League competitions

9.4.2 Other competitions

9.4.3 National team

9.4.4 Danish Grand Prix

9.5 Bulgaria

9.6 Other nations

10 See also

11 Further reading

12 References

13 External links

History[edit source | editbeta]

Col Stewart races his speedway motorcycle wearing a wooden helmet. Photo taken around 1930.

The early history of speedway race meetings is a subject of much debate and controversy. There is
evidence to show that meetings were held on small dirt tracks in Australia and the United
States before World War I. An American rider named Don Johns was known to have
used broadsiding 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. [1] By the early 1920s, Johns' style of cornering was followed in
the US where the sport was initially called "Short Track Racing" by riders such as Albert "Shrimp"
Burns, Maldwyn Jones and Eddie Brinck.[2] Consequently, two long-hold and common beliefs are incorrect:
first, that New Zealand-born rider Johnnie Hoskinsinvented the sport, and second, that the first meeting
was held on 15 December 1923 at West Maitland Showground, in the Hunter Region of New South Wales,
Australia. For instance, a contemporary newspaper report of this meeting, in the Maitland Mercury,
mentions previous meetings.
The first meeting in the United Kingdom took place at High Beech on 19 February 1928.[1] 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.[3] 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.

A speedway rider waits at the start gate for his 3 opponents

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 forSouthampton Saints in 1929
and captained the Glasgow Tigers in the Northern League in 1930 before moving to Wembley Lions 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 into 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.[4] 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 andSpeedcars, with tracks traditionally ranging from 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.

Speed[edit source | editbeta]

All 4 riders leaning into the first corner - note the elbows.

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 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.

Track[edit source | editbeta]

Generic Speedway track layout

Tracks used for professional speedway racing are regulated by the Fdration Internationale de
Motocyclisme (FIM) who provide rules concerning construction, size and safety requirements. [5] 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 metre (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 metre (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 (33 ft) on the straights and the bends must be at least 14 metres (46 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 springloaded mechanisms that raise two or three strands of tape to start the race. [5]
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.[5]

Stadion Polonii Bydgoszcz in Poland, a track using an air-fence

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
millimetres (0.28 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.[5]

Air-fence close-up

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.[6] 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.[5] 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.

Motorcycles[edit source | editbeta]

1983 World Champion Egon Mller's Jawa Speedway Machine with 500 cc engine

Speedway uses a unique type of motorcycle, governed by the FIM's "Track Racing Technical Rules". [7] 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 brakes, the clutch is used as a release mechanism at the start of races. FIM
regulations state that the motorcycles must have no brakes, are powered by pure methanol, use only
one gear and weigh a minimum of 77 kilograms (170 lb). By using engine and rear
wheel sprockets the gear ratio can be adjusted as required for track conditions.[7] 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 (81 mph) when cornering).

A dirt deflector fitted to a Speedway motorcycle

Machines used must:

Weigh no less than 77 kg (unfuelled)

Use a four-stroke, single-cylinder engine with one carburettor and

one spark plug and a maximum capacity of 500cc

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 chain

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 methanol with no additives

Be fitted with an approved silencer

Have a handlebar width greater than 650 mm and less than 850 mm.

Be constructed in any part from Titanium

Use uncoated ceramic parts

Use telemetry during a race except for timing purposes

Use any electronic components to control the engine

Use brakes of any form

Use supercharger or a turbocharger of any kind.

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 (12 in)) attached to the rider's right wrist."[7] The high compression
ratio of the engine can also assist in slowing down a machine; if thethrottle 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.

Racing[edit source | editbeta]

Riders in the start.

Races (known as heats) consist of four riders racing over four laps from a standing start. 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.

Scoring[edit source | editbeta]

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 heat. 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

2nd

3rd

4th

Calculated match averages[edit source | editbeta]

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.

Competitions[edit source | editbeta]

International[edit source | editbeta]
World (Fdration Internationale de Motocyclisme)
Seniors

Juniors

Individual

World Individual (19361994)

Grand Prix (since 1995)

World Individual U-21 (since 1977)

Pair

World Pairs (19701993)+(2013)

None

Team

World Team (19602000)

World Cup (since 2001)

U-21 World Cup (since 2005)

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. Austrailan rider Chris Holder is the current World Champion. The annual British
Grand Prix is currently held at the Millennium Stadium inCardiff, Wales.

The Millennium Stadium, venue of theBritish Grand Prix

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.

Sen

European Indiv

European Pa

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
Denmark (2012).
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.

Domestic competitions[edit source | editbeta]

Finnish speedwayriders in Speedway Extraliiga -competition in Yyteri speedway venue.

Most European countries run their own domestic speedway leagues. The FIM affiliated governing bodies in
each country operate league systems, normally comprising several divisions, in which the teams gain
points throughout the season depending on results. Teams are placed into tables, 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 withplay-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.

United Kingdom[edit source | editbeta]

Main article: Speedway in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has three main domestic leagues, the Elite League, the Premier League, and
the National League, as well as two 'junior' amateur leagues.

Poland[edit source | editbeta]

Main article: Speedway in Poland

Tomasz Gollob - a successful Polish speedway rider & 2010 world champion

Speedway is one of the most popular sports in Poland and is governed by the Main Commission for
Speedway Sport (Gwna Komisja Sportu ulowego, GKS)which is a part of the Polish Motor
Union Polski Zwizek Motorowy (PZM). The PZM is a member of the FIM and the Union Europenne 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. [8]
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 GKS 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 Mieczysaw Poukard 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 twoIndividual World Champions, Jerzy
Szczakiel in 1973 and Tomasz Gollob in 2010. The Polish junior team won the Under-21 World

Championship in 2005 and2006 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.

Sweden[edit source | editbeta]

Main article: Speedway in 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) 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 Prixformat with
20 heats. The Individual Champion in 2008 was Magnus Zetterstrom. The Junior Individual Championship
is for riders aged twenty-one years and under.

Denmark[edit source | editbeta]

Speedway in Denmark is administrated by Danmarks Motor Union (DMU). The sport was introduced into
Denmark in the 1930s but it didn't boom until the 1970's. Notable Danish speedway riders include - Nicki
Pedersen, Bjarne Pedersen and Hans Nrgaard 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. A popular Danish rider in the 1960's was Arne
Pander, and in the 1980s Erik Gundersen and Jan O Pedersen.

League competitions[edit source | editbeta]

There are three leagues in Denmark.:

Danish League (Dansk Speedway Liga)

Division One

Division Two

Speedway meetings are held between April and September.[9] 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.[9] 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. [9]

Other competitions[edit source | editbeta]

The Individual Speedway Danish Championship 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 highestplaced 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 semifinals 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 semifinals. 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[edit source | editbeta]

Main article: Denmark national speedway team
Denmark enter a team in the Speedway World Cup. They won the competition in 2006, 2008 and 2012.

Danish Grand Prix[edit source | editbeta]

Main article: Speedway Grand Prix of Denmark
The Danish Speedway Grand Prix is held in the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen

Bulgaria[edit source | editbeta]

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, 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 Manevs son).

Other nations[edit source | editbeta]

Introduced to Italy by occupying soldiers after World War II, speedway is most popular around the northeast of the country. The regions of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto
Adige/Sdtirol,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 Marzottomakes 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 Mller in 1983.

Stadion Haunstetten, a Sandbahn track

See also[edit source | editbeta]

Wikimedia Commons has
media related to: Speedway

Auto Race

Dirt track racing

Grasstrack

Ice speedway

Outline of motorcycles and motorcycling

Track racing

Further reading[edit source | editbeta]

Jackson, Jeremy (1 May 2006). St Austell Speedway: The Early Years

1949-1954. NPI Media Group. ISBN 0-7524-3789-5.

Jackson, Jeremy (1 September 2007). St. Austell Speedway 19581963 Plus the Sidecar Years. J & S Publications. ISBN 0-9526419-7-6.

References[edit source | editbeta]

1.

^ a b Pioneers of American Motorcycle Racing by Daniel K. Statnekov

2.

^ Hodgdon, T. A. (July 1934). "With the Short Track Racers". Popular

Science: 6162.ISSN 0161-7370.

3.

^ Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). Homes of British Speedway. Stroud:

Tempus Publishing ISBN 0-7524-2210-3

4.

^ Belton, Brian (2003). Hammerin' Round. Stroud: Tempus

Publishing ISBN 0-7524-2438-6

5.

^ a b c d e "Standards for track racing circuits" (PDF). Fdration

Internationale de Motocyclisme. 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-10.

6.

^ "Safety first for Bees". Coventry Telegraph. 2002. Retrieved 200809-10.

7.

^ a b c "Track Racing Technical Rules". Track Racing Appendices.

Fdration Internationale de Motocyclisme. 2007. Archived from the
original on 2006-12-31. Retrieved 2007-02-03.

8.

^ What is the history of Polish speedway?

9.

^ a b c What are the main competitions held in Denmark?

External links[edit source | editbeta]

Speedway at the Open Directory Project

[1] FIM Speedway Grand Prix

"Motor-Cycle Speed Demons", September 1934, Popular Science early

article on the motorcycle sport with rare photos
[hide]

International speedway competitions

World

Individual (SGP)

Pairs

Team (SWC)

Individual U-21

Team U-21

Champion's Cup

Individual (SEC)

Pairs

Individual U-19

Europe

Team U-19

Club

World Championships: Individual

Team

Ice speedway

European: Individual

World Championships: Individual

Long track
Team

World (FIM)
Governing Bodies
Europe (UEM)

Categories:

Motorcycle speedway

Maitland, New South Wales

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