Motorcycle speedway

Motorcycle speedway, normally referred to as Speedway, is a motorcycle sport that involves usually 4 and sometimes up to 6 riders competing over 4 laps.

A variant of track racing, Speedway is administered internationally by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM).

[edit] Nature of the sport

Speedway racing takes place on a flat oval track usually consisting of dirt or loosely packed shale, the official definition being "a track with a top surface in granite, shale, brick granules or similar unbound material rolled in on the base ground". 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.

Originating in New South Wales, Australia in the 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 Speedway world champion.

FIM regulations state that the motorcycles used must have no brakes, run on methanol, use only one gear and weigh a minimum of 77kg. Races consist of between 4 and 6 riders competing over 4 laps.

The use of methanol allows for an increased compression ratio to the engine producing higher power and resulting in higher speeds (approx 130 km/h when cornering) although 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 only quick way to stop a speedway bike is to pull a cut-off switch which is tied around the riders' wrists so if they come off the bike the engine will deactivate. The high compression ratio of the speedway engine also can assist in slowing down a machine if the throttle is closed the engine may also 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 could be stopped by removing the plug lead from the sparking plug or shutting off the fuel supply.

There is a fence on the outside in case a rider falls off which prevent rider and bike from crashing into the fans. In the British and Polish Leagues, air-fences are mandatory and have saved lives and reduced injury significantly since their arrival.

Speedway is presently most popular in Central and Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, United Kingdom and to a lesser extent these days Australia and New Zealand; there are also over a dozen tracks operating in the United States with sites in upstate New York, Indiana and California. There are also 3 tracks operating in Canada on a regular basis.

Speedway is also raced on ice with specially adapted machines.

[edit] History

The first Speedway meeting was reportered in the, Maitland Mercury Newspaper on the 17th December 1923 that had been held on 15 December 1923 at Maitland Showground in the Lower Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia, though there is now much evidence to suggest that there were earlier meetings both in the USA and Australia. Indeed, broadsiding on small dirt tracks had been practiced in America since before the First World War. A rider by the name of 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 taking corners was followed in America by riders such as Albert 'Shrimp' Burns, Maldwyn Jones and Eddie Brinck well before 1923. The first meeting in the UK is generally acknowledged to have taken place at High Beech on 19 February 1928. There are, however, also claims to have held meetings in 1927 from Camberley in Surrey and Droylsden in Manchester. 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 and this meeting appears to have a strong claim to be the first Speedway meeting in the UK, but it is generally accepted that the sport properly arrived in the UK 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. It is probable however that the first speedway meeting in this country to feature bikes with no brakes and broadsiding round corners on loose dirt, probably the main tests of real speedway, was the second meeting held at High Beech on 9 April, where Colin Watson, Alf Medcalf and 'Digger' Pugh demonstrated the art for the first time in Britain.

In the late 1920's Colin Stewart of Colac in Victoria won the prestigious Silver Gauntlet. He also achieved success at an international level, racing for Southampton in 1929 and captained Glasgow in the Northern League in 1930 before moving to Wembley in 1931, for whom he rode in just four matches, averaging 4.00 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, 1930, the two sections were amalgamanted and Vic Huxley proved to be the winner. Huxley was probably the best rider of these early pioneer days. He won the Star Championship once and was runner-up three times. He was also the first British Match Race champion when that competition was started in 1931.

[edit] Speed in Speedway

It takes about a minute to complete four laps, each 250 to 400 metres long. For example, Leigh Adams set a record time of 59 seconds on a 342-metre track, which gives the average speed of 83 km/h (49 mph). As the limited speed on curves lowers the average, one may assume that the speed on straight sections of the track reaches 70 mph, or more on longer tracks. That is all achieved on a motorcycle without a gearbox.

At start, it takes between a second and two seconds for the motorcycle to reach the "curve speed" (somewhat lower than the average), which can be roughly estimated to be the equivalent of 2.5 to 3 seconds to reach 100 km/h (or "nought to sixty").

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, however 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. Speedway is though a dangerous sport and crashes do occur. This sometimes results in serious injury.

[edit] Rules

[edit] Tracks

All tracks using for professional Speedway racing are regulated by the FIM who lay out the rules concerning construction, size and safety requirements. Safety requirements include the use of suspended wire fences, air fences or wooden fences (for temporary tracks). Neutral zones are also added for temporary tracks, giving safe run-off areas for riders without the potential to injure spectators.

Tracks must be between 260 and 450 metres in length, this is measured at a distance of 1 metre from the inner boundary. Start lines must either be in the centre of a straight or no closer than 35 metres from a corner entrance. Additional rules govern the placement of warning systems such as lights and also the construction of the starting mechanism.

The track itself must be made up of 4 layers of grading, and must be levelled at intervals in each event.

There is a minimum track width of 10 metres, but no maximum. The minimum width is to give each rider adequate space to safely navigate the track at all points. There is no stated maximum due to the potential for tracks to be used for other sports or for other track racing sports including Speedway Sidecar racing.

[edit] Motorcycles

The sport of Speedway uses a unique type of motorcycle, governed by the FIM's "Track Racing Technical Rules".

Machines used must:

• Weigh greater than 77 kg
• Use a four-stroke single cylinder engine
• Have guards fitted over moving engine parts where reasonable
• Use an additional chain guard to prevent a hand or finger/s being cut by a chain
• Have a peg (Dutch Peg) fitted to prevent a broken 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

Machines used cannot:

• Use a Supercharger in any form
• 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

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 30cm) attached to the rider's right wrist.

As Speedway bikes do not use brakes, the clutch is used as a release mechanism for starts.

[edit] Races

Riders must be able to get their bikes to the start line under their own power (that is, without any external assistance and not by pushing the machine) and line up in parallel. A starting gate consisting of a tape is erected across the start line, riders must situate themselves not more than 10cm from this and not touch it at any time. These are collectively known as Tape infringements and can result in a false start being recorded and the rider disqualified. Likewise a rider who is not at the start line within a reasonable period of time is also liable to be disqualified. This is now standardised to two minutes from a time determined by the match referee and usually indicated by a flashing or rotating orange lamp or a digital clock readout. This normally starts around the point at which the first riders in each race enter the track from the pits area. 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.

The race is started with the raising or lowering of the tape depending on the individual mechanism used, riders then must proceed around the track in an anti-clockwise direction without illegally leaving the riding area.

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.

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; due to safety concerns, assistance is now illegal.

The winner is the rider that completes all of the required laps first.

[edit] Scoring

Speedway operates a sliding scale for scoring (known as the 3-2-1-0 method), with points awarded to all but the final placed competitor. These points accumulate over the competition, with riders points either counting towards individual or team placings. In the event of a tie, another heat is run between those on level points. Teams can now use the TS (Tactical Substitute) rule once only for each team in the meeting if that team is 8 or more points in arrears and that rider is denoted by a Black/White helmet colour as against the 4 normal coloured helmets (Red and Blue denote home team riders whilst Green and Yellow colours denote visiting riders) and if that rider remains unbeaten by either opposition rider his scored points are doubled (ie 3 = 6, 2 = 4 or 1 = 2) and also count towards the rider's C.M.A.

The sport also produces Calculated Match Averages (CMAs or averages) for every rider.

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 1st 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.

[edit] Competitions

[edit] World Championship

An international individual speedway championship has taken various forms since its beginnings in the 1930s. The present FIM Speedway Grand Prix championship organised by Speedway Grand Prix (IMG since 2007) has taken place since 1995. SGP uses a different scoring system, based on overall final position. The rider who has gained the most points at the end of the tournament is declared the World Champion. Jason Crump (Australia) has just won his second World Championship, the first coming in 2004 (2006).

Scoring in GP events changed 2005 with riders scoring 3-2-1-0 in their races and these points being carried forward to decide the winner of each GP. At the end of the series the highest scorer will become the world champion.

World Speedway Champions include Ivan Mauger (6-time World Champion), Ove Fundin (5-time world champion), Lionel Van Praag (Inaugural World Champion in 1936), Hans Nielsen (nicknamed "The Professor", 4-times World Champion), Tony Rickardsson (6-time World Champion), Jason Crump, and Nicki Pedersen, the 2003 World Champion. The last British World Champion was Mark Loram in 2000.

The Speedway World Cup event 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 (2007).

[edit] Domestic Events

[edit] Great Britain

Most European countries run their own domestic speedway leagues. A team speedway meeting usually features 15 heats but in a team oriented format, and each rider is scheduled to ride 4 or 5 times. In team races, there is a set order that riders will race in, although after the first 5 races, these orders are regularly adjusted. In the United Kingdom there are currently 3 levels of competition (Elite League, Premier League and Conference League and in Poland (Ekstraliga, Pierwsza Liga, Druga Liga). There are 2 leagues in Sweden. Poland is reputed to have the strongest league in the world, especially after lifting the limitation of number of foreign riders allowed per team.

Team races use traditional scoring (3-2-1-0), except in a 5-team event, where it is 4 for first and one point less for every place afterwards. In addition, a tactical rider - a substitute - is allowed for teams trailing by a certain margin to use. Or (in British speedway only) --a rider's score is doubled when nominated as a tactical ride. However they have to beat an opponent to have their score doubled. You have to be 10 points behind to use a tactical ride although if 8 points behind you may use a tactical substitute where a chosen rider starts 15m back.

[edit] Polish Championship

Speedway is one of the most popular sports in Poland. The Polish Extraleague has the highest average attendances for any sport in Poland. The first speedway meetings in Poland were held in the 1930s.

Speedway in Poland 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). PZM is a member of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and the Union Européenne de Motocyclisme (UEM).

There are three championships in Poland - team (DMP), individual (IMP) and pairs (MPPK). The Junior U-21 championships also has the same three, team (MDMP), individual (MIMP) and pairs (MMPPK).

There are three leagues:

• Speedway Extraleague (Ekstraliga żużlowa)
• First League (Pierwsza Liga)
• Second League (Druga Liga)

Since 2004 the Second League has included clubs from other countries -

• Latvia: Lokomotiv Daugavpils (since 2005; formely as Speedway Daugavpils)
• Hungary: Speedway Miszkolc (since 2006)
•  Czech Republic: Olymp Prague (since 2007; or Marketa Prague)
• Ukraine: SKA Speedway Lviv (2004), SC Trofimow Rivne (2005), Ukraina Rivne (2006)

In the 2007 season, the Speedway Ekstraliga and First League have eight teams competing. The second League has seven teams.

The 2008 season will see a change in the Extraleague as a new "wild card rule" is planned. The rule means that teams will be entitled to buy a place in the Extraleague. All teams have already agreed on the wild card rule.

GKSŻ organizes the Golden Helmet, Silver Helmet and Bronze Helmet competitions.

• The Golden Helmet (Złoty Kask, ZK) is a single meeting heldin PC Team 3rd from last season (before usually in Wrocław), with the top twelve riders in the Extraleague and the top four riders in the First League. The Winner get a new motorcycle Java.
• The Silver Helmet (Srebrny Kask, SK) is an individual competition for riders under 21 years of age for the top sixteen riders in the Extraleague, the top ten riders in the First League, and the six two riders in the Second League competing. A Final event heldin PC Team U-21 3rd from last season.
• The Bronze Helmet (Brązowy Kask, BK) is an individual competition similar to the Silver Helmet except the riders must be under 19 years of age. Riders are nominated for this competition by their teams.

Other competitions include (individual meetings):

• Criterium of Polish Speedway League Aces - Mieczysław Połukard Memorial held in the Polonia Stadium in Bydgoszcz. It is seen by riders and fans as the offical opening of the new season. First staged in 1982, although a similar meeting was held in the 1950s.

• Crest Chain of Ostrów Town (Łańcuch Herbowy Miasta Ostrowa) held in Ostrów Wielkopolski. It is the official end of season meeting. First staged in 1978.

• Alfred Smoczyk Memorial Alfred Smoczyk was the first Polish speedway superstar. He successfully competed on Dutch tracks in the late 1940s, but died in a road accident in October 1950. This meeting has been held every year since 1951 in Leszno, where he lived, in the Alfred Smoczyk stadium.

• Edward Jancarz Memorial in Gorzów Wielkopolski.

[edit] Italy

Introduced to Italy by occupying soldiers after World War II, the sport of Speedway currently centres around the north-west of the country. The regions of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige, Lombardy and Veneto host race meetings with the latter also hosting the Speedway Grand Prix of Italy in the city of Lonigo.

[edit] Denmark

Speedway in Denmark is administrated by the Danmarks Motor Union (DMU) and was introduced in the 1970s. Denmark enter a team into the Speedway World Cup, winning in 2006, and also host the Speedway Grand Prix of Denmark in the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen.