What is Speedway?
Speedway is a motorsport run on oval tracks, racing motorbikes anticlockwise. Simple, yeah? What if I told you the bikes have no brakes and can do 0-60 in 2.5 seconds. It's a bit more intense that.
Speedway has been around for a century now, originally originating in Australia but is mostly contested in Europe, or at least at the highest level. A standard meeting will see riders race on 500cc engined machines with no breaks on a track going anti-clockwise.
A race will last roughly for a minute, with multiple races (called heats) taking place during the meeting. A race consists of 4 riders a heat, in a standard meeting, with points being awarded 3 for 1st, 2 for 2nd and 1 for 3rd.
Meetings can be run as team or individual events. Speedway is flexible in the range of competition and formats it can host. There are a range of leagues across Europe, from GB to Poland. The highest level of the sport is the FIM Speedway Grand Prix (Individual) and FIM Speedway World Cup (Team every 3 years with 2023 hosting the next edition in Wroclaw, Poland).
Rider wears different coloured helmets. The standard colours are Red, Blue, White, Yellow. Other variants used when required are green, black and white, yellow and black, black. In individual events, each colour correlates to a position on the starting grid. In team events, teams are assigned colours. These are to identify riders and helps the ref signal who has received penalties and warnings. In the GB League (and most leagues), Red/Blue is the home team with White/Yellow the away team.
Riders start each heat on the home straight. The starting grid is split into 4 (or however many riders are programmed for that heat) equal sections from the inside to the outside. Riders may prepare their start line as they wish, so long as they do not cross the white line into the grid next to them. They will then contest 4 laps as they fight for positions.
There are times when a rider may start off a handicap. This could be a punishment for a rule infringement or just part of that competition's rules. Some contests may feature up to 6 riders a race, but this is a rarity.
Keep an eye out as more info regarding the specifics in speedway are issued throughout this winter. And make sure to check out what events are near you. This could be the sport for you to become obsessed with!
