Motorcycle Speedway

Speedway is a form of motorcycle racing which takes place on short dirt tracks. Speedway uses motor bikes without brakes or gears and riders must powerslide the bikes into the turns.

An international individual speedway championship has taken various forms since its beginnings in the 1930s. The present FIM Speedway Grand Prix championship 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. Speedway Grand Prix (Benfield Sports) organise the British Grand Prix held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

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.

A 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.

Speedway is presently most popular in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, England, Wales, Scotland, New Zealand and to a lesser extent, Australia; it has some popularity in the United States as well. Often the dirt tracks are substituted for ice tracks in northern latitude countries during the winter in a variation called "Ice Speedway".

Famous speedway riders include:

• Ivan Mauger (6-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 (World Champion)
• Nicki Pedersen (2003 World Champion)

Domestic Team Events

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.

There are currently 3 leagues in the United Kingdom (with under-16 Academy League not included) and in Poland (Ekstraliga, Pierwsza Liga, Druga Liga). There are 2 leagues in Sweden.

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.