Hans Andersen Ipswich Witches team

Speedway - what is it?

Ever been to speedway - if not, it's easy to get into and can become very addictive - if you have then you're probably already hooked and can skip this page!

Put very simply four riders keep turning left over four laps of an oval track and each race is over in less than a minute but a lot can happen in those sixty seconds... This may sound easy but for the riders it is anything but. They race 500cc single-geared machines that have no brakes and the acceleration of a Formula One racing car. It's extremely fast, dangerous and requires nerves of steel to pull off passes that will leave you gasping in awe.

Riders make a clutch start and four of them all head towards that first bend, often all arriving at once and then the action kicks off as bikes and bodies fight for that leading position, off down the back straight for the first time. Positions may change many times in a race and until the chequered flag is waved anthing can happen and often does. Apart from in emergencies the riders slow to a stop by easing off the throttle as the high gearing means engine breaking is immediately effective. If they need to stop in an emergency, for example in a collision, a cut-out cord attached to their wrist is automatically pulled to kill the engine.

As a spectator of this sport you can very quickly get involved in supporting your local team. The stadiums are all family friendly and the riders, managers and promoters are usually very accessible. This is one sport where you can have a drink in the bar afterwards with the people you have been cheering on only a few minutes earlier. Find out where your nearest track is here: SpeedwayGB - where are the clubs

Where is it?

Speedway in Europe is mainly found in the United Kingdom, Poland, Denmark and Sweden. All of these countries run a number of leagues and fixtures are staged throughout a season that runs roughly from March to October. These domestic league matches usually consist of two teams riding against each other with four riders in each race, two from each team. At the end of each race points are awarded based on finishing position: 3 points for 1st, 2 points for 2nd and 1 point for 3rd. There are quite a few other rules and regulations and details of those used in the UK can be found here: BSPA - Basic League Rules
Other countries, such as Italy, Slovenia and Czech Republic also have speedway racing and they often stage rounds of the Speedway Grand Prix. a series of about ten individual events which culminates in the world champion being crowned. Further afield the sport can also be found in Russia, Australia, Argentina and the USA.