THE SPORT

Speedway Racing has essentially changed little since its officially-accepted conception in Australia in the 1920's, though there is evidence to suggest similar beginnings in England, the USA and even Canada.  Basically then, four riders race motorcycles around an oval track measuring approximately 300-400 yards consisting of a loose shale surface with a surrounding safety fence.  That's it.  Races, or heats as they are known, are started by a rising tape and four laps later a chequered flag indicates the heat is ended.  Points being awarded 1st place 3points, 2nd 2points and 3rd one point, this being the standard scoring system in 99% of all speedway events.  There are a few different competitions within speedway such as individual, pairs and 4-team championships, but it's regular team racing which is the bread and butter of world speedway.  A speedway team consists of  7 riders, the match decided over 15 heats with the highest scoring team declared the winner and tracks exist in most major towns and cities in the UK and all over the world.  

THE  BIKES

A relatively simple yet specialised design, 500cc single cylinder 4-stroke running on methanol with an incredible power-to-weight ratio, a speedway motorcycle is probably the fastest accelerating vehicle, over a 30 yard distance to the 1st bend, in the entire world of motor sport.

Which makes it faster than Michael Schumacher's F1 Ferrari!  

- Think about that Schumi!!

The two main manufacturers of speedway motorcycles are JAWA from the Czech Republic, who also manufacture road machines and GM from Italy who specialise in speedway machines only.  Being specifically designed to run flat-out over a relatively short distance and time, the machines themselves have outwardly changed little in the last 50 years, with gradual improvements to the basic form evolving through natural progress every few years.  The most recent development was in the mid-90's when the engine was titled forward (when bikes became known as "laydowns" as opposed to the former upright configuration) and leading-link forks replaced the previous telescopic design.  The advantages are better handling due to the lower centre of gravity and a smoother ride thanks to the stronger front forks and improved shock-absorber/damper system.

A modern JAWA "laydown" speedway machine.

However, the action is always fast and furious with thrills, spills and incidents aplenty despite, or perhaps because, the machines have little suspension on the front forks, none at the rear, no gears and - incredibly - no brakes!   There are only two controls on a speedway machine handle-bars: a twist grip throttle (which is normally kept wide-open!) and a clutch lever.  As a major safety feature the rider places a lanyard cord around his wrist connected to a "dead-man switch" which instantly kills the engine in the event of an accident.  

The safety aspect of speedway has dramatically improved over the years with tighter regulations for the tracks themselves, the machines, crash helmets, safety fences, pits area, lighting, etc. Facilities at the speedway venues have also improved vastly over the years, as with the sport of speedway itself, offering a much better quality of comfort and entertainment than in years past.

Despite this mostly full-throttle action, speedway is actually the 3rd safest discipline in motorcycle sport behind only motorcycle Trials and Hill-Climbing. 

THE  RIDERS

It is in this country where any rider with serious ambition needs to ride as there is no better training ground for experience than the British League due to the sheer number and variety of tracks in shape and size and also the infamous British climate providing widely differing track conditions for a rider to "enjoy".  Speedway riders can earn a good living from the sport provided they avoid injuries and machine damage from accidents and a career can stretch from the mid-teens to around mid-40's, though some do ride for longer.  In most events the rider wears a race-jacket, or body-colour, carrying his individual number and team/competition logo over the race suit but in the upper, Elite League of British Speedway, matching team suits are worn.  Due to the anti-clockwise direction of travel and resting the left foot on the track, a metal slipper or "steel-shoe" is worn over the left boot.  Many top riders compete in up to 3 different leagues at once on a regular basis i.e. Britain, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Poland or Sweden, in addition to World Championship competitions such as the individual Speedway Grand Prix and the Speedway World Cup .

THE  TRACKS

Hull's Craven Park, with the speedway circuit sandwiched between the greyhound track and the rugby pitch, circa 2002.

As previously mentioned the tracks are all oval in shape, so no real difference between circuits then?  Wrong!  Each and every speedway track is literally as different as chalk and cheese, even if some may measure the same, the varying lengths of straight and diameter of bends contributes to the overall "shape" of the track.  i.e. some with larger radius bends may be referred to as "round" whereas tracks surrounding a rugby/football pitch could almost be described as "square-shaped" with 4 distinct corners. While the surface is primarily made-up of shale, the actual racing surface itself also varies greatly from track to track due to local geography conditions.  

The majority of tracks are shared with other sports such as football, greyhound racing, rugby and stock-cars.  A few circuits are purpose-built with the stadium owned by the speedway club but as most are shared with other sports, this governs the different track sizes and shapes as mentioned above.  Until quite recently the Hull CPD Vikings'  track at Craven Park was unique in being sandwiched between a rugby pitch and a greyhound track, though the greyhounds have coincidently re-located to the Boulevard - a former home of the CPD Vikings.  The speedway track at the Boulevard was also laid around the perimeter of a rugby pitch but with no dog-track; though one obviously exists there now. 

THE FANS

CPD Vikings fans at Hull's Craven Park Stadium.

Question: So what kind of person watches speedway? Answer: Anybody and everybody!  Speedway Racing is a highly recommended night out of fast, loud and colourful entertainment representing tremendous value for money; a night out at speedway is much cheaper than many other sports.  Spectators can see all of the track, all of the time and watch all of the action and with no complicated time gaps or pit-stop strategies to worry about and no trouble whatsoever, speedway is a true family sport.  If one heat appears to be not quite so action-packed, pretty unlikely as something nearly always happens at a speedway meeting, then another race will soon follow on.  The best bit? You buy the whole of your seat but only need the edge of it!

So what are you waiting for? Prepare yourself for 100% full-throttle all-out action!

Get Your Backside Trackside And Catch Up With The CPD Vikings - If You Can.    

SPEEDWAY - No Brakes, No Gears, No Fear: NO MERCY!