Speedway bikes have no brakes, just one gear, a clutch and 500cc engines which run on methanol fuel and can accelerate to 60 mph in less than 2.5 seconds, faster than a Formula 1 car!
They race around oval circuits of around 300 metres in length in an anti-clockwise direction. To get around the tight corners at high speed the riders actually have to accelerate to bring the rear wheel out and initiate a "skid"!
Speedway meetings can be run as individual events, although what you will usually see week in and week out at most tracks around the country are two teams racing against each other. The teams have seven riders each and they race over 15 heats, with two riders from each team in every heat. If a rider wins a race he will earn his team three points, if he comes second he will earn them two points, third and they will only earn one point and if he comes last or fails to finish the race, they won't get anything!
There are three leagues in the UK, 1)The Premiership (The top league). 2)The Championship (The middle league). 3)The National Development League (The league to train the youngsters).
"It's fast, it's furious, it's family entertainment and it's at a track near you!!"
So to sum Speedway up it's four laps of all out speed, control, excitement and thrills as four riders go for the chequered flag in honour of their team! The best thing is that all this happens just yards from where you're standing and the stars of the show (the riders) are easily accessible to see and meet, so don't forget your cameras, autograph books and pens!
THE MEETINGS A meeting or match as it is sometimes referred to is between two teams in the league.
The meeting is run over 15 heats/races and the team with the most points at the end of the meeting takes points toward the league table.
Should the scores be tied after 15 heats, an additional race (Super Heat) decides the meeting winners!
Points are scored as follows.
Win - 2 Points Draw + Super Heat Win - 2 Points Draw + Super Heat Defeat - 1 Point Defeat - 0 Points Aggregate Win over home/away fixtures - 1 Point
At the conclusion of the league schedule, the top four teams in the Premiership contest the play-offs to determine the title winners. The season also includes the KO Cup competition, and a multi-round Pairs event where each team is represented by just two riders, and all clubs race in the same meeting.
WHO ARE THE TEAMS There are teams from all over the country racing every week. King's Lynn race in the Premiership, which currently comprises a total of seven teams: Belle Vue, Ipswich, Leicester, King's Lynn, Peterborough, Sheffield and Wolverhampton.
The teams are made up of seven riders in each team.
A team manager can decide the riding order of the number 1 to 5 race jackets, the number 6 and 7 race jackets are taken up by the reserves. The reserves are the two lowest averaged riders in the team. All Premiership teams include one young British rider, who is known as the Rising Star.
Each team will wear its club colours, and additionally a home team will wear Red and Blue helmet colours, whilst the away team will wear White and Yellow helmet colours.
THE HEATS There are four riders in each heat/race, two riders from each team and each heat lasts four laps of the track Generally a heat will last about 60 seconds on average, but in that time there is plenty of action.
Points are awarded as follows: First - 3 points, Second - 2 points, Third - 1 Point, Fourth - 0 Points.
The points that each rider scores are counted towards the team's total at the end of the meeting.
THE EQUIPMENT Each rider rides a 500cc motorcycle with no brakes and fixed gearing.
The bikes run on methanol for fuel and each bike's tank will hold enough fuel for one race.
The bikes can reach speeds of up to 80mph and are capable of 0-60 in approximately three seconds.
THE RIDERS All riders wear kevlar race suits that protect their bodies.
In addition to the kevlar race suit each rider will wear a pair of racing boots, one of which will have a steel shoe fitted that the rider puts down when cornering.
Finally a helmet is worn with goggles to protect a riders head and face.
Each rider will have a kevlar suit tailor made with their sponsors names on. The bike covers are generally designed to match the riders kevlar suits.
They race around oval circuits of around 300 metres in length in an anti-clockwise direction. To get around the tight corners at high speed the riders actually have to accelerate to bring the rear wheel out and initiate a "skid"!
THE MEETINGS
