Believe it or not, there was once a time when crowds at speedway meetings were bigger than top level football.
The 1970s were the glory days for speedway. Tens of thousands of people would flock to meetings as far north as Edinburgh and as far south as Exeter. World Championship finals would sell out Wembley. Now, for the first time since 1985, British Speedway will be back on free-to-air TV this weekend, with the Cab Direct British Championship Final being shown on ITV4 and ITVX.
Sports presenter and fan favourite Emma Louise Jones – known for her appearances on BBC’s MOTDx, DAZN and RaceDay TV – will front coverage of the event, live from the National Speedway Stadium at Belle Vue in Manchester from 7pm on Saturday. Top British star Robert Lambert will be bidding to retain his British crown up against the likes of former champions Chris Harris, Adam Ellis, Danny King and Charles Wright.
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Four riders, four laps, no brakes. Every time a speedway rider steps onto the track, they are risking their lives… not that many of them ever think of it in that way. It is a sport that still gives spectators butterflies in their stomachs and riders truly earn every penny that they make. At its best, it is fast and furious. At its worst, it is still fun and exciting.
It’s the growl of the engines, the smell of methanol, the colour of the jackets, the personalities, courage and sheer unquestionable fearlessness of the riders. It was the world’s most exciting sport and in many ways, it still should be. But what is speedway and how does it work? Here’s an idiots guide…
The bikes
A speedway bike is not like your normal motorcycle. They are made for doing one thing and one thing only: turning left on a shale track.
There are no brakes. Yep, you read that right. No brakes. Riders can hit 60mph in two seconds – quicker than an F1 car – as they are sent flying towards the first corner without the ability to brake.
That is why they turn corners with their front wheel turned in a less conventional way, which also explains why crashes and serious injuries are a common theme.
Bikes also only have a single fixed gear, making riding them at speed an art form.
Their fuel is pure methanol, allowing for higher compression ratios and more power than standard petrol.
The racing
Each race – more commonly known as a heat – would ordinarily have four riders. They start at the tapes and their allocated gate is often key to their start. More grip on the track means quicker acceleration.
It’s as simple as tapes up and away they go. Four laps in an anti-clockwise formation around the track.
In an individual meeting, like the British Final, scoring works like a league table through the night. Three points for a win, two for a second, one for third and nothing for last.
In a team meeting, you combine your two riders’ scores together. So if you finish first and second, the scoring will be 5-1 for the heat. A team meeting has 15 heats.
Four helmet colours differentiate each rider. In a team meeting, red and blue are allocated to the home team, and white and yellow are for the away team. The same colours are used in individual meetings.
Tactics and strategy
Isn’t it boring just going round the track four times?
If you know speedway, someone has probably asked you that at least once in your life. The simple answer is no.
Great speedway tracks often have multiple ‘lines’ on them. Sometimes going tight on the inside around the bends can be quicker, other times, going wide on the outside is better. It’s all about finding the grip on the track to propel your bike forward.
The British Final at Belle Vue, Manchester, saw a whopping SEVENTEEN overtakes in the final race of last year’s meeting. This year should be the same, and Belle Vue is widely considered one of the most exciting tracks in the world.
In team meetings, riders may work together to block their opponents’ path past. It’s a highly strategic sport, built on a very basic foundation.
Live coverage of British Speedway on ITV4 and ITVX will get underway at 7pm with the opening race at 7.15pm on Saturday, August 15.