Motorcycle speedway

A speedway rider on the track
Highest governing body	Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
Nickname(s)	Speedway
First played	1923
Characteristics
Contact	Contact
Team members	2 at a time on track
Categorization	Outdoor

Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually consisting of dirt or loosely packed shale. Competitors use this surface to slide their machines sideways, powersliding or broadsiding into the bends. On the straight sections of the track the motorcycles reach speeds of up 70 miles per hour (110 km/h).

The exact origins of the sport are unknown but there is evidence of a type of speedway racing being practised in the USA before the First World War and in Australia in the late teens and early 1920s. There are now both domestic and international competitions in a number of countries including the Speedway World Cup whilst the highest overall scoring individual in the Speedway Grand Prix events is pronounced the world champion. Speedway is popular in central and northern Europe and to a lesser extent in Australia and North America. A variant of track racing, speedway is administered internationally by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Domestic speedway events are regulated by FIM affiliated national motor sport federations.

History[link]

The first speedway meeting is the subject of much debate. The received wisdom until a few years ago was that Johnnie Hoskins invented the sport and that the first speedway meeting was held on 15 December 1923 at West Maitland Showground in the Lower Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia. Recent research has shown this not to be the case, and, indeed the Maitland Mercury newspaper's report of this meeting mentions other similar meetings being held before it. There is much evidence to show that there were many similar earlier meetings held previously at many tracks in Australia and that broadsiding on small dirt tracks had been practised in America since before World War I. A rider named Don Johns was known to have done this before 1914. It was said that he would ride the entire race course wide open, throwing great showers of dirt into the air at each turn.^[1]His style of cornering was followed in the United States by riders such as Albert "Shrimp" Burns, Maldwyn Jones and Eddie Brinck well before 1923, where Motorcycle Speedway Racing was initially called Short Track Racing.^[2] The first meeting in the United Kingdom took place at High Beech on 19 February 1928.^[1] There are, however, claims that meetings were held in 1927 at Camberley, Surrey and Droylsden, Lancashire. Despite being described as "the first British Dirt Track meeting" at the time, the meeting at Camberley on 7 May 1927 differed in that the races were held in a clockwise direction.^[3] Races at Droylsden were held in an anti-clockwise direction but it is generally accepted that the sport arrived in the United Kingdom when Australians Billy Galloway and Keith McKay arrived with the intention of introducing speedway to the Northern Hemisphere. Both featured in the 1928 High Beech meeting. The first speedway meeting in the UK to feature bikes with no brakes and broadsiding round corners on loose dirt was the third meeting held at High Beech on 9 April 1928, where Colin Watson, Alf Medcalf and "Digger" Pugh demonstrated the art for the first time in the UK. Proto speedway was staged in Glasgow at the Olympic Stadium (Glasgow Nelson) on April 9, 1928 and the first fully professional meeting was staged at Celtic Park on April 28, 1928. The first meeting in Wales was staged at Cardiff White City on Boxing Day 1928.

A speedway rider waits at the start gate for his 3 opponents

In the 1928/29 season, Australian Colin Stewart of Colac, Victoria at Exhibition Speedway Melbourne, won the prestigious Silver Gauntlet, which required the rider to win the feature race 10 times in one season. He won it 12 times. He also achieved success at an international level, racing for Southampton in 1929 and captained the Glasgow in the Northern League in 1930 before moving to Wembley in 1931, for whom he rode in just four matches, averaging 4.00 points per match. He also raced in the 1930 Scottish Championship which was won by Wembley's Harry Whitfield.

The forerunner of the World Championship, the Star Riders' Championship, was inaugurated in Great Britain in 1929 but was split in to two sections as it was felt that the British riders were not yet the equal of the Australians and Americans. Frank Arthur won the Overseas Section and Roger Frogley the British. The following year the two sections were amalgamated and Vic Huxley proved to be the winner.^[4] Huxley was also runner-up three times and won the first British Match Race championship in 1931.

Speedway racing typically took place on purpose built tracks, although in Australia bikes shared larger Speedways with cars such as Sprintcars and Speedcars, with tracks traditionally ranging from ⅓ Mile Showground tracks (such as the now closed 550 metre Claremont Speedway) to smaller, purpose built 300 metre long motorcycle tracks such as Gillman Speedway in Adelaide.

Speed[link]

All 4 riders leaning into the first corner - note the elbows.

Each track is between 260 to 425 metres long and it takes approximately one minute to complete four laps. For example, Leigh Adams set a record time of 59 seconds on a 342 metres (1,122 ft) track and produced an average speed of 83 km/h (49 mph). The speed on straight sections of the track reaches 110 km/h (70 mph) or more on longer tracks, but the limited speed on curves lowers the average.

At the start of a race it takes between one and two seconds for the motorcycle to reach the "curve speed" (somewhat lower than the average), which is roughly estimated to be the equivalent of 2.5 to 3 seconds to reach 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph) (or 0 to 60 mph). The start of the race is an important aspect of the race overall. "Gating" correctly can help a rider gain an initial advantage over other riders but speed advantages can be made as a race progresses. Those riders willing to take a risk and opt for finding the grippy parts of the track rather than the race line, are sometimes rewarded with extra speed allowing them to pass other riders either on the outside or the inside.

Track[link]

Generic Speedway track layout

Tracks used for professional speedway racing are regulated by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) who provide rules concerning construction, size and safety requirements.^[5] Speedway racing takes place on a level oval track consisting of two straights joined by two semicircles. Tracks must be between 260 to 425 metres (850 and 1500 ft) in length, this is measured at a distance of 1 metre (3.3 ft) from the inner boundary. Tracks may be banked, but the gradient must under no circumstances exceed 5% in the straight, 10% in the bends, and must remain constant and grow from the inner edge to the safety fence. A white start line is marked across the track approximately mid-way along one of the straights. The starting area is also divided into four equal parts (known as gates) by white lines marked at right angles to the start line and extending back at least 1 metre (3.3 ft). Additional rules govern the placement of warning systems such as lights and also the construction of the starting mechanism. The minimum track width is 10 metres (33 ft) on the straights and the bends must be at least 14 metres (46 ft) wide. The minimum widths give each rider adequate space to safely navigate the track. The start line and starting gate assembly is halfway along one of the two straight sections of the track. Starting gates are simple spring-loaded mechanisms that raise two or three strands of tape to start the race.^[5]

The FIM regulations require licensed tracks to provide a garage or pit area for motorcycles as well as medical and press facilities. Track boundaries are marked by white lines or barriers on the inside and outside of the track, any rider who crosses this boundary with both wheels will be disqualified unless they only did so in the interest of safety or were forced to by another competitor.^[5]

Stadion Polonii Bydgoszcz in Poland, a track using an air-fence

The track surface consists of four layers of grading. The topmost of which must be of shale, granite, brick granules or other loose material of which no individual piece can be over 7 millimetres (0.28 in) in size. Competitors use this surface to slide their machines sideways (powersliding or broadsiding) into the bends using the rear wheel to scrub-off speed while still providing the drive to power the bike forward and around the bend. The skill of speedway lies in the overall ability of the rider to control his motorcycle when cornering and thus avoid losing places through deceleration. The use of asphalt, concrete and tarmac for any layer is prohibited. The top layer must be levelled or "graded" at intervals during an event by tractors towing specially adapted rakes to evenly re-distribute the surface. Tracks are watered before and, if needed, during meetings to prevent the surface becoming too dry and to protect the public and the riders from dust.^[5]

Air-fence close-up

Safety requirements include the use of suspended wire fences, air fences and wooden fences. Air fences are made up of inflated panels installed on the bends. The fence is designed to dissipate energy by allowing an impacted area to compress and transfer air into the rest of the fence through blow-off valves or restriction ports connected to the other sections.^[6] They are mandatory for tracks in the British Elite League, Polish Ekstraliga, Speedway Grand Prix and Speedway World Cup. Neutral zones outside the track provide safe run-off areas for riders and their machinery to minimise the potential risk of injury to spectators.^[5] The majority of tracks are dedicated to speedway or other sports such as sidecar speedway and banger racing. For larger events, the FIM occasionally sanctions the use of stadiums that install temporary tracks such as the British Grand Prix held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Motorcycles[link]

1983 World Champion Egon Müller's Jawa Speedway Machine with 500 cc engine

Speedway uses a unique type of motorcycle, governed by the FIM's "Track Racing Technical Rules".^[7] In the past, bikes with upright engines were used (the name taken from the way the engine sits in the frame), but today most professional riders use laydown bikes as it is argued that they are easier to handle. As speedway bikes do not use brakes, the clutch is used as a release mechanism at the start of races. FIM regulations state that the motorcycles must have no brakes, are powered by pure methanol, use only one gear and weigh a minimum of 77 kilograms (170 lb). By using engine and rear wheel sprockets the gear ratio can be adjusted as required for track conditions.^[7] The use of methanol allows for an increased compression ratio to the engine producing more power than other fuels and resulting in higher speeds (approximately 130 kilometres per hour (81 mph) when cornering).

A dirt deflector fitted to a Speedway motorcycle

Machines used must:

• Weigh no less than 77 kg (unfuelled)
• Use a four-stroke, single-cylinder engine with one carburettor and one spark plug and a maximum capacity of 500cc
• Have guards fitted over moving engine parts where reasonable
• Use an additional chain guard to prevent a hand or fingers being cut at the nip point where the chain meets the sprocket by a chain
• Have a peg (Dutch Peg) fitted to prevent a broken primary chain flailing and injuring a rider or a fellow competitor
• Use shatter resistant plastics where reasonable
• Be fitted with a dirt deflector
• Be fuelled by methanol with no additives
• Be fitted with an approved silencer
• Have a handlebar width greater than 650 mm and less than 850 mm.

Machines used cannot:

• Be constructed in any part from Titanium
• Use uncoated ceramic parts
• Use telemetry during a race except for timing purposes
• Use any electronic components to control the engine
• Use brakes of any form
• Use supercharger or a turbocharger of any kind.

In addition all motorcycles must have a safety cut out device fitted, this is defined as a switch that "must cut off the circuit of the electrical supply by the simple action of pulling a lanyard or a non-elastic string (with a maximum length of 30 centimetres (12 in)) attached to the rider's right wrist."^[7] The high compression ratio of the engine can also assist in slowing down a machine; if the throttle is closed the engine may stop. Riders can stop the bike by deliberately laying down the bike on the track and this technique is used to avoid riders who fall in front of a pursuing colleague. Before cut outs were fitted an engine was stopped in an emergency situation by removing the plug lead from the spark plug or shutting off the fuel supply.

Racing[link]

Riders in the start.

Races (known as heats) consist of four riders racing over four laps from a standing start. Riders wear different coloured helmets, traditionally red and blue denote home team riders, and white and yellow/black quartered colours denote visiting riders. The colours also denote starting positions. Red is the pole, blue starts second, white starts third and yellow/black starts on the outside. In speedway some finals may have six riders depending on the size of the track and finals are generally held over six laps. Riders must be able to get their bikes to the start line under their own power, without any external assistance and not by pushing the machine, then line up in parallel. The starting area is divided into a grid of four equal parts and the riders from each team must take their place in alternate grids or "gates".

A rider who is not at the start line within a reasonable period of time is also liable to be disqualified, although league matches in the UK allow teams to elect to start the disqualified rider fifteen metres back from the tapes or replace the disqualified rider with a team reserve. This period of time is standardised to two minutes from a time determined by the match referee and usually indicated by a bell, a rotating orange lamp or a digital clock readout. All riders must be at the tapes under their own power before the two minutes have elapsed. Additional time between races will be allowed by, and at the discretion of, the referee if a rider has two consecutive rides, to allow the rider time to prepare.

A starting gate consisting of two or more tapes is erected across the start line. The riders must situate themselves not more than 10 centimetres (3.9 in) from this and not touch it at any time, they must also remain stationary until the tapes are raised. These are known as tape infringements and can result in a false start being recorded and the rider penalised (disqualified, or in league matches in Great Britain, a 15-metre penalty or replace the disqualified rider with a team reserve). The race is started with the raising of the start tape mechanism operated by the match referee and the riders must proceed around the track in an anti-clockwise direction without both wheels illegally leaving the track boundaries.

Once a race is underway, no rider can receive outside assistance, including push-starts, from others. Historically, pushers were allowed at the start of the race. A white line at the 30 metre mark used to designate the extent to which a push was allowed but due to safety concerns, assistance is now illegal.

Occasionally races consist of six riders but this is rare as most tracks are too narrow to accommodate the extra riders safely.

Scoring[link]

Speedway operates a sliding scale for scoring (known as the 3-2-1-0 method). Three points are scored for first place, two points for second place and one point for third place. A rider does not score when finishing fourth, or failing to finish, or if excluded from a race. These points accumulate over the competition, with riders points either counting towards individual or team placings. In the event of a tie, the race is commonly awarded as a dead heat. If it is a tie for first place, they will both receive two points. A tie for second place earns each rider one point while a joint-last finish earns each rider zero points. Teams can use a tactical substitute rule once in a meeting. If that team is eight or more points in arrears, they may bring in the use of a different rider in their team lineup, to race in any heat except for heat 15. This may be different in World cup or event racing. If they are ten or more points behind, a rider with a scheduled ride may go out for double points, in which the riders points will be doubled if he beats a rider of the opposing team. Any rider taking a tactical substitute ride or double points ride is denoted by a black and white helmet colour as rather than one of the four usual coloured helmets. If that rider remains unbeaten by either opposition rider his scored points are doubled and also count towards the rider's calculated match average (CMA).

Calculated match averages[link]

The sport produces Calculated Match Averages (CMAs or averages) for every rider, these are calculated from the following:

CMAs scale from 3.00 to 12.00, any rider scoring above or below these values will be awarded the maximum. These averages are used in leagues such as the British Elite League to identify heat-leaders for the purposes of choosing which riders to enter for each race.

At the start of a season, a rider retains their last recorded CMA (or assessed CMA if they have never previously established one) until they have competed in six home and six away matches. A new CMA is then issued that comes into effect seven days later. These are subsequently updated on the 15th of every month from May onwards, and come into effect on the first of the next month.

These CMA's are used in most professional leagues and are altered or weighted depending on the league the rider gained the CMA in. A rider that has no recorded average will receive an indicative CMA for the start of the season that is assessed on their prior experience in the sport.

Competitions[link]

International[link]

An international individual speedway championship has taken various forms since its beginnings in the 1930s. The present FIM Speedway Grand Prix (SGP) championship organised by Speedway Grand Prix (IMG since 2007) has taken place since 1995. The SGP uses a scoring system based on each riders overall final position. The rider who has gained the most points at the end of the tournament is declared the World Champion. American rider Greg Hancock is the current World Champion, which is his second championship win after his first title in 1997. The annual British Grand Prix is currently held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

The Millennium Stadium, venue of the British Grand Prix

Scoring in Grand Prix events changed in 2005 with riders scoring 3-2-1-0 in their races and these points being carried forward to decide the winner of each Grand Prix. At the end of the series the highest scorer becomes the world champion.

World Speedway Champions include Ivan Mauger (six-time World Champion), fellow New Zealander Barry Briggs (four-times), Ole Olsen (three-times), Ove Fundin (five-times), Lionel Van Praag (inaugural World Champion in 1936), Hans Nielsen (nicknamed "The Professor", four-times World Champion), Tony Rickardsson (six-times), Erik Gundersen and Jason Crump, both three-times World Champions.

The Speedway World Cup 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. The current champions are Poland (2011).

The Speedway World Pairs Championship was an annual speedway event held each year in different countries. Competing countries picked their top two riders to represent them. The first competition was held in 1970 and the final competition was held in 1993. From 1994 it was merged with the World Team Cup.

Domestic competitions[link]

Finnish speedwayriders in Speedway Extraliiga -competition in Yyteri speedway venue.

Most European countries run their own domestic speedway leagues. The FIM affiliated governing bodies in each country operate league systems, normally comprising several divisions, in which the teams gain points throughout the season depending on results. Teams are placed into tables, placing them in order according to points accrued. Most commonly, each team races every other team in its league at home and away in each season, in a round-robin tournament. Meetings traditionally consist of two teams riding against each other with four riders in each race with two home team riders and two away team riders. Meetings usually feature fifteen heats and each rider is scheduled to ride four or five times. The team with the most points at the end of the meeting is the winner. Most league seasons end with play-offs - a series of meetings between the highest finishing teams to determine a league champion. The champions may be promoted to a higher division and the team finishing at the bottom are in some countries relegated to a lower division.

The majority of countries supplement the league system with one or more cup competitions. These are organised on a knock-out basis, the winner of each match proceeding to the next round and the loser taking no further part in the competition.

The major speedway nations in Europe are the United Kingdom, Sweden, Poland and Denmark. These countries run a number of leagues and have regular fixtures throughout the traditional speedway season that runs from March to October. On a smaller scale, competitions are also held in Argentina, Australia, Czech Republic, Italy, Russia, Slovenia and the United States. Some countries' top divisions feature highly paid star riders. In smaller countries and lower divisions, riders may be part-timers with a second job, or amateurs.

United Kingdom[link]

The United Kingdom has three domestic leagues, the Elite League. the Premier League, and the National League.

Poland[link]

Tomasz Gollob - a successful Polish speedway rider & 2010 world champion

Speedway is one of the most popular sports in Poland and is governed by the Main Commission for Speedway Sport (Główna Komisja Sportu Żużlowego, GKSŻ) which is a part of the Polish Motor Union Polski Związek Motorowy (PZM). The PZM is a member of the FIM and the Union Européenne de Motocyclisme (UEM).

The Polish Extraleague has the highest average attendances for any sport in Poland. The first speedway meetings in Poland were held in the 1930s and league racing began in 1948.^[8]

There are three championships in Poland: individual (IMP), pairs (MPPK) and team (the DMP consisting of three leagues). The Junior under-21 championships also has three competitions: individual (MIMP), pairs (MMPPK) and team (MDMP). There are three leagues: Extraleague, First League and Second League. In the 2007 season, the Extraleague and First League had eight teams competing and the Second League had seven teams. The GKSŻ organizes the Golden Helmet, Silver Helmet (Under-21) and Bronze Helmet (Under-19) competitions. Individual meetings such as the Criterium of Polish Speedway League Aces - Mieczysław Połukard Memorial, Alfred Smoczyk Memorial and Edward Jancarz Memorial are also popular.

The Polish National team are current Speedway World Cup Champions, and have also won the competition in 2005, 2007, and 2009. Poland has produced two Individual World Champions, Jerzy Szczakiel in 1973 and Tomasz Gollob in 2010. The Polish junior team won the Under-21 World Championship in 2005 and 2006 and since 2003 four Polish juniors have won the Under-21 Individual World Championship. In total, seven Polish riders have been World Champions at Under-21 level.

Sweden[link]

Speedway in Sweden is governed by the Swedish Motorcycle and Snowmobile Federation (SVEMO). The first Swedish speedway league was founded in 1948 and copied the British format of league racing, including adopting the Swedish version of several British teams nicknames.

The Elite League (Elitserien) was established in 1982 and has ten teams. At the end of each season the top four teams ride in the play-offs in semi-finals and a final and the winner of the final are the Elitserien champions. The team finishing bottom of the league are relegated to the National league (Allsvenskan). The Allsvenskan has seven teams and before the introduction of the Elitserien in 1982 was the top flight speedway league in Sweden. As with the Allsvenskan, the top four teams at the end of each season ride in the play-offs in semi-finals and a final. The Allsvenskan Division One is the third tier of Swedish speedway with seven teams. The team finishing the season in first place are champions and can apply for promotion to the Allsvenskan, subject to having suitable facilities and sufficient finances.

Other competitions include the Swedish Individual Championship and the Swedish Junior Individual Championship. The Swedish Individual Championship is contested by 18 riders in a Grand Prix format with 20 heats. The Individual Champion in 2008 was Magnus Zetterstrom. The Junior Individual Championship is for riders aged twenty-one years and under.

Denmark[link]

Speedway in Denmark is administrated by the Danmarks Motor Union (DMU). The sport was introduced into Denmark in the 1970s. Notable Danish speedway riders include - Nicki Pedersen, Bjarne Pedersen and Hans Nørgaard Andersen. Former rider, Ole Olsen won the World Championship three times and his success helped popularise the sport in Denmark. Since retiring Olsen has become an FIM Speedway Grand Prix race director.

League competitions[link]

There are three leagues in Denmark.:

• Danish League (Dansk Speedway Liga)
• Division One
• Division Two

Speedway meetings are held between April and September.^[9] The Danish League (Dansk Speedway Liga) has six teams with meetings traditionally held on Wednesday evenings. At the end of each season the top four teams compete in the play-offs in semi-finals and a final. The winner of the final are the league champions. There is no promotion or relegation and membership of the Danish League is by application only.^[9] At the end of each season the top five teams in the Danish League compete in the Danish Super Cup', an end-of-season competition, held as a single event. It is hosted by the winning team from the previous season.

Both Division One and Division Two are the second and third tier and are mostly for amateur riders. Meetings are held on Saturdays with a mid-summer break. Division One can have a maximum of eight teams, with the remaining teams riding in Division Two. Meetings are staged using a four-team format. In principle, the team finishing bottom of Division One is relegated and replaced by the top team in Division Two as long as their parent club does not already have a team in Division One. However, this does not always happen for financial reasons. There is also no promotion and relegation if the bottom team in Division One and the top team in Division Two are operated by same club.^[9]

Other competitions[link]

The Individual Speedway Danish Championship is a competition for riders holding a Danish passport and a valid DMU licence. Riders must submit their entries at least four weeks before the first meeting of the competition. Any riders who competed in the Speedway Grand Prix or World Championship Qualifying rounds during the previous season are seeded directly to the Final. The DMU may also seed other riders directly to the Final at their discretion. Either one or two semi-finals are staged depending on the number of riders entering the competition (excluding the seeded riders who go straight through to the Final). Riders are selected for these rounds according to the previous season's Danish averages. If one semi-final is held, the highest-placed riders (plus two reserves) qualify for the Final. If two semi-finals are held, the highest-placed riders (plus one reserve) from each meeting qualify for the Final. The winner of the Final is awarded a gold medal and declared Danish Individual Champion. The riders finishing second and third are awarded silver and bronze medals respectively. The final classification also determines which riders qualify for the World Individual Speedway Championship.

The Individual Speedway Junior Danish Championship is a competition for riders holding a Danish passport, a valid DMU licence, and who are under 21 years of age on 1 January in the year of the competition. Riders wishing to compete must submit their entries at least four weeks before the first meeting of the competition. If there are 72 or more entries, four quarter-finals are staged. If there are between 54 and 71 entries, three quarter-finals are staged. If there are fewer than 54 entries, two semi-finals are held. Riders are selected for these rounds according to the previous season's averages in Danish matches only. When four quarter-finals are staged, the top eight riders (plus one reserve) in each progress to the semi-finals. When three quarter-finals are staged, the top ten riders (plus two reserves) from one round, and the top eleven riders (plus one reserve) from each of the other rounds, progress to the semi-finals. The top eight riders (plus one reserve) from each semi-final meet in the Final. The winner of the Final is awarded a gold medal and declared Danish Junior Individual Champion. Riders finishing second and third are awarded silver and bronze medals respectively. The top five finishers qualify for the World Junior Speedway Championship.

There is a great depth of league speedway for all ages in Denmark. The Youth Leagues are for riders between eight and eighteen years of age and 80cc bikes are used. The Micro Leagues are for riders between three and ten years of age and 50cc bikes are used. And the Old Boys League is for riders over 33 years of age.

National team[link]

Denmark enter a team in the Speedway World Cup. They won the competition in 2006 and 2008.

Danish Grand Prix[link]

The Danish Speedway Grand Prix is held in the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen

Bulgaria[link]

Bulgaria has one domestic league, with a total of six speedway tracks. In 2011, after years of neglect, the National Championship was restored, conducted in cooperation with Romania. In 1977 the track in Targovishte, in the country's north east, was licensed for international meetings. The track then held the quarter-final of the European youth championship in 1978, won by Nikolay Manev. The eighth-finals were held there in 1982, 1985, 1986 and 1987, with a semi-final in 1980 and the 1982 semi-final for the World pairs championship, followed by the 1988 quarter-finals for the European youth championship.

Among the most prominent Bulgarian riders are: Angel Evtimov, Nikolay Manev, Orlin Yanakiev, Veselin Markov, Zdravko Yordanov, Milen Manev (Nikolay Manev’s son).

Other nations[link]

Introduced to Italy by occupying soldiers after World War II, speedway is most popular around the north-east of the country. The regions of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Lombardy and Veneto host race meetings with the latter also hosting the Speedway Grand Prix of Italy in the town of Lonigo. The most successful speedway rider from Italy was Armando Castagna. Castagna was the only Italian professional speedway rider in the history of the sport, and qualified five times for an Individual World Final. Another former rider, Giuseppe Marzotto makes the GM speedway engines.

Speedway in Germany is overshadowed by its more popular track racing variant Sandbahn (Longtrack). However, the country hosts the Speedway Grand Prix of Germany in the Veltins-Arena and has produced one Speedway World Champion, Egon Müller in 1983.

Stadion Haunstetten, a Sandbahn track

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Speedway

• Auto Race
• Dirt track racing
• Grasstrack
• Ice speedway
• Outline of motorcycles and motorcycling
• Track racing

Further reading[link]

• Jackson, Jeremy (1 May 2006). St Austell Speedway: The Early Years 1949-1954. NPI Media Group. ISBN 0-7524-3789-5. 
• Jackson, Jeremy (1 September 2007). St. Austell Speedway 1958-1963 Plus the Sidecar Years. J & S Publications. ISBN 0-9526419-7-6. 

References[link]

External links[link]

• Speedway at the Open Directory Project
• [1] FIM Speedway Grand Prix
• "Motor-Cycle Speed Demons", September 1934, Popular Science early article on the motorcycle sport with rare photos

v t e International speedway competitions World Individual (SGP) • Pairs • Team (SWC) • Individual U-21 • Team U-21 • Champion's Cup Europe Individual • Pairs • Individual U-19 • Team U-19 • Club Ice speedway World Championships: Individual • Team — European: Individual Long track World Championships: Individual • Team Governing Bodies World (FIM) • Europe (UEM)

Billy Hamill
Personal information
Nationality	USA
Date of birth	(1970-05-23) May 23, 1970 (age 42)
Place of birth	Arcadia, California, USA
Current club information
British league	Retired
Career history
Great Britain Cradley Heath Heathens Belle Vue Aces Coventry Bees Oxford Cheetahs Wolverhampton Wolves Poland Rybnik Gorzów Grudziądz Zielona Góra Sweden Smederna Masarna	1990-1996 1997 1998-2000, 2002-2003 2005 2006-2007 1992 1994-1995 1996-2000, 2004 2001-2003 1991, 1993-2006 2007
Individual honours
World Champion USA National Champion Austrian Grand Prix Champion Danish Grand Prix Champion Swedish Grand Prix Champion Czech Grand Prix Champion European Grand Prix Champion	1996 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007 1995 1996 1996 2000, 2001 2000
Team honours
World Team Cup Winner Craven Shield Winner Premiership Winner Elite League Fours Winner Danish League Champion German League Champion Italian League Champion Polish Div Two Champion	1990, 1992, 1993, 1998 2000, 2005 1990 1995 1992 2004 2004 1997, 2002

William Gordon (Billy) Hamill (born 23 May 1970, California, USA)^[1] is an American international motorcycle speedway rider. He is a former Speedway World Champion, winning the title in 1996.

Career[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2008)

Early career[link]

Hamill began junior speedway in California in 1983, eventually turning professional in 1986. In 1990, he left California to race for Cradley Heath Heathens in the British League, joining fellow Californian and friend Greg Hancock.

1991-95[link]

In 1991, Hamill again rode for the Heathens and he also made his World Final debut at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg scoring six points. The 1992 World Championship campaign was cut short for Hamill after breaking his wrist at the Overseas final at Coventry's Brandon stadium, however he was still a major part of the Heathens season, again averaging over eight points. 1993 saw a belated return to Cradley for Hamill who went on to make his second world final appearance in Pocking, Germany which was won by fellow American Sam Ermolenko. In 1994. Hamill missed out on a place in the World Final in Vojens, Denmark, losing out in run off at the semi final stage to Greg Hancock.

1995 saw a change in the Speedway World Championship with a Grand Prix system now in place. As he had only been seeded as first reserve for the series, Hamill only managed two rides in the Opening round in Wroclaw, Poland. However he won the second round in Wiener Neustadt, Austria and eventually finished fifth in the series, won by Denmark's Hans Nielsen. He also finished top of the British League averages in 1995.

World title (1996)[link]

The 1996 season again saw Hamill riding for the Heathens (though now they were riding a Stoke's Loomer Road stadium as they had been evicted from their Dudley Wood home) and again he topped the British league averages. In the Grand Prix, Hamill joined forces with Cradley teammate Hancock to create Team Exide. Hamill had been the main challenger to defending champion Nielsen all season and went into the final round in Vojens needing to beat the Dane by at least ten points. The odds were stacked in Nielsen's favour riding in his home country, but he could only make the B final eventually finishing on fourteen points for the evening. Hamill won the A final collecting twenty-five points and therefore becoming USA's fourth Speedway World Champion.

1997-99[link]

In 1997, Hamill had to leave Cradley Heath as the team folded, and he joined the Belle Vue Aces in Britain's Elite League.^[2] The defence of his World title started off promisingly with a second place in the opening round in Prague behind fellow American and Team Exide race partner Greg Hancock. Unfortunately for Hamill this was to be an indication of how the season was to map out as he trailed his countryman all season to finish with the Silver Medal, as Hancock became the third American World Speedway Champion in five years. Although happy with how he had performed in the defence of his title, Hamill was determined to regain his title in 1998.

The 1998 season saw another new British Elite League team (the Coventry Bees) and another promising start to his Grand Prix campaign finishing second and then third in the opening two rounds. However the latter part of the season Hamill slipped down the Grand Prix placings going into the last round in Bydgoszcz with no chance of claiming the title. Worse was to follow though as Hamill was injured in a controversial collision with Australia's Jason Crump, leaving Hamill nursing a broken back. Ironically with Hamill unable to take part in the rest of the meeting, Crump and Hamill finished level on sixty-two points and Crump snatched the final seeded place for the 1999 Grand Prix series.

Hamill had recovered from his injuries in time for the 1999 campaign although he did not return for Coventry until a month into the season. A change in format for the Grand Prix series from sixteen to twenty-four riders also meant he was granted a seeded place into the series. Hamill struggled after returning injury and found points hard to come by for most of the season. However, in the final round of the Grand Prix, signs of returning to his best were clear as he finished fifth in Vojens and then went onto win the Grand Prix challenge and guaranteeing a place in the 2000 Grand Prix Series.

2000-02[link]

2000 saw Hamill fully recovered from his back injuries and again challenging the worlds best. He won the opening round of the Grand Prix series in Prague and the final round in Bydgoszcz, the very same place where he had suffered his injuries two years previous. He finished the series in second place on ninety-five points, just seven behind eventual champion Mark Loram.

Hamill went into the 2001 season having joined Team Roberts & highly optimistic that he could regain the World Title. But the opening two rounds of the season where both on "temporary" tracks within bigger soccer style stadiums. These man made tracks did not complement Hamill's style and he picked up only eight out of a possible fifty points. He did have a strong finish to the season winning again in Prague and finishing fourth in Bydgoszcz, yet after such a promising 2000 campaign Hamill was disappointed to finish sixth overall in 2001.

2002 turned out to be Hamill's swansong in the Grand Prix. Five of the tracks in the now ten round series were temporary tracks and he struggled to really challenge the medal positions. A third place in the penultimate round in Vojens showed he could still mix it with the best. Even though he had qualified by right for the 2003 series he declined the opportunity to take part and the final round in Sydney Australia turned out to be his last ever Grand Prix.

2003-present[link]

After retiring from the Grand Prix series, Hamill concentrated on his league racing in Britain, Sweden and Poland. He rode one more season for the Coventry Bees before moving on to the Oxford Cheetahs and then on to Cradley Heath's bitter rivals the Wolverhampton Wolves in 2006 and 2007.

2007 saw Hamill became USA National Champion for the fifth time, defeating Greg Hancock. Hamill retired from racing in Europe at the end of the 2007 and returned to his home in California. He started racing in the 2008 Californian season but was injured in a race fall and has missed most of the season.

He returned to international competition in 2012, scoring ten points in the USA's victory in the first round of the Speedway World Cup.^[3]

Away from racing[link]

Hamill lives with his wife Christina and his children Margi and Kurtis in the Midlands in England during the European speedway season and in California during the off season winter months. He also organises the Gumball Rally for infant through to teenage riders, saying that it is his way of giving back to the sport he loves.

World final appearances[link]

• 1991 - Göteborg, Ullevi - 12th - 6pts
• 1993 - Pocking, Rottalstadion - 10th - 7pts
• 1994 - Vojens, Speedway Center - Reserve - 1pt^[4]

Speedway Grand Prix results[link]

References[link]

v t e Speedway World Champions     1936 - L. Van Praag 1937 - J Milne 1938 - B. Wilkinson 1949 - T. Price 1950 - F. Williams 1951 - J. Young 1952 - J. Young 1953 - F. Williams 1954 - R. Moore 1955 - P. Craven 1956 - O. Fundin 1957 - B. Briggs 1958 - B. Briggs 1959 - R. Moore 1960 - O. Fundin 1961 - O. Fundin 1962 - P. Craven 1963 - O. Fundin 1964 - B. Briggs 1965 - B. Knutsson 1966 - B. Briggs 1967 - O. Fundin 1968 - I. Mauger 1969 - I. Mauger 1970 - I. Mauger 1971 - O. Olsen 1972 - I. Mauger 1973 - J. Szczakiel 1974 - A. Michanek 1975 - O. Olsen 1976 - P. Collins 1977 - I. Mauger 1978 - O. Olsen 1979 - I. Mauger 1980 - M. Lee 1981 - B. Penhall 1982 - B. Penhall 1983 - E. Müller 1984 - E. Gundersen 1985 - E. Gundersen 1986 - H. Nielsen 1987 - H. Nielsen 1988 - E. Gundersen 1989 - H. Nielsen 1990 - P. Jonsson 1991 - J. Pedersen 1992 - G. Havelock 1993 - S. Ermolenko 1994 - T. Rickardsson 1995 - H. Nielsen 1996 - B. Hamill 1997 - G. Hancock 1998 - T. Rickardsson 1999 - T. Rickardsson 2000 - M. Loram 2001 - T. Rickardsson 2002 - T. Rickardsson 2003 - N. Pedersen 2004 - J. Crump 2005 - T. Rickardsson 2006 - J. Crump 2007 - N. Pedersen 2008 - N. Pedersen 2009 - J. Crump 2010 - T. Gollob 2011 - G. Hancock

v t e Wolverhampton Wolves Squad 2007 (British Elite League) Peter Karlsson • Fredrik Lindgren • Billy Hamill • David Howe • Magnus Karlsson • Kenneth Hansen • William Lawson • Carl Wilkinson • Chris Kerr Manager: Peter Adams