Ninh explains, the Rules of Speedway The object of the race is to be the first
to cross the finish line after completing 4 laps around a track.
Motorcycle speedway, commonly referred to as just ‘speedway’ is a motorcycle racing
sport that is contested on an oval dirt track that measures a minimum of 260m and maximum
of 425m. Races are known as ‘heats’. Up to 6 riders
take part in any one heat, but is usually contested with 4 riders for safety reasons.
Riders will drive a specially modified motorcycle in order to corner a dirt track at high speeds.
There are strict rules as to what the bike can and cannot do, and I’ll explain more
on that later. To start the race, riders will take their
positions in one of the lanes at the start line.
Each rider will be designated a colour, which corresponds to their position on the track.
Once riders are in position, a gate will lift and the race begins.
Riders will ride and powerslide their bikes around the track in as quick a time as possible.
Heats are contested in 4 laps and the rider who crosses the finish line after 4 laps first,
wins the heat and receives 3 points. The rider in 2nd place gets 2 points, 3rd place gets
1 point and anyone else scores zero. If you fail to finish the race for any reason,
such as your bike bursting into flames, you also score nothing.
The most common format is the team competition. Two riders of each team will contest against
2 riders of another team. The home team wears red and blue helmet caps.
The away team, yellow and white. A team competition is contested over 15 heats.
And the team with the most points after 15 heats, wins.
In an individual contest, the rider who has the most points after a designated number
of the heats is the winner. Easiest sport ever, right?
Not so fast there friend, there’s a few other things you’ll need to know before
contesting in or watching speedway. For example:
Motorcycles As mentioned before the rules of what a bike
can and can’t do, is strict. I’m not going to cover everything here,
but the most salient points are: The bike must weigh at least 77kg.
The bike must be fuelled with methanol with no additives.
Bikes must not have any performance aids such as telemetry, superchargers or turbo chargers.
The bikes must have guards fitting over the engine’s moving parts, and other guards
and deflectors for safety. And … bikes only have one gear … and must
not have any brakes. You heard correctly, these bikes do not have
brakes. This results in a motorcycle that can do 0-60
in about 2 seconds on dirt. Broadsliding
This is the technique used to corner the bike around the track. This involves tilting the
bike, pointing the wheel of the bike in the direction of travel, whilst using the back
wheel to get as much traction on the track as possible. The riders leg can be also be
used for balance. This is an incredibly difficult skill to master.
Disqualification. You can be disqualified for a number of reasons,
such as failing to turn up at the start line on time, not getting to the start line under
the bike’s own power, or using a bike that breaks the rules.
Disqualified riders are usually excluded from the heat.
Strategy It might seem like a trivial race, but there’s
a lot of things to consider when trying to win a speedway heat. Some parts of the track
may be softer or harder than others. It’s up to you as the rider to figure out
what the best line is, as it’s different for every track.
Then, you have to outsmart the other riders. Do you make a run for the line early, or wait
for them to go wide so that you can take the lead? That, is up you.
A faster bike, isn’t necessarily a better bike. It all depends on what your strategy
is try and win the heats.
Ice Speedway
In cold countries, such as Russia, Sweden and Finland – speedway is contested on snow
and ice. It’s almost exactly the same, except that
there is a separate class for bikes that are fitted with these menacing looking tyres.
This is known as ‘studded tyre class’. The technique to ride these bikes is also
different.
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Ninh Ly - www.ninh.co.uk - @NinhLyUK