Speedway

Speedway

Q. What has two wheels, travels sideways, does 0-60mph in 2.5 seconds, rides on shale and has NO BRAKES?
A. Yes you’ve guessed it, it’s a speedway bike.

If you’ve never seen the fast and furious world of speedway racing you have never lived, the smell, sound and atmosphere at a race meeting is awesome whether you’re watching or competing. Speedway is a massive sport in many countries around the world including, Sweden, Poland, Denmark, the USA, Russia and the Czech Republic. In the UK there are plenty of tracks dotted around the island including Belle Vue in Manchester, Kings Lynn, Sheffield, and Swindon - so no matter where you live there’s a meeting close by.

Speedway bikes weigh just over 80kg’s, have hardly any suspension and run on methanol. They are powered by 500cc Jawa or Italian GM engines and have a fixed gear, because it’s pretty hard to change gear whilst riding sideways with your left foot grazing the surface of the track for added stability! Although the bikes have no brakes the high compression motors mean the bikes naturally have good engine braking, so riders close the throttle to slow down, there is also a cut out switch which is operated by a lanyard attached to the rider’s wrist - so if the bike ploughs into the fence around the oval circuit the engine will stop. As with most forms of motor-sport, speedway has its fair share of high speed accidents but the mandatory air fence has helped to cut the number of serious injuries and deaths in recent years.

Races are run over four laps and can be over in little more than 60 adrenaline fuelled seconds. The grid position, or ‘gating’ as it’s known, is crucial in speedway. The track runs anti clockwise so a rider on the left of the grid gets a useful advantage into turn one, riders who get left behind have plenty of washing to do when they get home because they’re covered in muddy gravel from the bikes in front! More info and details of your nearest tracks can be found by logging on to www.british-speedway.co.uk