87-685: The Rye House Rockets were a speedway team based at Rye House Stadium , Hoddesdon , England. They competed in various British speedway leagues from 1954 to 2018. Rye House began life in 1934, hosting open meetings on a circuit that had been converted from a former running track. Under the charge of the Harringay Light Car and Motor Cycle Club, the track soon became known as a training school for riders. The first Rye House team competed in several challenge matches throughout 1936. Whilst at Hackney in September 1937, Dicky Case purchased
174-478: A flat oval track usually consisting of dirt , loosely packed shale , or crushed rock (mostly used in Australia and New Zealand). 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 to 70 miles per hour (110 km/h). There are now both domestic and international competitions in
261-565: A lease with stadium owner L. H. Lawrence and the speedway track was rebuilt by Mike Broadbank, along with his father Alfred. Broadbank ran the speedway team known as the Red Devils who raced in challenge matches from 1960 until 1966. No public meetings were held in 1967 or 1968, although the training school continued ; but public speedway resumed in 1969, with a combination of individual meetings and team challenge matches, and continued until 1973. In 1974, Rayleigh Rockets closed down but
348-426: A maximum length of 30 centimetres (12 in)) attached to the rider's right wrist." 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 pursuing opponents. Before cut-outs were introduced, an engine
435-821: 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 . The early history of speedway race meetings
522-416: A record time of 59 seconds on a 342 metres (1,122 ft) track and produced an average speed of 83 km/h (51.86 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
609-422: 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
696-716: A second job, or amateurs. The United Kingdom has three main domestic leagues, the SGB Premiership , the SGB Championship , and the National League , as well as three 'junior' amateur leagues. It also has a youth championship. 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
783-426: A series of meetings over the space of a week in the summer. The final World Cup Champions were Poland in 2017. 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 (or in some cases, those who were available). The first competition was held in 1970 and the final competition was held in 1993. From 1994
870-608: A smaller scale, competitions are also held in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Ukraine 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
957-481: Is a subject of much debate and controversy. There is evidence to show that meetings were held on small dirt tracks in Australia and the United States before World War I . On 13 November 1905 motorcycle racing was held at the Newcastle NSW Rugby Ground, a distance of approximately 440 yards. American rider Don Johns was known to have used broadsiding before 1914. It was said that he would ride
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#17327837922061044-626: Is a three-time World Champion ( 2013 , 2015 and 2018 ). Woffinden was born in Scunthorpe , the son of former speedway rider Rob Woffinden . Although born in the United Kingdom and competing as a British rider, Woffinden grew up in Perth , Western Australia after his parents Rob and Sue decided to move there in 1994. Woffinden began his career in junior speedway in Perth where he won
1131-493: 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 fueled 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. The use of methanol allows for an increased compression ratio to
1218-399: Is divided into a grid of four equal parts and the riders from each team must take their place in alternate grids or "gates". The colours also denote starting positions in individual events; Red is the inside gate (gate 1), blue starts from gate 2, white starts from gate 3 and yellow/black starts on the outside (gate 4). When an event dictates that there is a fifth rider at the start line, gate 3
1305-504: 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. 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 the track, any rider who crosses this boundary with both wheels will be disqualified unless they only did so in
1392-509: Is known as a tape infringement 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
1479-472: 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
1566-428: Is moved to the centre with a green helmet colour, and white and yellow (or yellow/black) take gates 4 and 5 respectively. 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. 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
1653-427: 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
1740-967: Is the current (2019) World Champion. The annual British Grand Prix is currently held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff , Wales. 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-time World Champion), Tony Rickardsson (six times), Erik Gundersen and Jason Crump , both three-time World Champions, and
1827-470: The 2020 Speedway Grand Prix , this time behind Zmarzlik. In 2021, he became a team world champion after Great Britain secured the 2021 Speedway of Nations (the world team title). He also the Czech Grand Prix on the way to a sixth-place finish during the 2021 Speedway Grand Prix . In 2022, he finished in 8th place during the 2022 Speedway World Championship , after securing 93 points during
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#17327837922061914-631: The 2022 Speedway Grand Prix . Despite finishing outside of the top six he was selected by the SGP Commission as one of the riders for the 2023 Speedway Grand Prix . In 2023, he signed for Västervik in Sweden, after spending the 2002 season with Esbjerg in Denmark. He also renewed his Polish contract with Sparta Wrocław . In 2023, he was part of the British team that won the silver medal in
2001-621: The 2023 Speedway World Cup final. Shortly afterwards he returned to British speedway, joining Sheffield Tigers as an injury replacement for Jack Holder , who had been injured during the World Cup final. His 2023 season ended badly after he broke his hand when riding well during the British Grand Prix. The injury forced him to miss the last two rounds of the World Championship, which dropped him down into 11th place in
2088-796: The British Under 18 Championship . Woffinden signed for the Rye House Rockets again for the 2008 season and this was also the season he made his debut for Great Britain in the Speedway World Cup , impressing with a win against world class opposition. He also finished third in the British Speedway Championship . This finish qualified Woffinden to be a track reserve at the British Grand Prix but he did not have an opportunity to ride. Woffinden became British Under-21 Champion in 2008. The event
2175-940: 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. 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
2262-637: The Premier League title . Two years later, Robson and Neath were still part of the Rockets team that won another league title. The 2007 team included new signing Tai Woffinden . In 2008, the junior team were renamed the Cobras . The Rockets continued to compete in the Premier League from 2010 to 2016 before entering the highest tier of British speedway for the first time in their history for
2349-749: The Sheffield Tigers as a guest rider. In 2006, he became an asset of Wolverhampton Wolves after he signed a full contract with the Elite League side. 2007 saw Woffinden return to Scunthorpe in the Conference League and he signed on a season's loan with the Rye House Rockets in the Premier League, the Rockets clinched the Premier League Championship in 2007 after beating the Sheffield Tigers in
2436-645: The Under-21 Individual World Championship . In total, seven Polish riders have been World Champions at Under-21 level. 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 )
2523-694: The 1928–1929 season at the Melbourne Exhibition Speedway , Australian Colin Stewart 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 Saints in 1929 and captained Glasgow in the Northern League in 1930 before moving to Wembley Lions in 1931, for whom he rode in just four matches, averaging 4.00 points per match. He also raced in
2610-607: The 1930 Scottish Championship which was won by Wembley Lions' Harry Whitfield . The forerunner of the World Championship, the Star Riders' Championship , was inaugurated in Great Britain in 1929, but was split into 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
2697-497: The 1930s, with the official World Championship first held in 1936 . The present FIM Speedway Grand Prix (SGP) championship organised by Speedway Grand Prix (Discovery Sports Events since 2015) 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 . Polish rider Bartosz Zmarzlik
Rye House Rockets - Misplaced Pages Continue
2784-931: The 2006 Western Australian Under-16 title, though he unfortunately missed riding in the Australian Under-16 Championship in Adelaide . He started his British career with the Scunthorpe Scorpions in the Conference League in 2006. With the Scorpions he completed a clean sweep of Conference League trophies, winning the Championship, Conference Trophy, Conference Shield and the Knockout Cup. When he turned sixteen years of age he made his Premier League debut for
2871-681: The 2017 season. The team competed in the SGB Premiership and featured riders such as Chris Harris and Scott Nicholls . Mid-way through the 2018 season the Rockets results were annulled by the Speedway Control Bureau , due to the teams withdrawal due to financial issues. In September 2018, the Lakeside Hammers , a speedway team in the SGB Championship, moved to the Rye House Stadium, following
2958-719: The 2022 season, the Extraleague and First League had eight teams competing and the Second League had seven teams. The GKSŻ organizes the Golden Helmet (Jerzy Szczakiel Memorial), 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 , Edward Jancarz Memorial, Jerzy Szczakiel Memorial and Individual international championship of
3045-583: 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
3132-594: The Conference League (the 3rd division) but they soon moved up to division 2 in 2002 and formed a junior side called the Raiders' to compete in the Conference League. The Raiders won the Conference League Four-Team Championship in 2003. After three years of competing in the Premier League from 2002 to 2004, the Rockets re-signed Edward Kennett and together with Stuart Robson , Chris Neath , Brent Werner , they helped secure
3219-627: The Ekstraliga named after Zenon Plech are also popular. The Polish National team are the final champions of the now-defunct Speedway World Cup , having won the competition eight times in all. Poland has produced three Individual World Champions , Jerzy Szczakiel in 1973, Tomasz Gollob in 2010 and Bartosz Zmarzlik in 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The Polish junior team won the Under-21 World Championship in 2005 and 2006 and since 2003 four Polish juniors have won
3306-429: 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 . Speedway uses a unique type of motorcycle, governed by the FIM's "Track Racing Technical Rules". 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
3393-561: The Secretary of Newcastle Speedway Ltd. The Newcastle Herald reports the Grand Opening on 14 November 1925 attracted an audience of 42,000 at that time it was approximately one-third of Newcastle's entire population. After Maitland, Newcastle Showground is the second oldest Motorcycle Speedway track in the world. However, its first recorded motorcycle race was much earlier in 1908. The first Australian Motorcycle Speedway Championship
3480-618: The Swedish Junior Individual Championship. The Swedish Individual Championship is contested by 18 riders in a Grand Prix format with 20 heats. The Junior Individual Championship is for riders aged twenty-one years and under. Speedway in Denmark is administered by Danmarks Motor Union (DMU) . The sport was introduced into Denmark in the 1930s but it didn't boom until the 1970s. Notable Danish speedway riders today include – Nicki Pedersen, Bjarne Pedersen and Hans Nørgaard Andersen. Former rider, Ole Olsen won
3567-524: 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
Rye House Rockets - Misplaced Pages Continue
3654-429: 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. A popular Danish rider in the 1960s was Arne Pander, and in the 1980s Erik Gundersen, Jan O Pedersen and Hans Nielsen (who was also an active racer through the 1990s). Tai Woffinden Tai Woffinden (born 10 August 1990) is a British speedway rider. He
3741-657: The World Pairs was merged with the World Team Cup. As of 2018, a new pairs championship, the Speedway of Nations , has now replaced the Speedway World Cup on the sport's calendar. 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
3828-405: 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
3915-637: The biggest events for speedway bikes in Western Australia. Tai won the Classic named for his late father in 2012 at the 142 metres (155 yd) Pinjar Park Speedway in Perth. In 2013 Woffinden won the Speedway Grand Prix series to become World Champion. He was the 8th British rider to become World Champion and the first one to hold the British Championship and World Championship in the same year since Gary Havelock in 1992. He
4002-565: The closure of the Arena Essex Raceway . In December 2020, the Rye House stadium was demolished. Motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway , usually referred to simply as speedway , is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that use only one gear and have no brakes . Racing takes place on
4089-402: 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 once the green light comes on, they must also remain stationary until the tapes are raised. Failure to do so
4176-762: The end of 2014 he also rode for the Wolverhampton Wolves in the British Elite League , but announced in late 2014 that he would not be riding in Britain during 2015 in his quest to regain his World Championship. After dropping to fourth place in the 2014 Speedway Grand Prix season, Woffinden bounced back in 2015 to regain the Speedway World Championship, becoming the first British rider to win two world individual titles since Peter Craven won his second in 1962 . On
4263-551: The end of the war the track was re-opened by Arthur Elvin (the Wembley Stadium Managing Director) and was once again used as a training school, this time for the Wembly Lions riders. The site remained under the lease ownership of Dicky Case until he returned to his native Australia. It was the foremost venue for aspiring speedway riders throughout the decade. The team competed in a league for
4350-424: The engine producing more power than other fuels and resulting in higher speeds (approximately 130 kilometres per hour (81 mph) when cornering). Machines used must: Machines used cannot: 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
4437-405: The entire race course wide open, throwing great showers of dirt into the air at each turn. By the early 1920s, Johns' style of cornering was followed in the United States, where it was called Short Track Racing, by riders such as Albert "Shrimp" Burns, Maldwyn "Floppy" Jones and Eddie Brinck. Motorcycle Speedway can be traced back to the early 1920s. One track that staged speedway, amongst others,
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#17327837922064524-567: 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 (six in World Cup) 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,
4611-422: The extra riders safely. 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
4698-462: The final. In August 2007 he also signed for the Poole Pirates in the Elite League to ride at reserve, sharing the spot with Rye House Rockets team-mate Steve Boxall for the rest of the season. In 2007, Woffinden became the youngest ever rider to appear in the British Championship Final but suffered injury in a crash and had to withdraw from the meeting. In September 2007, he became the Conference League Riders Champion and then two days later won
4785-414: 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. An international individual speedway championship has taken various forms since its beginnings in
4872-434: The first time since 1938, when they joined the 1954 Southern Area League (the third tier of British speedway). Riding as the Rye House Roosters they finished third in a six team league. The team then won two league titles; the 1955 Southern Area League and the 1956 Southern Area League . The team was led by Mike Broadbank , who also won the Riders' Championship at Rye House on 25 September. In 1960, Jack Carter agreed
4959-549: 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. Tracks used for professional speedway racing are regulated by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) who provide rules concerning construction, size and safety requirements. Speedway racing takes place on a level oval track consisting of two straights joined by two semicircles. Tracks must be between 260 and 425 metres (853 and 1394 ft) in length, this
5046-407: The interest of safety or were forced to by another competitor. 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
5133-443: 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
5220-420: The lease of the sixty acre estate of Rye House and continued the training school at Rye House Stadium, operating under the name of the Hackney Motor Club. The school operated until 1938, when a Rye House team staged Sunday Dirt-track League matches. In 1939, various challenge matches were held. Rye House stadium continued to operate speedway from 1940 to 1943, despite the disruption caused by World War II . After
5307-443: The now-closed 520 metres (570 yd) Claremont Speedway in Perth and the 509 metres (557 yd) Sydney Showground , to smaller, purpose-built 300 metres (330 yd) long motorcycle tracks, such as Gillman Speedway in Adelaide and Mildura 's Olympic Park . Each track is between 260 and 425 metres long and it takes approximately one minute to complete four laps. For example, 10 time Australian Champion Leigh Adams set
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#17327837922065394-420: The passenger ship Oronsay to introduce Speedway Solo motorcycle racing to England. The first meeting in the United Kingdom took place at High Beech on 19 February 1928. 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
5481-501: The promotion, riders and nickname moved to Rye House. It was the first season of league speedway at Rye House since the 1959 Southern Area League . After struggling for two seasons they progressed to 5th place in 1976 before competing for the title from 1977 to 1979 and winning the 1979 Knockout Cup . The consistency and stability of the team paid dividends in 1980, when the Rockets won the 1980 National League . Bobby Garrad , Karl Fiala and Kelvin Mullarkey all averaged over nine for
5568-418: 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
5655-473: The races were held in a clockwise direction. 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
5742-481: 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
5829-509: The rest of the fence through blow-off valves or restriction ports connected to the other sections. 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. The majority of tracks are dedicated to speedway or other sports such as sidecar speedway and banger racing . For larger events,
5916-407: The rider's calculated match average (CMA). 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 this range of values will be awarded the maximum or minimum respectively. These averages are used in leagues such as the Premiership in the UK to identify heat-leaders for
6003-417: The same season. He was also the first rider to be the British Under 18 Champion for two consecutive seasons. Woffinden agreed to ride for his parent club, the Wolverhampton Wolves, for the 2009 Elite League season. On 15 April 2011 Tai Woffinden won the British Under 21 Championship, held at the Arena Essex Raceway . After his father's death from cancer in 2010, the Rob Woffinden Classic has become one of
6090-447: 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
6177-422: The season. The success could not be repeated for the rest of the decade as the team experienced mediocrity. After finishing 8th during the 1993 British League Division Two season the promoters Roger Shute and Peter Redfern left the club leaving Ronnie Russell in sole charge. Russell failed to secure the necessary funding to continue and the Rockets were disbanded. In 1999, the team returned to league action in
6264-488: The sports first two-time champion Jack Young who won in 1951 & 1952. Currently, no world team championship is contested for senior riders. The first such championship was the Speedway World Team Cup , which was contested annually from 1960 to 2000. It was replaced by the Speedway World Cup , another annual event, in 2001. Both competitions featured teams from the major speedway countries, usually in
6351-439: 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
6438-428: 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. 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
6525-450: The track boundaries. Once a race is under way, 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 can consist of up to six riders but this is rare as most tracks are too narrow to accommodate
6612-418: The two sections were amalgamated and Vic Huxley proved to be the winner. 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 Sprintcars , Speedcars (Midgets) and saloons, with tracks traditionally ranging from 1/3-mile showground tracks, such as
6699-646: The way to his second championship success, Woffinden won the Czech Republic and Scandinavian Grand Prix while finishing second in Finland , Sweden and Slovenia and third in Poland II . In 2016 and 2017, he finished second and third respectively in the 2017 World Championship and the 2017 World Championship , which included winning a Grand Prix in Warsaw and Gorzów. In 2016 the Speedway World Cup final
6786-430: The world. In 1926 Johnnie Hoskins took his Speedway show to Sydney's Royal Showground. A very wet Sydney summer nearly sent Hoskins broke, so he took the show on the road to Perth, where one good season made him wealthy again. He and his riders decided to take the show to England, as the word had spread about this exciting sport. 14 April 1928, Johnnie Hoskins, 13 Australian Riders and their motorcycles sailed from Perth on
6873-599: Was a huge success and its promoter was New Zealand-born John S. Hoskins. These pioneers introduced the Speedway signatures of No Left Footpeg and the Steel Shoe, ironically fashioned from worn coal shovels, manufactured in this Steel region. Following the success of Maitland, Speedway meetings were conducted at Newcastle Showground in 1924. These events were very successful and led to the construction of Newcastle Speedway off Darling Street, Hamilton. Johnnie Hoskins became
6960-589: Was also the youngest World Champion in the modern day GP competition at the time. He also won Motorcycle News Man of the Year Award for 2013. Also in 2013, Woffinden competed in his only European Championship finishing 5th during the 2013 Speedway European Championship . Woffinden captained the Great Britain team that finished fourth in the 2014 Speedway World Cup Final in Bydgoszcz , Poland . Until
7047-566: Was at the West Maitland Showground, whose first speedway meeting was staged on 15 December 1923. This track had a motorcycle riding entrepreneur as its Secretary and his personal account has him inviting his friends and their associates to do a few laps one Sunday morning, the noise attracted the attention of the Showground committee and approval to race at the "Electric Light Festival" was won. Motorcycle racing under lights
7134-543: 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
7221-408: Was held at Newcastle Showground in 1926. Ironically it was won by American rider Cec Brown. Visiting English and American racers were common, for they were highly paid showmen, often winning a year's salary in just one night. It was very successful, so Newcastle Showground held the championship again in 1927. Very fitting that Newcastle Showground held the first National Speedway Championship anywhere in
7308-467: Was held at the Arena Essex Raceway , with Woffinden only dropping one point in the qualifying heats and winning the final ahead of Adam Roynon and Ben Barker . An extraordinary season ended with him winning Premier League Riders Championship , held on 21 September 2008 at Owlerton Stadium . Woffinden was the first rider to hold both the British Under-18 and British Under-21 title during
7395-467: Was held at the national speedway stadium at Belle Vue, Manchester where team GB were runners up to Poland. In 2018, Woffinden won his third world title ending the 2018 Speedway Grand Prix on 139 points and ten clear of rival Bartosz Zmarzlik . This included four Grand Prix wins in Horsens , Warsaw , Teterow and Torun . After a poor 2019 Championship he bounced back by taking the silver medal during
7482-549: Was stopped in an emergency situation by removing the plug lead from the spark plug or shutting off the fuel supply. Races (known as heats) consist of four riders racing over four laps from a standing start . Riders wear different coloured helmets, traditionally in team events red and blue denote home team riders, and white (in British speedway, green has previously been used as an alternative to white, apparently for early interactive TV) and yellow/black quartered colours (latterly plain yellow) denote visiting riders. The starting area
7569-653: 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 9 April 1928 and the first fully professional meeting was staged at Celtic Park on 28 April 1928. The first meeting in Wales was staged at Cardiff White City on Boxing Day 1928. In
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