Speedway Articles and Stories

So what’s this all about? Simple really, before the Grand Prix series Speedway had a one off Speedway World Title which was a night of full commitment and winner takes all racing, racing that kept every fan on the edge of their seats. As far as I was concerned the Speedway World Championship was second to none, a night that was the pinnacle of this great sport, nothing for me would be better. Then Ole Olsen decided that a series of meetings was a much fairer way of deciding who should be Speedway World Champion. I was horrified and thought that if any Speedway rider could not bring everything together for the night of championship racing, as so many others had done, surely this would ruin the whole occasion terminally.

Now I want to tell you, I miss those trips to the old Wembley, the whole occasion has been lost. Bring back the one night championship was my cry. Even now I think there is a place for one off competition, a straight shoot out. However my indoctrination into becoming a British GP visitor started at Coventry the year before it went to the magnificent Cardiff arena which changed my mind for ever. I became very interested and when John Postlethwaite and Benfield Sport put the Cardiff British GP on in 2000 everything changed for me.

That first night at Cardiff left me wanting more, my beloved sport had been changed forever. Some hated and still hate the idea of the Speedway GP series, also some say that when John Postlethwaite and Benfield grabbed the crown jewels of the sport they left just the crumbs for the rest. That's their opinion.

My first trip abroad to watch a Speedway GP was at possibly the best racing track in the World, Bydgoszcz Poland. What a night it was, a stadium filled by all nationalities of Speedway fans, topped up by a vast majority of partisan Poles. A night of amazing Speedway unfolded, with that man Tomasz Gollob Poland’s number one rider, the breath taking king, the master of safety fence scrapping, fearless dashes that dazzled crowd and riders with equal heart stopping bewilderment, followed by a display of smoke bombs, brilliant red flares and red and white Polish flags, capped with an ear deafening volley from thousands of air horns and cheering voices that filled the cool night time Polish air. Rounded off by the adrenalin and alcohol filled air meeting the three top men as they stood courteously on the steps of the rostrum and whilst the Polish National anthem filled the stadium, all nationalities stood respectfully. The night ended shortly afterwards with a display of fire works and lazars that seem to be bettered after each event.

It’s now four years on and I have found something with others that is very special, it’s not just the racing, it’s not the spectacle that is every improving. The Speedway Grand Prix events are addictive because they are a massive social event where many friends are made, friends from riders their entourage, promoters, fans of every Speedway nation, and the wonderful people who service the bars hotels and transport that make the Speedway Grand Prix series almost into a carnival.

See you at the next one.