If you think you know how to ride a pushbike, come and prove it on a cycle speedway track! Or maybe you just want to have some fun by competing in an exciting, friendly, predominently team sport? Then read on...
Almost anyone can have a go as all abilities are catered for and there are different age categories in most competitions. If you know how to pedal then you qualify! Any experience in other disciplines won't help much as riders often struggle initially with the nerve tingling starts and tricky tight corners, but a few practice sessions will sort that out, and you'll be ready for the cut and thrust of competition.
The sport developed in the late forties, with many youngsters emulating their motorised speedway heroes on tracks marked out on wasteground or heathland. There have been some developments over the years but the basic concept is unchanged. Like conventional speedway, 4 simple bikes race counter-clockwise from a starting grid around an oval shale-covered track for 4 laps. But, cycle speedway is a strictly amateur sport and 'pedal power' is the fuel.
Most tracks are around 70-80 metres but there are some variations in sizing and proportions, giving riders that important 'home track advantage'. Racing begins from a standing start behind 'starting tapes'. The referee ensures a totally fair start by requesting silence from spectators and no rider movement 'under starter's orders'. When the tapes go up you can start cheering! Many first timers are amazed at the forceful nature allowed on the first bend, but while contact is allowed, the referee won't hesitate to caution or exclude anyone deemed to be using unsafe or unfair tactics. The race lasts 4 laps which usually takes around 50 seconds. The winner gets 4 points, 2nd 3 points and so on. Non-finishers do not score, so you'll often see a faller scrabbling with his bike as he attempts to finish the race without being lapped.
Team racing forms the core of the sport with several leagues around the country catering for different localities and abilities. In these meetings a race will consist of two riders from each team, bringing with it the interesting extra element of 'team riding'. There are of course a wide spectrum of individual events too, ranging from club events to the prestigious British and World Finals.
The bikes used tend to be rather specialised, but also extremely simple. In fact, beginners can get away with a few modifications to almost any ordinary machine, as the rules tend to concentrate on things you're not allowed rather than things you must have. This means it wont cost much to get started although you can spend hundreds if you wish! Have a look in the pits to see some bikes.
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