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so, it's your first time eh ..?
IF YOU have never been to a speedway match before, you'll probably be wondering what to expect from your first visit to this thrilling family sport. Welcome to our comprehensive guide to speedway.

t h e   m a t c h e s   . . .
 
The vast majority of speedway meetings are team matches, between two teams from within the league. Occasionally, other types of matches are held, such as Trophy competitions or Individual Rider Championships, however during the season, the standard league match is the most common.
 
 
t h e   t e a m s   . . .
 
Each team is made up of 7 riders, from all over the world. The riders all wear racejackets with their own team logo on the front and their racing number on the back. The two riders filling the number 6 and 7 places in the team are reserves - but unlike many other sports, the reserves play an equally important role in their team.
 
 
t h e   r a c i n g   . . .
 
In a standard league match, there are 15 separate races, known as 'heats'. Each heat is raced over 4 laps and is made up of 4 riders - 2 from the home team and 2 from the away team.
 
The winner of the heat scores 3 points, the rider finishing in 2nd place scores 2, third place scores 1, and the last place or non-finisher scores zero. If the home team riders finished in 1st and 3rd place, for example, the home team would score 4 points from that heat, with the away team scoring 2. The team scores build up throughout the match, with the highest scoring team after 15 heats being declared the winners.
 
 
t h e   r i d e r s   . . .
 
With 7 riders in each team, and 2 teams competing, you may be wondering how you're going to tell which of the 14 riders are which !  Don't panic - it's very easy to identify who's who during the course of the match.
 
The easiest way is to look at the helmet colours. The home team riders always wear red and blue helmets, while the visiting team riders wear green and yellow. In addition, the riders wear racejackets with their team logo on the front and their racing number on the back.
 
 
t h e   b i k e s   . . .
 
Speedway bikes may look like any other bike, but they are very different. They can accelerate faster than a Formula 1 racing car - from 0-60mph in around 3 seconds. They have no gears, no rear suspension, and NO BRAKES !!  They are powered by a 500cc single cylinder engine, running on methanol fuel.
 
The racing is exciting - especially at the first bend when 4 bikes arrive at the corner together. Naturally, accidents do happen, and a referee is always on hand to cast judgement on any collision or incident.