Track racing is a form of motorcycle racing in which teams or individuals race opponents around an unpaved oval track. There are several variants, each contested on different surface types.
The most common variant is speedway, which has many professional domestic and international competitions in a number of countries.
Administered internationally by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), the sport became popular in the 1920s and remains so today.
Nature of the sport
Track racing typically involves four to six, and sometimes up to eight, competitors riding around an oval track in a counter-clockwise direction over a set number of laps—usually four to six, sometimes eight—with points awarded to all but the last finisher on a sliding scale.
These points are accumulated over a number of heats, with the winner being the team or individual who scores the most overall.
The machines used are customised motorcycles; these have no brakes and run on methanol. Speedway also uses motorcycles with no gears or rear suspension. The use of methanol allows high compression ratios, resulting in increased power and speeds of approximately 80 mph (130 km/h) when cornering. However, the key skill in track racing is the rider’s ability to control the motorcycle through corners without losing momentum.
This has led to the use of powersliding or broadsiding as the primary cornering technique in most variants of the sport.
Track characteristics
Competitions take place on tracks defined by the FIM as follows:[1]
Speedway: A track with a top surface of granite, shale, brick granules, or similar unbound material rolled onto the base ground.
Longtrack: A sand, shale, or similar unbound material rolled onto the base ground.
Grasstrack: A firm, level turf with minor undulations.
Ice Speedway: Ice with a minimum thickness of 10 cm.
Variants of the sport
Speedway
Speedway racing takes place on a flat oval track measuring between 260 and 425 metres in length, usually consisting of dirt or loosely packed shale. Riders use the loose surface to slide their machines sideways into corners, using the rear wheel to reduce speed while maintaining forward drive.
FIM regulations state that motorcycles must have no brakes, run on pure methanol, use a single gear, and weigh a minimum of 78 kg. Races consist of four to six riders competing over four to six laps.
Originating in New South Wales, Australia in the 1920s, speedway now features domestic and international competitions in many countries, including the Speedway World Cup, while the highest-scoring rider in the Speedway Grand Prix series is declared world champion.
Flat track
Flat track motorcycles may use either two-stroke or four-stroke engines in amateur competition. They have front and rear suspension and rear brakes. The presence of brakes distinguishes flat track from speedway, as it enables different cornering techniques. Four-stroke motorcycles dominate professional competition and may be single or multi-cylinder depending on the venue. Tracks vary from 1/4 mile (400 metres) to 1 mile (1,600 metres).
Successful riders often move into road racing, which is considerably more lucrative. Many top American riders in Grand Prix motorcycle racing began their careers in flat track racing.[2]
Grasstrack
Grasstrack racing takes place on a flat oval track, usually constructed in a field. Motorcycles have two gears, rear suspension, and no brakes, and are generally longer than speedway bikes.
Races usually take place over four laps from a standing start. Unlike speedway, which features four riders per race, grasstrack events may include many riders per heat, and circuits are typically longer, allowing higher speeds.
Grasstrack does not have its own official FIM World Championship. Many regard the Individual Speedway Long Track World Championship as the sport’s premier competition, as several rounds are held on grasstrack circuits.
The sport does, however, run European championships, including the European Solo Championship and European Sidecar Championship, held annually across the continent.
The current European champions are Mathieu Tresarrieu of France (solo) and the pairing of William Mattihjssen and Sandra Mollema of the Netherlands (sidecars).
Longtrack
Longtrack is a variant of grasstrack and speedway held on circuits up to 1,200 metres in length, with speeds reaching 90–100 mph (140–160 km/h). The machinery and rules are the same as for grasstrack. Tracks are typically sand-based rather than grass.
The sport is particularly popular in Germany, where most tracks are located, although circuits also exist in the Czech Republic, Finland, and Norway. Occasional events are held in Australia and the United States, typically on horse trotting arenas during the off-season.
The sport has two annual world championships: an individual championship (the World Longtrack Championship, run in a Grand Prix format) and a team championship (Longtrack of Nations).
Ice speedway
Ice speedway is the ice equivalent of speedway. Bikes race anti-clockwise around oval tracks between 260 and 425 metres in length. The race format and scoring system are similar to speedway.
The sport is divided into classes for studded and non-studded tyres. Studded tyres use spikes approximately one inch long screwed into treadless tyres; each tyre may have around 90 studs at the front and 200 at the rear.
In the studded class, riders do not powerslide due to the extreme grip provided by the studs. Instead, they lean the bike at extreme angles, often with the handlebars close to the ice surface. This riding style differs significantly from other track racing disciplines, and riders rarely cross over between ice speedway and other variants.
Most major competitions are held in Russia, Sweden, and Finland, with additional events in the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, and other countries.
References
- "Appendix 070: General Rules for Track Racing". Track Racing Appendices. Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme. 2007. p. 5. Archived from the original on 31 December 2006. Retrieved 3 February 2007.
- Wood, Bill (August 1983). Wayne Rainey's road to stardom. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)