FIM Speedway Grand Prix explained - Everything you need to know ahead of 2022 season opener

ByEurosport

Updated 26/04/2022 at 09:21 GMT

International speedway action is on the agenda for 2022 with the FIM Speedway Grand Prix set to begin in April. With 12 races of high-octane action to come, Eurosport breaks down exactly what is involved in the hotly-anticipated competition. The 2022 Speedway Grand Prix will be available live and ad-free on discovery+

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The 2022 FIM Speedway Grand Prix begins this spring with 12 thrilling rounds of action to decide who will be crowned champion by the season’s conclusion.

The season kicks off in Gorican, Croatia on April 30 with the final race on November 5 taking place in a yet to be decided venue in Oceania.

Discovery+ will provide live, ad-free coverage of every race as well as interactive services. Race action will also be live on Eurosport 2, with highlights and reaction on the Eurosport website.

Speedway GP

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Format and scoring

Each round will feature 16 riders racing against each other in 20 heats, every heat consisting of four riders completing four laps of the track.

The winning rider in each heat will be awarded four points, two points for second, one for third and zero for fourth.

The eight riders with the most points at the end of the heats stage then move on to two semi-finals, with the top two from each of these semis then facing off in the final.

The winning rider earns 20 championship points, with 18 for second, 16 for third and 14 for fourth.

The riders who finish third in each semi-final are awarded 11 or 12 points depending on who scored higher in the heats, and the same applies to the fourth-placed semi-finalists with nine or 10 points awarded.

The riders ranked ninth and below after 20 heats are awarded championship points from each race on a sliding scale, with eight points going to the ninth place rider, down to one point for the rider who comes 16th.

The rider with the most points at the end of the season is the world champion.

Tiebreaks

To separate riders on equal points, most race wins are first taken into account, but if these are also the same then second, third and fourth places are factored in.

Speedway Grand Prix 2022 - what it is, how to watch, race calendar, who is taking part

Bikes

Speedway bikes have 500cc engines running on pure methanol and have no brakes, meaning riders take corners and turns by sliding into the dirt of the track.

The bikes have one fixed gear and teams are able to make adjustments during a race for better performance.

Riders can bring as many bikes as they wish to a SpeedwayGP round.

Qualifying

Qualifying takes place on the same day as the race and allows the rider to secure first choice of starting number.

Every rider will start from each of the four gates at least once, but will start from one gate twice. Qualifying practice provides the opportunity to ensure they have the right starting positions at the right time.

Riders take to the track in groups of three, trying to clock the fastest laps in three blocks of two minutes. The rider who records the fastest lap is rewarded with first choice of starting number for the event. Second place chooses next and this continues right down to 16th place selecting last.

Race rules

Four riders, each wearing a red, blue, white or yellow helmet, line up in each race. The rider in red starts on the inside in gate one, blue from gate two, white on gate three and yellow on the outside in gate four.

All riders must be at the tapes ready to race by the time the referee’s two-minute countdown clock reaches zero or face being disqualified.

The green light puts them under starter’s orders and once the tapes are then released it’s time to race!

Bartosz Zmarzlik

Image credit: Getty Images

When the tapes are up, the four riders battle it out over four blistering laps in around a minute of hardcore racing.

The race is stopped if a rider falls. If this occurs on the first turn, the referee can invite everyone back for the restart if they believe no-one was at fault.

If a rider crosses the white inside line fully with both wheels or leaves the circuit, they are deemed to have retired from the race – unless they left the track to take essential avoiding action (e.g. to avoid a fallen rider).

Disqualifications

Failing to be race ready by the time the two minute clock reaches zero
Touching the starting tape before it is released (Official warning for movement but not touching the tape)
Being at fault for a fall of another rider

Who is taking part in 2022?

The 16 riders consist of the top six riders from the previous year’s series who qualify automatically – however, 2021 champion Artem Laguta and third place Emil Sayfutdinov will not be taking part due to an FIM ban on Russian athletes. Both have been replaced.

The top six are joined by three riders from the Grand Prix Challenge series and the previous year’s Speedway European Championship winner is also guaranteed a place.

Five more riders are nominated by the competition organisers and the main 16-rider line-up is completed by one wild card.

Five further riders are nominated as substitutes in case of illness, injury or other absences from the main group, with two of these nominated as track reserves for each round of racing.

Full line-up

Bartosz Zmarzlik (Poland)
Fredrik Lindgren (Sweden)
Maciej Janowski (Poland)
Tai Woffinden (United Kingdom)
Leon Madsen (Denmark)
Jason Doyle (Australia)
Robert Lambert (United Kingdom)
Anders Thomsen (Denmark)
Martin Vaculík (Slovakia)
Paweł Przedpełski (Poland)
Max Fricke (Australia)
Patryk Dudek (Poland)
Mikkel Michelsen (Denmark)
Jack Holder (Australia)
Dan Bewley (United Kingdom)

Substitute riders

Andžejs Ļebedevs (Latvia)
Jakub Miśkowiak (Poland)
Mads Hansen (Denmark)
Luke Becker (United States)
David Bellego (France)

Speedway Grand Prix 2022 race calendar

As it stands, 12 events are scheduled to take place. However, owing to the political situation involving Russia and Ukraine, FIM Speedway have announced the event due to take place on July 9 will not be held in Togliatti, Russia. A new location is yet to be decided.

Round