Speedway racing is all gas, no brakes — literally! Although the origins of the sport are widely disputed, it is one of the most popular motorsports worldwide, drawing in thousands of spectators and punters alike. The riders compete in a series of short races, called heats, over the season in a Grand Prix-like format, similar to Formula 1 . The rider who beats the rest to the chequered flag is the winner, but there’s a lot more to it — the challenge lies in manoeuvrability and mastering the track.
Want to learn more about the sport and put the pedal to the metal with speedway betting? The best speedway odds and betting markets are just around the bend! The LV BET Sportsbook turns up the heat with comprehensive speedway betting markets on the biggest leagues and the hottest events of the season; join us and discover the best of online sports betting — we’ll take you straight to the finish line.
Speedway is one of six motorcycle-racing disciplines regulated by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), along with road racing, motocross, trials, enduro and rallies. Speedway, also known as motorcycle speedway, involves four riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps on an oval-shaped track. The races (known as heats) usually feature four riders, two from each team, but occasionally there may be six. The riders compete in a series of heats over the course of a competition or season and are awarded points based on their performance, much like the drivers in F1 Grand Prix; three points are awarded for first place, two for second place, one for third and none for fourth.
Speedway riders skid around the enclosed track at speeds of up to 80mph (129kmph) on specially designed bikes that must weigh at least 77kg. These bikes are what makes the sport so exhilaratingly unique — they have one fixed gear, no brakes or suspension, use a four-stroke single-cylinder engine and run on a small fuel tank of pure methanol. Methanol allows for an increased compression ratio to squeeze out more power, but the speedway bike tanks can only hold enough methanol for one race (the maximum capacity is 500cc). Additionally, the use of methanol is imposed by the FIM — pure methanol will not produce an opaque cloud of smoke, which helps the Emergency Response Team identify and reach the rider(s) in the event of an accident and does not obstruct the track for the other competitors.
The dirt track must be between 260m and 425m (583-1,394ft) in length and consist of two straights joined by two semicircles. The track width must be at least 10m (33ft) on the straights and 14m (46ft) on the bends. Before the start of each heat, the scrutineer will inspect all bikes to ensure that they conform to the rules and safety regulations. While these power-spewing bikes can exceed 120kmph on the straight, the average speedway race speed is significantly lower.
Speedway motorcycles can accelerate to 60mph in 2.5-3 seconds, but since the bikes have no brakes, the riders must use technique to tackle the bends. When you think of speedway, you probably picture the iconic tilted bikes drifting around the bends — this is called broadsiding (also power sliding or skidding). Broadsiding is the method used in motorcycle speedway to travel around the bends on the track. The riders skid the rear wheels by spinning them at a precise speed to counter centrifugal force; the left leg and foot are used as a pivot, and the riders can shave off the mph while holding on to enough power to drive the bike forward and around the bend. To help them do so, the left racing boot is fitted with a steel sole that the rider puts down when cornering. Additionally, the riders are outfitted in kevlar racing suits — a heat-resistant material with a tensile strength of 8x more than steel wire.
Where and how speedway came to be remains a mystery, but three main theories revolve around the sport's origin. The first is tied to 'Short Track Racing', which emerged in the United States in the 1920s; however, evidence suggests that motorcycle race meetings similar to speedway have been held on dirt tracks in Australia and the United States before World War I. In the United States, rider Don Jones was incredibly influential — he pioneered broadsiding as a racing technique, which was quickly adopted by other riders. This technique became the hallmark of Short Track Racing, which is considered to be the precursor of modern speedway.
According to personal accounts, the second version tells a tale of adventurous motorcycle fans at the West Maitland Showground in Australia, who gathered on the track one evening and had fun kicking up the dirt over a few laps. The noise and commotion attracted the attention of the Showground committee, which saw the crowd-riling potential of the motorcycle racing event and staged the first speedway race on 15 December 1923. The third version attributes the sport's invention to New Zealander Johnnie Hoskins, an avid fan of stock car and motorcycle racing.
What is more like than not is that all three accounts are partially true. We know that motorcycle racing events took place in the early 20th century in various forms, and we know that Hoskins played a significant role in promoting the sport in Australia and the United Kingdom. He may not have invented the sport, but he certainly was the driving force behind convincing the Maitland Showground committee to approve the first motorcycle races on the Showground's trotting track.
Following the roaring success of the Maitland event, speedway meetings were conducted at Newcastle Showground the following year. By that time, Hoskins assembled a troop of riders and managed his own shows. These events were all incredibly popular, which led to the construction of specialised speedway tracks across the country. The first Australian Speedway Championship was held at the same track in 1926 and was won by American rider Cec Brown. At the time, visiting English and American riders were not unheard of — they were akin to showmen, often paid a year’s salary for one hair-raising race.
After several wet summers in Australia, Hoskins and his team of 13 Australian riders (and their bikes) sailed to Oronsay to introduce speedway racing to England, where the forerunner of the World Championship — the Star Riders’ Championship — was inaugurated in 1929. At the time, British speedway riders weren’t held in the same esteem as American and Australian riders; thus, the event was split into two sections. The Overseas Section was won by Australian Frank Arthur, and Roger Frogley won first place in the British Section. The last Star Riders’ Championship was held in 1935 and was replaced by the Speedway World Championship the following year.
Now that we’ve brought you up to speed on speedway history and what the sport is all about, let’s take a look at the sport’s major events and leagues. Today, the FIM permits governing bodies in several countries (mostly European) to operate speedway league systems. Usually, each league is accompanied by one or more cup events. The following nations actively participate in speedway racing: Australia, Britain, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the United States.
The Speedway Great Britain Premiership is the top division of speedway league competition in the United Kingdom, introduced in 2017 after a restructuring of British speedway. There are nine participating teams in the league who meet each other twice at home and twice away. At the end of the regular season, the top four players go into playoffs and compete for the championship. The SGB Championship league is the second-tier league of British speedway; the bottom Premiership team will face the SGB Championship winners.
The Speedway World Championship is governed by FIM and is the international tournament between the highest-ranked speedway riders of the world. The World Championship uses a points system from a series of stand-alone Grand Prix races throughout the season. The winner of each race is awarded the most points, and whichever rider has the most points by the end of the season will become the Speedway World Champion. Each rider participates in the Grand Prix races and will go up against other riders throughout different heats. The top eight riders will advance to the semi-finals, and the top two riders from each semi-final will progress to the Grand Prix final. There are fifteen riders who compete throughout the season, one of which is a wildcard from the country where the Grand Prix is hosted.
The Speedway Ekstraliga is the top division of speedway racing in Poland, where speedway is one of the country’s favourite sports. The league is regarded as one of the most competitive and prestigious speedway leagues, attracting riders and spectators from all over the world. Of the eight competing teams, the top six head into playoffs. The league attracts top talent and is incredibly popular with speedway betting enthusiasts — the Ekstraliga is one of the most widely covered speedway leagues in online sportsbooks, offering a variety of lucrative speedway markets.
Since the early days of speedway racing, bookmakers took advantage of the sport’s popularity and offered the fans a chance to witness wins of a different kind. As the sport evolved, so did the speedway betting scene; today, the best online sportsbook betting platforms offer a sizeable selection of betting markets on the hottest speedway heats of the year.
At the LV BET Sportsbook, you can expect to see outright markets, like Match Result or Championship Winner, and other speedway betting selections, like Points Asian Handicap, over/under Total Points (first five starts max) and Rider H2Hs on all starts. H2Hs are a head-to-head speedway match betting markets and a popular choice for punters. This bet pits two of the four competing riders against one another, and the goal is to predict which one will achieve the best finishing position. Both riders must start the race for the bet to stand, and if both riders complete the same number of laps but do not finish the race, then the bet is void.
One of the reasons that punters enjoy online speedway betting is due to the unpredictability of the sport. The riders often compete in multiple league around the world, which leaves them particularly susceptible to injury. This is precisely why each speedway team always has backup riders on the ready — last-minute swaps at the gates are definitely not unheard of. Drastic changes to the lineup and the speedway odds for that heat can leave punters on difficult terrain, but also open up new betting possibilities.
Additionally, the sport is inherently unpredictable because of the small number of riders, the relatively short heats — only four laps each — and the emphasis on rider technique. These conditions push riders to outmanoeuvre one another in breathtaking power slides on every lap, which means that picking a favourite in outright markets is rather challenging.
This can certainly work to your advantage! The sport’s volatility can be the ace up your sleeve when it comes to wagering on underdogs and rider head-to-heads. Keep in mind that if there’s a last-minute substitution, that means that the new rider is often one with a lower point total this season — this can be the perfect time to capitalise on more risky speedway bets in favour of the other competitors. On top of that, sports news sites, blogs and even sportsbooks may help you stay ahead of the game and time your bets to perfection with up-to-date info and lightning-fast speedway odds changes.
If you want to try your hand at speedway betting, we recommend checking out speedway odds on riders from England, Australia, Denmark and Sweden, who have been consistently performed well in the Speedway World Championship Grand Prix since the restructuring.
The LV BET Sportsbook is your one-stop solution for all your sports betting needs. As one of the top-rated online sports betting sites, we offer a large selection of betting markets on the best sporting events around, including the biggest speedway races, international competitions and leagues. You can dive right into the action and explore our unparalleled variety of popular and unique markets at first-rate odds on heats in the SGB Premiership, the Polish Ekstraliga, the Speedway World Championship and other speedway events. Aside from speedway betting markets, the LV BET Sportsbook also offers comprehensive markets on traditional sports, entertainment events and other esports , including live football betting , MMA , volleyball , basketball , CS:GO , League of Legends , Eurovision and others. Our online Sportsbook offers unbeatable odds on any sport of your choosing, and you can benefit from live betting with unique in-play markets as well. Have a look and enjoy the best of online sports betting!
www.lvbet.com is operated by Fairload Ltd. which is registered under the laws of the European Union member state of Malta. It has registration number C71200 with registered address at 115B, Old Mint Street, Valletta, VLT1515, Malta. Fairload Ltd. operates under the MGA gaming licence MGA/B2C/282/2015 issued by Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), Malta's single regulatory body. It is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 (or min. legal age, depending on the region) to open an account and/or to gamble with lvbet.com. The Company reserves the right to request proof of age from any customer and may suspend an account until adequate verification is received. Gambling can be addictive. Play Responsibly. You can contact www.rgf.org.mt, www.gam-anon.org, www.gamblingtherapy.org, or visit our Responsible Gaming page.
Your Betslip is empty. Click on the odds to add the bet.