About Speedway Use a four stroke, single cylinder engine and be a maximum capacity of 500cc Weigh no less than 77kgs (no fuel) Use pure methanol as fuel Be fitted with an approved silencer Be fitted with a dirt deflector Have guards fitted over moving engine parts (where possible) Use a chain guard for where the chain meets the sprocket by a chain Have a peg fitted (Dutch peg) to prevent a broken primary chain causing injury Starting the engine is accomplished by pushing the motorcycle – jump start or rotating the rear wheel. Starting the bike is made easier by "tightening" the engine before pushing the bike. This is accomplished by gently pushing the bike backwards until resistance is felt in the engine. Also all bikes must have a safety cut out device fitted for use in emergency , this is explained by means of “it must cut off the circuit of electrical supply by the action of pulling a lanyard which must be attached to the riders right hand wrist”. The bikes have no tick over therefore If the throttle is closed engines will stop due the high compression ratio.

When riding the track if a rider needs to take avoiding action due to another rider falling in their racing line a rider can deliberately “lay the bike down” to stop the bike and cause no further accidents or injury to a fallen rider. Tracks Racing takes place on a oval track which consists of two straights joined by two semicircles. Track measurements are taken from 1 metre from the inside kerb. Some tracks have banking on the bends which remain constant and grow away from the inner edge to the outer safety fence. A white line marked across the track usually mid-way along one of the straights which is divided into four equal parts these are known as “gates”. There are also lights for a warning system at the starting gates so riders are able to see the green start light and the red stop lights. The starting gate is a simple spring loaded mechanism that raises two/three strands of tapes on an electric start which starts the race. All tracks have a pit area for the riders, bikes and mechanics, this is where riders prepare for racing and make necessary changes to their machinery. The surface of the track consists of layers of grading, the uppermost consists of shale, loose materials which must be no bigger than 7mm in size.

Riders use this surface to slide the bikes into the bends which is where the rear wheel is used to scrub off some of the speed but allows the rider to power the bike around the apex and out of the bend. The skill of speedway riding is determined by the ability of the rider to control the bike when cornering and not losing speed through deceleration. Tracks are continually graded by use of tractors with raking equipment in between a numbers of rides, which allows the dirt to be re-distributed evenly and then watered to prevent the surface drying out and becoming too dusty which makes track conditions unsafe. All tracks have safety fences as required by the safety rules which vary from wooden fence to suspended wire fences and air fences. It is a mandatory condition for all British Elite League tracks (the top division of the three currently operating in the UK) to use air fences, as the fence is designed that when hit it dissipates the energy of the impact and the air is transferred out through valves. Speed Tracks across the country are different sizes but are between 260 and 425 metres long and on average it takes one minute to complete four laps.

The speed on the straight sections of the track can exceed 70mph but the limited speed on curves lowers the average speed. When a race starts it takes between one and two seconds for the bike to reach the curve speed which is roughly calculated to be the equivalent of 2.5 to 3 seconds to reach 100kmph (0-62mph). The start of a race involves “gating” getting out of the gate first can allow a rider to gain an advantage initially over the other riders he is competing against. Riders who are willing to take risks can ride out wide on the tracks to find grip instead of racing on the racing line, this will sometimes give them extra speed to pass the other riders. Racing Speedway races consist of four riders (two from each team or four individuals if its an individual event) racing over four laps (known as a heat) from a clutch start from the starting gate. Riders wear different colour helmet covers – home team ride in red & blue, and the away team ride in green & yellow. Riders must be at the start line under power then line up in their gate positions. Riders must not touch the starting tapes held across the start line as they will be penalised.

The race starts when the referee releases the start tape mechanism after illuminating a green “on your marks” lights and the tapes go up. Once a race is underway a rider is unable to receive any outside assistance e.g if his bike stalls no one can help him restart the bike by pushing. In league racing points are scored (3-2-1-0) 1st receiving 3 points, 4th place scoring 0. A rider does not score points where they are excluded or fail to finish a race. Meetings consist of fifteen heats with each rider normally taking 4-5 rides but can take up to a maximum of 7. The team with the highest score at that meeting wins, then these points are accumulated in the league table system. Other competitions such as Grand Prix events and World Speedway Championships may use different scoring systems. Godden Weslake | Bike EXIF SHOP Godden Weslake There’s an unwritten rule that Bike EXIF does not feature bikes shot against a garage door. But this is one of the rare cases when I’m prepared to break that rule.

This Colorado-based bike is a masterpiece of minimalist race bike design, and it popped up three days ago in one of my daily must-reads, the addictive Bring A Trailer email. It’s a speedway motorcycle, from a time when the sport was absolutely huge in Europe. And it was a dangerous sport: bikes like these will hit 60mph (100kph) in less than three seconds and have no brakes or gears. (Hence the giant sprocket on the back wheel.) This particular bike was built by Godden Engineering , set up in the 70s by European grasstrack champion Don Godden. I remember Godden being known for their engines, but this racer apparently has a 500cc Weslake 4-valve motor in a Godden frame, built somewhere between 1978 and 1982. (According to BaT, “Don Godden had sole rights to the distribution of Weslake racing engines, and it was the powerplant that dominated the sport throughout the 70s.”) Owner Charlie Bigsby says, “I don’t have much history on the machine before I got it.

It was used for its intended purpose in SoCal for quite a while though: I got it as a rolling basket case, and restored/refurbished it for local British car/bike shows. It won a couple of ribbons and got its pic in the Snap-on Tools calendar in 2008.” Filed Under Racing Motorcycles Dec 12, 2010 Chris Hunter Speedway World Championships. Martin Vaculik The top 3 riders in the SGP Challenge Final will automatically qualify for the following year's Grand Prix Series. WILD CARD & TRACK RESERVES TBC TBC 16 riders compete in each meeting; with 2 Track Reserves on standby should a rider get injured during the meeting or excluded during a heat. Points scored by riders in each heat of the meeting constitute their Grand Prix points at the end of each event and will be awarded to the riders World Championship points. (Use graphic similar to below) The World Champion will be the rider that has the most World Championship points at the end of the season.

STARTING POSITIONS FIM Ballot the day before practice determines starting positions for each race: RACE FORMAT RULES IN THE EVENT OF A TIE DURING A GP EVENT After the completion of Heat 20, 21 or 22: When establishing the order between riders at the conclusion of Heat 20, or following the completion of the semi-finals (Heats 21 and 22), any ties will be solved as follows: Precedence will be given to the tied rider that has the most amount of 1st places (then 2nd places, then 3rd places). If they still cannot be separated, their placing will be determined by their head to head heat result. If the tie still persists and involves more than 2 riders, it shall be checked whether there is a possibility to determine a proper precedence (Riders A, B & C) eg: Rider A has beaten rider B Rider A has beaten rider C Rider B has beaten rider C Rider A would be ranked ahead of rider B then rider C If none of these solutions can resolve the tie, the precedence will go to the GP ranking of the rider from the start of the season.

RULES IN THE EVENT OF A TIE IN THE OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS If riders are tied in the Final FIM Speedway Grand Prix Championship Standings, the following will apply: Run-off for 1st, 2nd & 3rd place Run off for 8th place (the final automatic qualification place for the following year's Grand Prix Series For all other placings, the lowest riding number jacket will be considered the better-placed rider. Each FIM Speedway Grand Prix rider will ride with a specific number, valid for the entire season. The number will be chosen by the rider and ratified by the FIM. HELMET COLOURS In each heat, a rider must use the correct helmet/helmet cover to show their gate position. General Speedway bikes are completely unique, they are 500CC have a single fixed gear and no brakes! Bikes are differentiated by the engines used, the rear wheel sprockets and the gear ratio chosen. All of this is dependent on the size of the track and racing conditions. They must weigh a minimum of 77kgs to adhere to FIM standards.

Pure methanol is used to fuel the bikes, to ensure a higher compression ratio which results in a higher engine power output. Some of the bikes used on the early dirt tracks Bikes Page 1 Giffy's Engine Restorations Courtesy of Dave Gifford Giffy says: Hi John, I hope all is well with you. I have attached a picture, (see above) this one is for JAP lovers everywhere! The motor on the left is a Fairchild modification done by Jerry Fairchild in Los Angeles in the 1940ï¿½s, the idea was to prevent fuel from the carb getting into the magneto. Jerry made crankcases as well but I only have the mag platform on JAP cases. The motor in the centre is a Thornton JAP made in Auckland NZ by John Thornton in the mid sixties, He made cases and a mag platform at first and then came up with this coil ignition set up. I know of two others still in existence. The motor on the right is a common old four studder which is to go into a Rotrax frame. Viewers will notice that there are no air cleaners fitted, this is because I donï¿½t have any!

I can get the original gauzes and circlips for the Amal Type 27 carbs but not the original Amal intake Bell Mouth trumpets. If anyone could help with this I can be contacted at giffords@clear.net.nz . Bit cheeky John, I hope you will forgive me just this once. All the very best, giffy John says: How could I ignore a talent like Daves. So if you can help Dave with the Amal Carb items please email him or me and I will pass you on to Dave in NZ John Modern Speedway bikes look very much alike now, but this wasnï¿½t the case with the early dirt bikes. Basically any powerful road going bike was stripped down, tuned up, tinkered with, for racing on the dirt tracks. It was common then to see the great British bike marks, in dirt track form. Famous names like John Alfred Prestwich (JAP), BSA, James, Royal Enfield, Rudge, Vincent, Velocette, Sunbeam and Douglas from factories the length and breadth of Great Britain once graced the tracks. Now speedway is dominated by Jawas from the Czech Republic and the Italian GM's.

Other bikes have come and gone but the Jawa still remains as ideally suited to going sideways at speed! But on these pages let us look at some of the other bikes that thrilled the massive crowds of yesteryear: - I believe this is a Crocker from the USA. The picture must date from the early 1930s as I think the factory started production of speedway bikes then. The manufacturer did not produce many bikes so they are collectors items now A potent looking 1930s speedway machine. Crocker was an American guy and he deserves a mention on my website despite making just a few machines. No other details are known AJS This 1926 AJS could be the worlds oldest surviving Dirt Track Bike. The bike was used in Australia in 1926 by Tony Batros, it has to be older than any British based bikes as our tracks didn't get under way until 1928. It is a 350cc AJS Special Racing GR7 Big Port. 350cc bikes were quite common on dirt tracks then, another 350cc was the Harley Peashooter.

Andreas Raab says: the AJS-Speedway Motorcycle on Your Homepage is an AJS Model G8, it is an 1926 500 ohv TT-Model. John says: Not sure if I can agree with Andreas, I think it is a 350 not a 500, what do you think? Paul Reed says: As the current owner of the Batros AJS, I can confirm that it is a 1926 GR7 350 , described in the AJS catalogue as "Special Racing" . Engine number G 46334, Bore and Stroke 74mm 81 mm = 350cc. Andreas Raab is incorrect in asserting that it is a G8 500cc. This is obvious at a glance, as the G8 has a horizontal magneto chain cover, while on the GR7, the cover tilts up to the front John says: Thanks for sorting that out Paul. Can you send any more pictures of your great bike?

Another Early Bike 1927 AJS Grass/Dirt Tracker Courtesy of Phil Newton Phil Newton says: Here is a photo of my Dad Arthur James Edward Newton on his AJS grass/dirt bike in 1927 The picture was taken in the street of (27 Bligh St Wavertree, Liverpool) Dad used the AJ for work (Liverpool Gas Co ) he was a Plumber /Gas fitter. He fell off after winning Golden Helmet in about 1926 and got married 1927 Nearly turned pro I believe. Doc set his collar bone on the track and had a lumb there but lived to 82 d 1983 John says: The years (1926/27) Phil is talking about seem to predate what we call UK speedway, i.e.1928. I have asked him for more details of his dad (Arthur Newton) not a name I know, perhaps Arthur rode his AJ in races somewhere before speedway started here in the UK and he later went on to race at Stanley Stadium Liverpool when the speedway track was born for "open meetings" in 1928, or maybe Phil has the wrong years in mind?

` This bike was assembled from a "box of bits" by Harry Huntly his son Ian emailed this: - Ian Huntly says: In the late 50's, Dad bought a big box full of motorcycle parts which proved to be a Douglas Speedway bike !! Some parts were damaged or missing so I remember Dad fabricating new bits in his garage. He gave the bike a very special gear box and some special-metal pushrods. He sat down and built this race bike which ended up being entered at Druridge Bay Sand Track, ridden on the sand by a rider Dad picked for the "job". It was a heavy bike with straight through exhaust but it bump started immediately. It sounded glorious. Dad sold it to the local grass track sidecar champion who added a sidecar and did well with it for a couple of years. I wish I knew where it is now !! Can you help please ?? John says: If you know what happened to the Huntly Douglas please send me an email JOHN BSA Dirt Track Bike John says: A very affordable machine at the time. The poor mans speedway machine! For those who don't already know. BSA was a great British company that began making weapons.

BSA is a shortened version of Birmingham Small Arms. In the 20th century the company turned it's attention to motorcycle manufacture. BSA along with Royal Enfield (another old British company) were armaments makers turned motorcycle makers. The Beezer didn't last long as a dirt-track bike (1929/30), which is a pity as JAP could have done with some national rivalry and who knows maybe BSA would still be going now if they had invested properly in making speedway machines? New Zealand Restorer Frank Brookland has one of these machines to restore and would appreciate contact from anyone who has any photos etc of the Beesa John Pat Jeal has been in touch with the following info and a couple of photographs: - I've attached a couple of pictures you may like. Pat Jeal says: I suspect the BSA photo on your site is of this following restored bike, which was ridden by Cyril Lord and later owned by Noel Somerfield. The photo is of it in grass trim at the 1968 High Beech reunion but I know it later had a brakeless 21" front wheel refitted.

1929 BSA Road Version (For Comparison) Courtesy of Les Elmer 1929 BSA Roadster Courtesy of Les Elmer Courtesy of Les Elmer The 1929 BSA roadster appears to be the machine BSA used as the basis for their speedway machine The Dirtrack BSA appears to have a similar engine to the JAP. If BSA had seriously opted to build speedway bikes their company would have continued longer than they lasted with their road going machines. Velocette Let's hear from you if you own the engine. Velocette produced many powerful single cylinder engines for their road going machines, pity they didn't concentrate on speedway bikes more Sunbeam John says: What jumps out from these Sunbeam pictures is the size of the wheels 28". Later regulations limited wheel sizes to 22" and then to the modern day size 18 inch This Sunbeam I am told was a 1948 model. I doubt that and would date it as a 1930s machine. The bike however is immaculate whatever its year of manufacture. Rudge Above: The Rudge 500.This example looks very potent even by modern bike standards.

(Four valve technology is not modern ) I bet this machine raced flat out would frighten the life out of a lot of modern bikers! JAP In A Rudge Frame 1920s Or 1930's American Riders 1930's at the Richmond Raceway, (Picture courtesy of Carrick Watson) US riders had been racing around their dirt tracks for a number of years before we got underway in 1928. These riders are obviously mounted on an Indian (left) and a Harley Davidson. The Indian became a popular mount for Wall of Death riders. They don't appear to be wearing much body protection. I assume therefore that they are simply posing for pictures but who knows maybe they raced in their long johns in 1930's, Richmond USA! So, in the late 1920's and early 1930's the pioneers quickly discovered which bikes to use to be a winner. The Harley Peashooter had the edge at first. The long wheel base Douglas was the first choice of the "leg trailing winners" with the shorter wheel base Rudge giving the foot forward riders the edge.

Then came the JAP in 1931 and the older bikes gradually gave way until all riders were mounted on the mighty JAP. Douglas The Website owner, John Skinner, at the Glasgow Transport Museum. The Bike is a 1929 Douglas D.T. The picture on the wall shows an Glasgow rider leading a Newcastle Diamond. The Glasgow museum is well worth a trip, whether you pay the speedway a visit or not. The Douglas had 3 gears but no clutch! For three years, the Dirt Track Douglas was the supreme dirt track machine selling around 1,200 bikes in 1929 alone. A bike like this one ridden by Gordon Byers, won the first ever race at Newcastle's Brough Park. David Turner says: That bike was owned and ridden by George Pinkerton. A farmer near Glasgow. He restored the bike about 25 years ago. I lived on the farm next to him, and now live in Detroit. He had a brother called Jimmy Pinkerton who was of more note in the Scottish scene and also a very successful sand racer. George is also notable for being a Spitfire pilot with City of Glasgow.

He and two others shot down the first German plane over Briton (near Edinburgh). I believe the bike is still owned by his son Ian who still farms the same land. George died about 10 years ago Alex Kynoch Shows How It Was Done In 1929 A 500cc Douglas Dirt Bike. Alex Kynoch shows how it was done in 1929. No, he is not falling off! These long wheel-base bikes had a very low centre of gravity because the "heavy" engines were horizontally opposed flat twins mounted along the bottom of the frame. The Leg Trailers were usually mounted on these bikes. Rudge A Speedway Rudge The shorter wheel base and higher centre of gravity of the Rudge did not suit some of the Douglas leg trailers although many adapted to the foot forward style of riding when they switched from the Douglas to the Rudge JAP This "Art Deco" building in Tottenham, housed the JAP Factory John Alfred Prestwich (JAP) John Alfred Prestwich. A very clever man who invented a number of things including his JAP engines used in speedway Dawn Of The JAP - 1931 This early machine probably dates from around 1931?

The JAP engine in a variety of frames reigned the speedway world for decades. You could say modern speedway was born in 1931? Courtesy of Phil Newton Harry On An Early JAP This picture shows an early Jap. Harry by the way became a Newcastle promoter when his riding days were over. Martin Comerford JAP Bikes Page 2 Bikes Page 3 Bikes Page 4 Bikes Page 5 Bikes Page 6 Bikes Page 7 The contents of this website are © and should not be produced elsewhere for financial gain. The contributors to this website gave the pictures and information on that understanding. If anyone has any issue or objections to any items on my website please email me and I will amend or remove the item. Where possible credit has been given to the owner of each item. Ice Racer motorcycle | Bike EXIF SHOP Ice Racer motorcycle My folks live in England, and—like most people in Western Europe—they’ve spent the past few weeks buried under snow and ice in the most vicious winter for decades. Which led me to thinking about all the motorcycles locked up in garages and sheds, waiting for the roads to clear and tires to find grip.

So when I happened across this extraordinary machine from TGS in Germany, I had to feature it. The bike was built by TGS’ owner Tobias Guckel for Sepp Schmidt, hence the name ‘Seppster’. And those huge Avon Cobra tires each have 120 spikes for maximum purchase on ice … Of course, it’s not an entirely practical bike, unlike the hugely popular ice speedway racers of Europe, but it’s a very interesting alternative to the usual ‘Hot Wheels’ style choppers. Power comes from a turbocharged S&S 93-ci motor, but virtually every other part of this machine was built in-house by TGS, from the radical single-sided front fork to the rigid frame and wheels. This bike came third at the 2008 World Championship of Bike Building ; like Hot Dock’s StG Nautilus , it was overshadowed by Roger Goldammer’s paradigm-shifting ‘ Goldmember ’. In any other year, Ice Racer would have grabbed the spotlight, and rightly so.

Filed Under Custom Motorcycles Jan 18, 2010 Chris Hunter Racing Tip List for Speedway Riders - USA Speedway Motorcycle Racing Racing Tip List for Speedway Riders First, check out Stan Bradbury's Speedway Handbook Readers have added their speedway knowledge. (Jan. 24, 2001) I have a couple of things for your "Racing Tip List" that you may or may not want to include. When I was a kid, I was racing flat track. First minicycles and then motorcycles. I was a fast middle class rider but never an expert.( The experts at the tracks I was racing were the likes of Kenny Roberts, Gary Scott etc, and then later Mamola, Lawson, Rainey and a hundred others. Mid to late 70s southern California flat track.) I didn't care, I was having too much fun. About 1988 I wanted to get into speedway and I was talking to some of the old day fast guys about "learning" to go fast. More to the point about learning to back it in to the corners. All of them said that the only way to learn how to back a motorcycle in to a corner was to do it.

They ALL said that the way that they went in to a corner on a half-mile or quarter-mile was to hold the throttle open all the way into the corner until after the back end came around, and then to back off and steer in with the throttle. I have seen a lot of riders try to learn by trying to go a little faster and a little faster and ten years later they were still trying. So when I was on my way to my first ride on my speedway bike I had an idea of how to learn what I wanted to learn. I got on the starting line, revved it up and dropped the clutch. Without cracking the throttle I rode it into the turn. After I picked myself up off of the ground, I repeated step one. Then again. The fourth time I made it all the way to the back straight. The fifth time to turn four. And so on until by the end of the day I was doing three and four laps at a time and the only time I was cracking the throttle was as I was starting to learn how to steer with it in the middle of the corner. (Fighting it every inch of the way.) My riding buddy was a new to first division rider and he was tracking like he was on a rail.

He had a new frame and a fresh motor and I had a fresh motor but a tired frame.(He said this happens when a used bike like the one I bought is crashed and straightened a couple of times, it gets springy.) He let me try his bike at the end of the day, (very brave) and like magic, I put down four very good laps, backing it in, steering through with the throttle and powering out with the front end dancing up the straight and all the way in to the next corner for four laps. So in conclusion,(dang this got long) the way to learn how to go fast is to "Go Fast"...pick yourself up and do it again until you can do it without the picking yourself up part. And also to make sure that your frame diamond is fresh and that your seat bolt that holds the front and back halves of the frame together is VERY tight.(that is why such a strong bolt is used) I have since found that there are many things that will make a speedway bike not "want" to turn, but without these things first, you probably won't have enough fun to even get to any of the lesser things.

Like wheel and TIRE balancing and trueing, tire pressures, gearing, weighting the bike, steering with body weighting... So like I said earlier, I don't know whether or not you will want to pass on my "Crash Course" in riding...but I hope you do, because for me, riding was WAY more fun from then on. Thank You Some Guy From The Old School E-mail: ExhibitBuilder@aol.com (Jan. 10,'98) My name is Eric Carrillo, I have been Junior Speedway for a little over season. All of us know how hard it is to find a place to practice. I have asked many of the top racers that I have come into contact with and asked them on what they would do different if they knew what they knew now and was to start all over again.( 90%) said the same thing "PRACTICE " We finally found the place of our dreams. I was riding at this private speedway practice track yesterday and the tip I would like to share with who every reads this is that "YOU HAVE TO WANT IT" If you want it, racing will come to you naturally. Of course a proper set up that you need for your riding style always helps.

I found that the more I keep the rear wheel spinning the easier I could put my bike where I want it. I have read all of the tips on your page. Thanks for having such a great site Kim! Keep that rear wheel spinning Eric "COYOTE" Carrillo E-mail: Teamcoyote@aol.com (Jan. 10,'98) I read, with interest, the comments regarding ignitions. I have successfully modified the ignition system of virtually every current make of speedway engines. Riders tell me that the engine characteristics are improved by removing the flywheel type generators and replacing them with an external ignition system. The throttle response appears to be smoother and the engine response time quicker. The starting characteristics are also vastly improved. For speedway use, the intensity of the spark can have a noticeable effect. A high intensity spark, on a grippy track with soft tyre compounds will give a lot of drive, but if the tyre compound is hard and the track is slick, then this combination will probably give you permanent wheel spin and no drive. Retarding the ignition timing by around 6 degrees may help. A relatively weaker spark, although probably ideal for a slick track, will leave your engine underpowered on a deep or grippy track.

I have known a rider say " With this type of spark the best I can hope for is last place, but with that type of spark I have a good chance of winning all of my races ", and then go out onto the track and prove the point. During a Speedway race the engine is running at virtually constant high end revs so there is very little, in comparison, to be gained from using ignition advance curves. SENDER=Gerry Langley EMAIL=gerry.langley@mcmail.com You don't have to buy the best to be the best. When I first started out, I was told that everything I had to buy should be brand new. That's OK if you've got an endless budget. My tip is normally the best people to buy second hand gear from is the overseas riders visiting your country. Just about every time, you will end up with the latest gear for half the price of new. Mainly because they need all the money they can get to get themselves back home... SENDER=M.HIBBERT EMAIL=ndf@hunterlink.net.au SENDER=Just some guy! I'm in need of a tip. I purchased a Laydown Jawa. It doesn't seem to react the same as the old bike.

Do you gear these different? (shorter or taller?) Is there anyone out there with a Laydown that can answer this one? SENDER=Just some guy! When using a 'Laydown' motor, you generally take one or two teeth off the rear sprocket. As a Laydown revs harder this has the effect of reducing power and increasing drive. SENDER=Just some guy! Need another tip......re: trailing link suspension. The bike I bought has the top shock mount about two inches above the rubber band adjustment plate. Is this a correct position?If not what is the theory of where it should be? From Kim Gregory Gearing is very important. Not only to get the best combination of maximum speed / acceleration for the track size, but also to steer! If you find the bike is pulling toward the outside fence coming out of the turn, change to a rear sprocket a few teeth BIGGER. The slight increase in power will keep the rear tire from getting too much traction, and keep you off the fence. At a recent race at Paris, the surface was very slippery due to a recent addition of small stone.

Most riders used their familiar gearing for the track, but Chris Slabon used a much SMALLER rear sprocket. He over geared for the track size, but reduced the power at the rear wheel, gaining traction coming out of the corner. He won the event easily. A rider could get near this result with very careful throttle control, but changing the gearing is a more reliable way of obtaining this effect. One more thing I learned this season: There was a rough spot in the corner that the back wheel hooked up in ( grabs traction, and straightens the bike out, and sends you towards the fence ). I found that I could blast through the rough area by just pushing the handlebars down to the left about two inches, leaning the bike down a little farther. Keep your body stance the same as you were, sliding through the smooth area, and pull the bike back up as before when you clear the rough section. Use the throttle the same as the smooth section. E-mail: speedwaybikescom@home.com From: Lucas Morgante E-mail:morgante@bikerider.com To stay up on your bike, go in hard over the ruts (bumbs), keep elbows up,don't back off around corner or gate starts.

Regard's Lucas Morgante p.s. I'm a junior rider Track Preparation / Construction From: Len Dillon Clay oval dirt tracks are all over the USA and Canada. They are used for stock car racing, motorcycle flat track, and horse racing. They can be an ideal speedway track, but are usually too rutted and have holes that develop in an average race night that would prevent a good speedway program. I have prepared Niagara Raceway's track for many years and have learned the trick for this type of surface. Clay tracks must be watered to reduce dust. An even light sprinkle before every race will do this, but would make for a very long and slow program. Once clay is wet, it takes a long time to dry, so the common approach is just to soak it really good before the racing starts. But clay binds together strongly when wet, and the water does not soak in very deep with only one watering. If only a thin layer is wet, it peels off of the dry clay underneath, leaving ruts, and patches of wet and dry clay. - The track must be first graded to remove all signs of ruts.

- The water must be added evenly, and heavy, making sure the water truck does not cross the wet surface. - If there is any signs of ruts, wait till the track can be driven on without caking mud on the tires, and grade it again. - Repeat until smooth. - Repeat the watering until the wet clay is more than 3 inches deep. Wait between watering for the track to dry enough that the water truck is not creating ruts. It usually takes 6 to 10 hours of repeated watering to get the proper results. From: Steve "Bad Boy" Lucero When adding new dirt to a track, don't have it dumped on the track! It will be impossible to distribute it evenly on the track. Instead, have it dumped in the pit area, and shovel it onto the track from a moving pickup truck, so that the new surface is added in layers. It will then wear off in layers during racing, giving an even surface through the whole night. The riders will be more confident on it and the crowd will get closer, more exiting racing as a result. - All rights reserved.

MOTORCYCLE Jawa speedway motorc JRM ROLLING CHASSIS Upright MODEL CHASSIS $3,200.00 JRM ROLLING CHASSIS LAYDOWN MODEL $3,375.00 JRM ROLLING CHASSIS LONGTRACK 6,100.00 All JRM chassis come as a complete motorcycle minus engine, ignition, carburetor, and exhaust system. All frames come chrome plated. All motorcycles have leading link forks. SPECIAL NOTE... All frame kits come chrome plated. We can build any machine of your choice for speedway. Give us your requirements of engine, frame choice, colors, fender style, wheel choice, anodizing or custom chrome work, personalized fiberglass and covers offered on special order. PRICES QUOTED ON REQUEST.

Cody Racing Products - North American Distributor for JRM CODY RACING PRODUCTS North American Distributor for JRM 13821 West Street SPEEDWAY MOTORCYCLE AND ENGINE LISTING (Updated January 16, 2017) Jawa 884 Speedway Motorcycle 884 Jawa Speedway Motorcycle with upright long stroke engine, delorto carburetor, new regina chains, new tire, new seat and fork cover, new chain guard This bike runs strong and is in very good condition. Price: $2,500.00 Jawa 884 Speedway Motorcycle (NEW) Jawa Speedway Motorcycle Model 884 This is a brand new bike I sold around 2004 and just recently got it back, it never has been started. Features Jawa 884 longstroke upright motor, stuha chassis, king muffler, regina chains, joba fiberglass and renthal handlebars. Price: $5,800.00 NOTE: The current replacement value for this bike would be $8000.00.

2006 Jawa Long Track Speedway Motorcycle Model 875-5-00, Brand New Longtrack Motorcycle with 22" rear wheel, quick shift transmission, belt drive with carbon fiber chain guard, 889 engine with late model carburetor. This bike has been stored for 6 years and never started. Save a lot of money buying this bike. Price: $7,500.00 (replacement is $9850.00) Note: This is a Brand New Bike !

Question: How many gears do the motorcycles used in speedway have?
Answer: One