Speedway on ice is one of the varieties of motorcycle sports. The main difference from motocross and regular circuit racing is the track, which is an oval with a diameter of about 260-400 meters with an ice cover.
Like a sport speedway finally rooted in the twenties of the last century. After about 15-20 years, speedway on ice also established itself - the first races of this nature were held in the USSR in 1940.
Speed on the speedway track is usually in the region of 70-80 km / h, and in short sections reaches 110 km / h. Due to high speeds, poor grip and increased injury risk, speedways on ice and competitions in this sport are recognized as extreme. Perhaps this is precisely the reason for the insufficient prevalence of such a spectacular sport.
Mostly speedway is classic and winter. In winter, the left and slightly right sides of the motorcycle wheels are equipped with spikes, the length of which is strictly regulated - no more than 28 mm from the tire level. The spikes are installed on the left side, as the movement occurs counterclockwise. For winter speedway, for safety reasons, it is necessary to have a protective wing on the wheels (to prevent possible injuries).
Motor Racing on Ice: Speedway
In Russia, the first competitions were held in 1940. And in 1960, the Peoples ' Friendship Cup was already held with the participation of the teams of the national team of Czechoslovakia, Sweden and Finland. The first world championship was held in 1966, and this is 20 years later than the usual speedway championship.
Unlike speedway on cindering, speedway on ice carries a huge health risk. Spikes on the wheel can hurt a fallen participant, causing him severe injuries. Other differences from the standard speedway include 2-valve engines (instead of 4-valve with a normal speedway), the gearbox is equipped with two speeds for better entry into turns, there are no fairings, there are front and rear suspensions.
Competition Rules
How are the speedway competitions? Ice racing takes place on a track with four people. Each participant has their own special color. The rules allow the exchange of starting lanes between racers of the same team. The competition consists of four circles, while the athlete is excluded from the race for a false start.
They give points for winning places: for the first place - 3 points, for the second - 2 points, for the third - 1 point, for the fourth - 0 points. The number of races in team competitions is about 15, in personal championships - from 18 to 21.
If the speedway competition on ice is team, then in 13 races the riders compete in the draw, and in the last two races, the team coach decides on his own which athlete to put. If, according to the results of the draw, the rider needs to go to the start twice, he has the right to rest between the races for five minutes. In other cases, the participant needs to get to the start line in two minutes, otherwise he will be expelled.
Equipment
The rider’s outfit includes a suit made of dense materials, a helmet with glasses that change after each lap, gloves, boots with an iron heel on the left sole (due to counterclockwise movement, you need to put your foot in order to maintain balance).
Also included in the protection are knee pads, elbow pieces and a vest for the torso. There are cases when athletes who did not observe safety precautions were seriously injured or died during a motorcycle race on ice. Speedway is not in vain an extreme sport. Frequent falls always accompany the competition, because the road surface is specially designed for skilled drivers.
Speedway motorcycles are divided into 3 classes:
- 125 cubic centimeters;
- 250 cubic centimeters;
- 500 cubic centimeters.
Speedway as a sport in Russia
In the USSR, speedway on ice was quite developed, which cannot be said about the current time. Today, the position of speedway in Russia and the CIS countries leaves much to be desired, despite all its apparent availability. Accordingly, this also affected sports results: the team of the Russian national team did not take prizes at the World Championships for a long time, and only in 2009 received the fourth team place, and this year in Berlin our team became the absolute champion, overtaking the teams of Austria and the Czech Republic.