RNRMCA Rider leads the way down at the local Speedway

Lt Craig Guest is actively competing in the flourishing sport of Cycle Speedway. Read more for a little history of this sport and see if you have what it takes for the speedway track!!

Cycle speedway:  Coming out of WWII fuel wasn’t in plentiful supply which meant that the motor variant of speedway, which was hugely popular, could not be run as often.  Cycle Speedway filled that gap starting officially in 1946 and mirroring the motorised version.  At the sports height in the 50s every city in the UK had a number of tracks attracting large crowds.  There are now 40 clubs in the UK still competing with the sport starting to grow in popularity again, assisted by the fact we are now under control of the British Cycling Federation.  The sport is popular in Poland, Australia and has started in the US over the last few years. 

The tracks are oval in shape and can be 60-90 metres in length, racing occurs in an anti clockwise direction and the surface is usually loose shale.  There is a starting gate on the home straight, generally a concrete area within the shale, which makes accelerating away from the start easier. The corners are tighter than in motorised speedway (as the speeds are somewhat lower) and bunching up on the corners often occurs, especially the first from the start.  To get round the corners riders will lean the bike over as far as grip will allow, taking the inside foot (the left) off the pedal for balance. 

 Four riders race four laps in a sprint to reach the chequered flag which rarely takes longer than 50 seconds.  Team Racing is the life blood of the sport and major leagues operate in regions of England, Wales and Scotland.  Matches take place at weekends and in addition to regular team fixtures a number of club events such as four team tournaments, best pairs and individual competitions add variety to the racing calendar.  Minor leagues at county and town level operate predominantly on a mid-week basis and often act as training grounds for the major clubs.

  
Craig started in the sport at the age of 8.  Racing up to national junior level and won a British Individual junior title.  He drifted away from the sport as he went to school out of area and took up athletics.  Returning to the sport some 5 years later and competed prior to joining the RN in the National Premier league.  Cycle Speedway took a back seat through Dartmouth and CFT/SFT instead turning to road with the sister Club to Wednesfield Aces, Wolverhampton Wheelers.  Having joined HMS Mersey as the Correspondence Officer and the 3 watch manning the RCOPVs operate has enabled him to compete during his off watch.  Craig plans to compete every weekend next season and to target the senior individual championship, the blue ribbon event of the year, attracting a large number of entries from all corners of the country. .  The top sixty four riders do battle in the qualifying rounds on both the Saturday and the Sunday with each rider having a total of ten races.  The top sixteen scoring riders on aggregate, progress to the Grand Final on the Monday afternoon and the winner on the day emerges as the British Cycle Speedway Champion.

Want to know more about cycle speedway? log on to the message board and post a question. or check out the BCF website