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NEWS
NZ to host 2012 world speedway round
The championship is set to visit the Southern Hemisphere for the first time since 2002 when Auckland kicks off the 2012 seasonNew Zealand will host its inaugural Speedway World Championship round in 2012, which will feature Australian riders Jason Crump, Chris Holder and Darcy Ward.
FIM director of sport for speedway, Ole Olsen, the 1975 world champion, is the man who will oversee the transformation of the Western Springs Stadium in Auckland from a midget car track into a world championship speedway venue for the March 31 battle.
He said: “I was at Western Spring in February last year and we quickly learned that the clay surface, while perfect for the cars, doesn’t work for speedway.
“But our experience of laying tracks at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Ullevi in Gothenburg and PARKEN in Copenhagen, has taught us the exact nature of the materials required and they have already been sourced in Auckland.
"The size and shape of the track is fantastic and I am sure the boys will just love it there.”
2011 world champion Greg Hancock topped the rostrum the last time a Grand Prix round was held in the Southern Hemisphere, triumphing at the Australian SGP in Sydney in 2002.
Having raced in every SGP event since the multi-round championship was launched in 1995, the Californian is delighted to see the competition grow beyond its traditional European roots.
“I think everyone has been waiting for this. It has been a long time coming. It’s a big move, but they’ve said the globe on top of the trophy is the symbol of us going more global,” Hancock said. “Now they’re going to do it and it gives a motivating and inspiring feel to the sport.
“I was starting to wonder how long it would take before they were able to make the deals and make this thing bigger than it is. But here were are and I’m glad that I’m still going to be a part of it.”
New Zealand has a rich speedway heritage, having won 12 world solo speedway open titles, with Ivan Mauger winning six of them between 1968 and 1979.
For more information on the Speedway World Championship, visit www.speedwaygp.com.
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