RACING: Speedway of Nations launching in 2018
Will replace the Speedway World Cup as a world championship-level eventAfter a 24-year hiatus, world championship speedway pairs action will return in 2018.
The 15-nation Speedway of Nations will be held in June during the FIM Speedway Grand Prix summer break in place of the Speedway World Cup.
Seven nations will compete in two qualifying events at separate locations on June 2 and June 5 respectively, with the top three countries from each joining hosts Poland in the final at Wroclaw’s Olympic Stadium, which will be staged over two rounds on June 8-9.
Australia will be one of the teams, and will fancy its chances with a rich pool of talent to choose from, including reigning world champion Jason Doyle and 2012 world champion Chris Holder.
As well as selecting their top two stars, each country has the option to name an under 21 reserve, who can feature in an unlimited number of their side’s heats at the team manager’s discretion.
However, each side must remain unchanged for the entire tournament, with replacements only allowed in the event of an injury.
“There have long been calls for a world championship pairs tournament to return and I’m certain the new Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations will make for an awesome week of racing,” said BSI Speedway managing director Torben Olsen.
“It will be great to see as many as 15 nations involved in the race for the world championship, offering more riders and fans a chance to be part of the action."
The original pairs world championship was held from 1968-1993, with Australia finishing runner-up three times: in 1974, 1983 and 1990.
RACE OFF 2 (Manchester, Great Britain): Great Britain, Sweden, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Australia and Finland.
FINAL 1 and 2 (Wroclaw, Poland): Poland, top three Race Off 1, top three Race Off 2.
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