TRACKING TOWARD CARDIFF

FIM Speedway global promoter Warner Bros Discovery Sports and circuit builder Speed Sport are on track to deliver a much-improved racing surface for the FIM Speedway GP of Great Britain – Cardiff on September 2.

Britain’s biggest indoor motor sport event returns to the Principality Stadium in just under two months, with Britain’s Dan Bewley bidding for back-to-back Cardiff wins after his heroic victory in 2022, while fellow GB stars Tai Woffinden and Robert Lambert are also going for glory.

Bewley defied some testing track conditions to top the podium last year, racing to victory in record-breaking temperatures, which presented unprecedented challenges to the track-building team.

Organisers are doing everything possible in their efforts to bring fans a fantastic night of racing this season.

With the Speedway GP series’ other temporary track at Warsaw’s PGE Narodowy delivering some awesome action on May 13, Cardiff organisers are determined to replicate that success in the Welsh capital.

Shale has undergone analysis at a laboratory in Newport to ensure it will deliver the highest standard of racing.

It takes 3,500 tonnes of shale, seven days and a cumulative 400 hours of labour by the team to build the circuit, with the material transported to the Principality Stadium in 140 lorry loads.

Two wheel-based loaders, two tracked excavators, one grader, two vibrating compactors, two tractors, two vibrating plates, one forklift and an experienced labour crew all work together within the confines of the Principality Stadium during track construction.

Speed Sport’s Ole Olsen, a former three-time FIM Speedway world champion and a vastly-experienced track builder, is leading the construction of the circuit – a role he has fulfilled since Speedway GP first came to Cardiff in 2001, as well as at other SGP venues across the world.

He said: “My team at Speed Sport and I know how much the FIM British Speedway GP means to riders, fans and everyone associated with the sport, and we are determined to deliver a great racetrack for the 2023 event.

“We will be working to build a wider track and adding some material in 2023 to offer more passing opportunities, as well as constructing the track in layers and then packing them to ensure the racing surface remains stable.

“We will make use of the data gained from the laboratory tests and as well as Speed Sport’s over 20 years of experience in building speedway tracks in some of the world’s best stadiums to ensure exciting racing for fans in Cardiff, plus viewers watching around the world.”

FIM Speedway championships director Laura Manciet is also looking forward to a big night of Speedway GP World Championship motorsport in Cardiff.

She said: “Delivering our fans a significantly better racetrack in Cardiff is a high priority for Warner Bros Discovery Sports in 2023, and with the work and analysis we have done in cooperation with Speed Sport, I am confident fans will get the great racing they expect and deserve on September 2.

“The atmosphere under the Principality Stadium roof is something you have to feel to believe and with our fanzone on City Hall Lawn from Saturday morning, fans can enjoy an action-packed day out and meet their racing heroes, as well as other speedway supporters from all over the world. I look forward to seeing everyone in Cardiff in less than two months!”