The 2013 FIM Speedway Grand Prix Word Championship (SGP) and 2013 Monster FIM Energy Speedway World Cup (SWC) calendars have been finalised and next year’s individual World Championship will be decided over a record-equalling nine different countries and 12 rounds. The team World Championship will visit the Czech Republic for the first time, with Prague’s Marketa Stadium hosting the Race Off and Final.
The penultimate event of the 2013 FIM Speedway Grand Prix series takes place under the roof of Stockholm’s state-of-the-art Friends Arena, which makes its debut as an SGP venue on September 21. Another venue making its first appearance on the calendar, this time for the SWC, is Poland’s Arena Czestochowa that will stage Event 1 on July 13.
Next year also sees legendary Polish track Bydgoszcz, Latvian venue Daugavpils and Slovenian circuit Krsko all return to the calendar.
The series gets underway in the Southern Hemisphere once again, as Auckland’s picturesque Western Springs stadium hosts the second New Zealand FIM Speedway Grand Prix on March 23.
The greatest show in speedway, the British FIM Speedway Grand Prix, takes place in Cardiff on June 1 and the series concludes at Torun’s Marian Rose Motoarena in Poland on October 5.
BSI Speedway managing director Paul Bellamy is delighted to have assembled a tantalising mix of venues – old and new.
He said: “It’s great to be returning to eight of our 2012 venues and we extend a special welcome to Bydgoszcz, Krsko and Daugavpils, who showed great hunger to get SGP racing back in their cities for 2013.
“It is also very exciting that we are taking a Grand Prix to a brand new stadium. The Friends Arena in Stockholm is a fantastic venue and the meeting on September 21 could decide the World Championship, so to stage our penultimate round in such a world-class facility is truly special.
“It’s great to see the SGP title being contested across nine different countries and we’re working hard all the time to expand into new territories.
“We look forward to seeing world champion Chris Holder defend his crown against the likes of Nicki Pedersen, Greg Hancock and Tomasz Gollob on 12 fantastic race tracks next year.”
Following the first round in Auckland, SGP action returns to Europe on April 20, when the ZKS Polonia Stadium in Bydgoszcz stages the European FIM Speedway Grand Prix – the fabled venue’s first SGP event since Tomasz Gollob lifted the World Championship there in October 2010.
Gothenburg’s historic Ullevi Stadium is the next stop for the Swedish SGP on May 4, before Prague’s Marketa Stadium stages the Czech SGP for the 17th season running on May 18.
The British SGP takes place at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on June 1, before the series visits Polish track Gorzow on June 15 and Copenhagen’s PARKEN for the Danish SGP on June 29.
The action then moves to Italian circuit Terenzano on August 3, before Daugavpils stages the first Latvian SGP since 2009 on August 17.
Krsko also ends its own four-season exile from the competition on September 7 before the world’s top riders visit the Friends Arena for the Scandinavian FIM Speedway Grand Prix two weeks later.
The series finale will be the Torun FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland on October 5.
The 2013 Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup will kick start in Czestochowa, Poland, on July 13 where the host nation will be up against Australia, Russia and the winners of Qualifier 1. Renowned British track, King’s Lynn, will host Event 2 on 15 July, with Great Britain up against current World Champions Denmark, Sweden and winners of Qualifier 2. The SWC concludes in the Czech Republic, as capital club Prague host the Race Off and Final at their Marketa Stadium on July 18 and 20 respectively.
This means the Czech national side will be automatically seeded into the Final and they will be joined by the winners of Event 1 and 2. The second and third teams from Events 1 and 2 will line-up in the Race Off with the winners completing the Final four.
2013 FIM SPEEDWAY GRAND PRIX CALENDAR
March 23: New Zealand FIM Speedway Grand Prix – Auckland, New Zealand
April 20: European FIM Speedway Grand Prix – Bydgoszcz, Poland
May 4: Fogo Swedish FIM Speedway Grand Prix – Gothenburg, Sweden
May 18: Mitas Czech Republic FIM Speedway Grand Prix – Prague, Czech Republic
June 1: British FIM Speedway Grand Prix – Cardiff, Great Britain
June 15: Gorzow FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland – Gorzow, Poland
June 29: Danish FIM Speedway Grand Prix – Copenhagen, Denmark
August 3: Fogo Italian FIM Speedway Grand Prix – Terenzano, Italy
August 17: Latvian FIM Speedway Grand Prix – Daugavpils, Latvia
September 7: Slovenian FIM Speedway Grand Prix – Krsko, Slovenia
September 21: Scandinavian FIM Speedway Grand Prix – Stockholm, Sweden
October 5: Torun FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland – Torun, Poland
2013 MONSTER ENERGY FIM SPEEDWAY WORLD CUP CALENDAR
July 13: Event 1 – Czestochowa, Poland
Poland v Australia v Russia v Winner of Qualifying Round 1
July 15: Event 2 - King’s Lynn, Great Britain
Great Britain v Denmark v Sweden v Winner of Qualifying Round 2
July 18: Race Off - Prague, Czech Republic
Second and third place teams from Events 1 and 2
July 20: Final - Prague, Czech Republic
Czech Republic, v Winner Event 1 v Winner Event 2 v Winner Race Off
Picture : Friends Arena in Stockholm