The FIM and BSI Speedway have announced multiple changes to both the 2020 Speedway Grand Prix and 2020 Monster Energy Speedway of Nations calendars, due to the impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus).
The revised 2020 FIM Speedway Grand Prix calendar will consist of eight rounds across four weekends, beginning on 28 August. Each night, riders will compete for the maximum 20 points and the full prize money amount per Grand Prix round.
The FIM is working closely with BSI Speedway and local organisers to stage the events with restricted audience numbers to allow for social distancing, enhanced safety measures, and in accordance with local health and safety regulations.
The revised 2020 Speedway Grand Prix Calendar, now taking place on Friday and Saturday evenings, is as follows:
28 - 29 August, Poland (Olympic Stadium, Wroclaw)
11 - 12 September, Poland (Edward Jancarz Stadium, Gorzow)
18 - 19 September, Czech Republic (Marketa Stadium, Prague)
2 October, TBC
3 October, Poland (Marian Rose Motoarena, Torun)
This revised SGP calendar means that the 2020 Danish FIM Speedway Grand Prix, scheduled to take place on 12 September, is now cancelled. Following discussions with the promoter, we are however pleased to announce that the event will return on 11 September 2021.
“Despite challenges caused by the impacts of COVID-19, we are delighted to be able to hold a world championship series in 2020 and crown a world champion in October,” said Paul Bellamy, Senior Vice President of Motorsports Events at IMG. “We are grateful to the FIM, all of the championship’s stakeholders, and our riders for working tirelessly with BSI Speedway to make this happen, and look forward to bringing the sport’s fans some much-needed, action-packed racing entertainment.”
In addition, the 2020 Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations semi-finals, scheduled to take place in Latvia on 26 - 27 September, have been cancelled but we look forward to returning in 2021. Therefore the Speedway of Nations Commission has agreed that the top seven nations from the 2019 Speedway of Nations, will be seeded directly to the final, in Manchester on 24 – 25 October.
The German federation has decided to pull its national team from the competition, resulting in the 2019 8th place team, the Czech Republic, taking their place. The remaining line up will consist of Russia, Poland, Australia, Denmark, Sweden & Great Britain.
Bellamy added, “We rescheduled the SON semi-finals earlier this year in the hope of being able to stage the event. But with some of the nations unable to travel to Latvia due to COVID-19 restrictions, it is not possible to stage the world-class, action-packed semi-finals that our riders and fans deserve. We now look forward to crowning the winning nation in what promises to be a thrilling final in Manchester this October.”
FIM communications and BSI Speedway