For the 17th year in a row, the Speedway Grand Prix comes to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. The Grand Prix’s strong history with Cardiff guarantees a well-handled event, further solidified by the stadium’s recent deal to host the Grand Prix until 2021 at the earliest. The heavy numbers game involved in preparing the stadium (taking 400 man hours to lay 3,500 tonnes of track) certainly contributes an impressive atmosphere to the event and transformation of the stadium. The 500cc bikes themselves imbue the races with intensity, power-sliding around corners with no brakes and having acceleration faster than an F1 car.
In being the sixth round of the World Speedway Championship, the sense of competition among its global line-up of racers is palpable. The 16 riders compete in heats of four at a time, and with world champions here, it truly is anyone’s game. Last year’s world champion Greg Hancock is seeking to keep that title in his grasp. With other racers having recovered from injuries and seeking to regain glory from past losses, there’s a true sense of urgency in the line-up. British favourite Tai Woffinden returns this year, and having won two world titles in 2013 and 2015, it waits to be seen whether he can go full throttle once more and come out on top.
With 23 heats, the event is full of races and certainly feels grand. This is reinforced by the family friendly Fanzone on the City Hall Lawn, open between 11 AM and 4 PM and with free admission. With a fireworks display, racing bike simulators, and special guests including certain racers and Capital FM’s Matt Lissack, the event is really trying to pull out all the stops. There are many different seating plans available around the stadium, which vary greatly in price. Additionally three separate VIP packages are available, and although their particular offerings vary, they all provide exclusive seating areas which can get you closer to the action. While the winner is anyone’s guess, two things are for certain: the atmosphere will be hot, and rubber will burn!
Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Sat 22 July. Tickets: £19-110. Info: 0844 847 1881/ www.speedwaygp.com
words EDWARD LEE