Speedway on ice

The race track is similar to the track for the caramel motorcycle races, often competitions are held on the same tracks, only covered with ice. Sometimes competitions are held on frozen lakes. Racers ride counterclockwise along a track whose length is from 260 to 425 meters. The rules and structure of the races is also similar to the competition in the classic speedway.

In the past (until about 1995), riders competed on motorcycles produced by the Czech company Java , Devishov, but after the mid-1990s, significant changes were made to the motorcycle design, primarily by the athletes themselves, and accordingly non-factory-built motorcycles became widespread. Engines for motorcycles are, to date, exclusively used by the Czech "Java". Motorcycles are completely different from those used for competitions in cinder races: instead of four valves in the engine, only two are installed (a prerequisite), there is a gearbox with two gears - the first one starts and the first meters of movement with a set of engine revolutions, and then turns on without clutch release the second gear (before entering the first starting turn), there is also an almost flat low frame, a small fuel tank (on average from 2 to 4 liters), there are no aerodynamic fairings, has I have front and rear suspension. However, there are design features: the frame is longer. The main difference is studded wheels.

Modern studs are made of hard alloys, equipped with a developed hat. In accordance with the technical regulation, the studs should not protrude more than 28 mm above the tire surface. The peculiarity of the studded wheels is that the spikes are located on the left side of the wheel, since the movement is counterclockwise along the track, on the right side of the wheel there are 13-15 spikes for safety during movement before and after the start. During the rides at the entrance to the turn and the maximum inclination of the motorcycle, the rider risks getting in touch with the opponent’s motorcycle. The spikes are extremely sharp, and any contact with them is dangerous for riders. In the history of motorcycle racing on ice there have been cases of death of riders. Typically, there are approximately 120 spikes on the front wheel, and 180 to 200 spikes on the rear wheel.

Also, for motorcycles, the front wing and the hood covering most of the rear wheel are made of plastic, in order to close the rotating studded parts of the wheels as much as possible.

The four-stroke engine with a volume of 125, 350 or 500 cm³ (this is the volume used in official competitions), powered by methanol .

The history does not contain the name of the person who first went on ice on a motorcycle, but it is assumed that this happened in the 1920s. Then in Scandinavia the first competition on ice racing was held. Until the mid-1930s, ice racing was considered just fun for classic speedway riders. However, the growing popularity of the cinder speedway in Europe has changed the attitude to ice racing - they stood out as a separate sport.

Ice racing in the USSR and Russia

For the first time in the USSR, Sergei Buchin rode out in public on ice. It happened in January 1939. On January 9 of that year, the Krasny Sport newspaper published an article entitled “Motorcycle on Ice”, which described what happened during the break of the speed skating competitions, when, to the surprise of the public, the motorcyclist rode out on the ice and felt it is quite confident, passing turns almost without reducing speed. Two photographs of Sergey Buchin on ice were attached to the article.

A year later, on March 10, 1940, the first official competitions dedicated to the XVIII Congress of the CPSU (B.) Were held at the Moscow Hippodrome.

In 1960, the Peoples' Friendship Cup was held. The cup was played in the USSR , however, riders from Czechoslovakia , Sweden and Finland also took part in the draw. The popularity of this competition, as well as subsequent friendly cups, has shown the International Motorcycle Federation (FIM) the need to give competitions in this sport an official status.

The first IFMS World Cup was held in 1966 . Since 1979, the Ice Speedway World Team Championship has been held.

Despite the fact that riders from various countries take part in the competitions, unconditional leadership from the very first championship belongs to riders from the USSR and Russia. Of the 43 personal world championships, riders from other countries became champions only 7 times, and from 29 team championships only 4 times were riders from other countries.

There is also a draw of the personal European Motorcycle Ice Racing Championship. Racing couples are not officially held.

Competitions in the USSR and Russia

The first USSR and Russia ice racing championships were held in 1959, twenty years after the first appearance of the motorcycle on ice. Then the first international competitions took place: against riders from Czechoslovakia.

• Ice Speedway World Team Championship
• List of winners of the personal speedway world championship on ice

• Sergey Apresov . Biting into ice (unopened) (April 2005). Date of treatment February 25, 2010. Archived March 21, 2012.
• Evgeny Denisov. Northern Arctic motorcycle (unopened) . Kommersant (February 14, 2005). Date of treatment November 21, 2008. Archived March 21, 2012.