Slow start on the season , but there's some great racing.  Here's round 2.  It's not Moto GP, but they do 5 heats of 4 laps and battle it out on a short dirt track. 

 

Round one is here: 

 

 

Unfortunately, they don't seem to have the announcer/cheerleader babes on track this year.  What a shame. 

Unfortunately the videos  don't seem to be available in Thailand

A long time ago when I was about 16 I was on holiday and somewhere I heard these engine noises. I followed the sound and ended up at a speedway track. Lots of beginners. It looked wonderful - and dangerous.

I wouldn't have dared to try one of those bikes.

At that time they had 500cc one cylinder, just one gear. I guess that is still the same. I would love to see it again.

I can't imagine riding a bike with about 80 HP that weighs about 80 kg and doesn't have brakes.  Just pitch it sideways at 100+ kph and scrub off a bit of speed.

 

Perhaps these videos of the GP semi-finals/final will play over there.

 

 

This was a really good heat race at Wroclaw.  Quite a battle for first place.  Woffinden had it pegged a couple times lifting the front wheel but he held onto it and picked the right line.  As one would expect from a 3-time World Champ. 

 

I like speedway for two reasons.  They run sideways on dirt and the 4 lap heats suit my short attention span.  It was better when they had the speedway girls.  Let's hope they go back to the old normal soon.

 

 

 

Incidentally, Zmarzlik is the current (2019) world champion. Seems to me that Woffinden rides like a madman sometimes.

 

There are two more rounds of racing today and tomorrow.  Streaming live now.  Zmarzlik is top dog in the heat races so far.

 

... Woffinden just beat Zmarzlik in one late heat race, by a hair. 

 

Zmarzlik won the race today by a hair over Doyle.  It was funny as they were coasting just after the race end and Doyle congratulated Zmarzlik, who then dumped his bike.  Oops.  Polish boy wins on a Polish track. What could be better.

They were at it again this weekend in Poland at Gorzow.  "Fast Freddie" Lindgren won the 4th round, which puts him as the points leader this year.