speedway racingArticle Free Pass speedway racing, automobile or
motorcycle racing on a racecourse or track, usually oval and
flat. Both speedway racing and Grand Prix racing, which is done
on closed highways or other courses partly simulating road
conditions, began in 1906. Speedway racing became the dominant
kind of automobile racing in the United States. For the position
of speedway racing in the history of automobile racing, see
automobile racing. Speedway racing for motorcycles began much
later, originating in Australia in the 1920s. It also became
popular in Europe by the 1930s and remained so. The racing is
done on small, flat, oval tracks with lightweight motorcycles
that have small fuel tanks and no brakes. Tracks measure about
350 yards (320 metres) and have unpaved surfaces of dirt,
cinders, grass, or sand. Competition ranges from local to
international in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Attendance
at such races in Great Britain during the 1980s was said to be
second only to that for football (s