events in Europe! It has been called the second largest spectator sport in Europe for years, second only
to soccer! The machines are highly specialized as they are fueled by methanol , weigh just 175 pounds
with over 80 horsepower and have a power to weight ratio similar to a Formula 1 car! They can
accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than 3 seconds, have no gears, no brakes and are made to slide
totally sideways through the corners of the dirt oval bullring track!
Speedway is a spectacle! From the playing of the National Anthem until the last checkered flag, there’s
never a dull moment. Speedway is a night sport and the glare of the floodlights adds to the atmosphere
of sparkling machines and riders in colorful suits doing battle in an arena that puts the spectator right on
top of the action! Add the pungent smell of alcohol and castor oil and you have an electric situation that
is seldom duplicated in any other form of racing! Wheel to wheel racing is the name of the game and the
winner is seldom decided until the checkered flag! Speedway is unique in every respect! Speedway
delivers!!!
Professional Speedway Motorcycle Racing has a long and storied history, not only Europe, but in the
United States as well. There was big time racing up and down both Coasts prior to World War II, America
produced its’ first World Champion, Jack Mile in 1937, but sadly Speedway ceased with the war until it
was resurrected in California in 1968 by Dude Criswell at Whiteman stadium. In 1969, Milne and Harry
Oxley started a track at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa which quickly became legendary
for its’ weekly Friday night events that were drawing 8,000 plus crowds! It became known as the best
attended weekly motorsports track in the Country! More tracks sprung up fast in California and soon
there was racing 4 to 5 nights a week and riders were making a full-time living from it on the West
Coast.
track at the Genesee County Fairgrounds in Batavia that ended up lasting until 1980. Shortly after
Batavia opened Champion Speedway in Owego/Nichols, NY was started and went on to become a local
legend, attracting thousands of spectators over the years to some of the most breathtaking and colorful
events in the Southern Tier! Champion Speedway is one of the oldest operating race-tracks in the United
States, celebrating its’ 50th Anniversary in 2024! Action Park East in Greene, NY first operated in 1983
and successfully until the end of 1989, but then was brought back years later and still is part of the
current schedule. Other tracks in NY State have come and gone since including Batavia Motor Speedway
at a different location in Batavia, Casey’s Motorsport Park in Hamburg, Empire Speedway in Brewerton
and Victory Speedway in Cato.
Smaller pockets of Speedway have existed over the years in Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Indiana,
Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania but California and New York have long been considered the heart of
American Speedway!